When Thou Chheav finishes working her vegetable farm at the Western Sydney Parklands, she goes home to nearby Horsley Park and continues gardening in the backyard.

"Mum's constantly moving, her energy is just full on" says daughter Meng Sun, who helps her by selling produce at the farm's roadside stall on Sydney's outskirts. "She says it’s like a workout. We’ll often complain we’re tired but mum is the first one in and the last one out."

Thou Chheav sells freshly picked beans at her western Sydney farm, and supplies seasonal produce to the rest of Sydney. Credit:Wolter Peeters

While farming "just comes naturally" to Ms Chheav, 60, she didn't learn how until moving to western Sydney from Cambodia 23 years ago. It was an Italian neighbour at the house she first rented in Rossmore who taught the newly arrived migrant how to grow basic vegetables, and she hasn't stopped since.

The family's Sun Fresh Farm is one of 16 urban farms at the Parklands supplying fresh produce and flowers to the Sydney basin. "All the cafes and food trucks say they love the produce we provide them: it keeps longer, it’s fresher," Ms Sun says.