A Bangladeshi couple living in Halifax has found a way to have a taste of home, away from home.
Avid gardeners Mohamed Aullah and his wife, Mazeda Begum, grow vegetables and herbs from their home country of Bangladesh in their backyard in Halifax.
They grow foods like squash, radishes and beans - typical vegetables for the Maritimes, but ones that vary in taste.
“They grow very big. I had one last year, it grew to be 23 pounds,” says Begum of their squash.
The pair immigrated to Canada from Bangladesh in the 1980s and moved to a home in Halifax 13 years ago. A year after that, they had three truckloads of top soil delivered for their garden.
Everything in the garden, from the cement pads, wooden fence, and lattice work, have all been done by Mazeda and Mohamed.
“He works hard, he works a lot. Any time he has he spends in the garden,” says Begum.
The biggest difference between gardening in Canada and in Bangladesh is the climate. The growing season is only a few months long in Canada, compared to year-round in Bangladesh.
Aullah says the vegetables actually grow better in Canada because of the shorter season and the soil.
Their garden is so bountiful that they cannot eat everything they grow, so they share with other Bangladeshi families.
“They miss those things they eat when they are home,” says Begun. “So now everybody move here and they miss and he enjoys sharing, so we share with them.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
