Your guide for growing your own food

Growing your own food isn't about going off-grid overnight—it's about replacing one thing at a time, starting with simple, low-cost steps like growing herbs on a windowsill or planting potatoes in a bucket. In this episode of *Just Asking*, host Seroja Coelho dives into the empowering, accessible world of home gardening with two passionate experts: Jacob Beaton, an Indigenous food sovereignty activist and farmer from British Columbia, and Rachel Parent, a community gardener and founder of Kids Right to Know. They reveal that the real secret to success isn’t fancy tools or perfect soil—it’s starting small, embracing failure as a teacher, and learning from local knowledge. From the joy of eating a tomato straight off the vine to the revolutionary act of composting kitchen scraps to fight climate change, the conversation reframes gardening as both a personal act of resilience and a collective climate solution. The episode dismantles myths about needing a backyard, showing how balconies, rooftops, and even schoolyards can become thriving food sources with the right mindset and techniques. The most powerful takeaway? You don’t need to be perfect—just persistent. Jacob shares how over-fertilizing potatoes ruined his first harvest, proving that sometimes, the best thing you can do for your plants is to let them struggle a little.