RING A RING O’ ROSY

This is a story about a woman who has only recently discovered the joys of gardening — 2012 was the turning point, to be exact — and, in particular, growing edibles. She has now turned this newfound passion into a fully fledged business called Pretty Produce.

Simone Jelley’s garden is half an acre on subtropical Macleay Island, off the coast of south-east Queensland. It may sound all very exotic, but there are lots of trials and tribulations when it comes to gardening and farming on an island, as you will soon see.

When asked what she does for a job, Simone can joyfully state that she’s an urban farmer specialising in edible flowers, pioneering garnish plants for chefs. In her spare time Simone is happily consumed by researching (she calls it “passion overdrive”) and trialling new plants. And that’s when she’s not buzzing around the garden learning, observing and harvesting.

Although Simone’s a late starter, she says growing things was already