Growing your own food is awesome 🥦🍓🫑.
It's good for you, good for community and good for the planet 🌏. So why isn't everyone doing it? Turns out many of us think don't have the space, don't know how, or don't want that awful feeling of 'I tried, it died'.
Paul West, Darryl Nichols and Andrew Valder have a good idea.

They make it easy to begin by sending heirloom seeds to your door that, when you flip the pack, have a QR code on the back that you can scan to have the who's who of Aussie gardeners to show you how to grow. And there's more.
Through webinars, 'ask me anythings', real world events, workathons and a good ole' fashioned 'best produce' awards with a twist, they're making growing food something everyone can get involved in and all us to benefit from, whether it's from bringing more pollinators into our cities or simply eating healthier food.
In this episode you will hear:
😊 Why growing food is so good for you

🌏 Why it's good for community and our home planet too

Why people get involved, and why they don't

🌶️ How things like wonky vegetable awards bring new fun to one of the world's most skills

🍅 What's growing on in TV legend Paul West's garden

🍓 Just how many strawberries, cashews and pretzels Paul and Darryl can eat in an hour (it's a lot) 🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Tune in now or see Grow it Local for yourself at www.growitlocal.com

Want to know more? Here's what AI had to say after we gave it a listen...
Imagine picking dinner from a patch you tended, still warm from the sun, and knowing that simple act just cut waste, saved carbon, and strengthened your connection to where you live. That’s the promise we explore with Grow It Local co-founders Paul West and Daryl Nichols, who are helping Australians learn to grow, cook, and share food with confidence and joy.
We start with why: growing food isn't just about yield. It’s a way to get out of the built environment and back into the natural world, even if it’s a pot of basil on a balcony. Paul explains how that hands-in-the-soil habit boosts mental health and rebuilds agency over what we eat. From there we tackle the real barriers—lost know-how, time, and space—and show how knowledge sits at the top of the tree. With the right guidance, anyone can start, anywhere.
Then we get practical. Grow It Local’s model pairs live workshops and member Q&As with seasonal heirloom seed deliveries. Each packet’s QR code opens short, friendly videos on varieties, growing steps, and patch-to-plate ideas. It’s low-tech on purpose: learn online, grow offline. We share hard numbers too—members compost more, divert kilos of food waste each week, eat fresher produce, and plant for pollinators and water care. Councils partner to fund access, stream workshops in libraries, and co-design hyperlocal activations that make learning social.
Culture keeps it sticky. From the colourful Grow It Local Awards to ambassadors across music, surf, and kitchen culture, we celebrate gardeners of every stripe and the wonky veggies that make us smile. We also open the playbook on funding differently—working with local government and turning members into co-owners through equity crowdfunding—to build a values-led, impact-first platform.
Ready to turn curiosity into tomatoes and compost into carbon savings? Hit play, then join us at growitlocal.com. If this conversation sparks an idea or a seed, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more people find their way back to the

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