The front yard - filled with edible shrubs and trees, against a very modern home makes way for a mass of greenery encompassing every centimetre of the back yard.

It is here that Felicia Nguyen grows food for the twice-monthly Slow Food Earth Market in The Levee.

She is prepared to put in all the hard work, and long hours, to keep the garden producing for her customers but there's one problem - water.

Ironically, after so much rain this month Ms Nguyen's water woes aren't over. Asian greens and leafy vegetables have shallow root systems and need a regular dose of water.

The deluge has only given her a few days reprieve where she hasn't had to water anything. After that the soil became parched again and she had to take out the hose.

She has a small water tank, but it soon runs dry. She saves water from the home to put on the garden, she mulches and she uses the shade her house provides to strategically plant certain varieties.

But when you're up against the heat, humidity and uncertain rainfall it's an uphill battle.

"This is income for me, this is my job, I need to be able to have water to make my plants grow," she said.

Water restrictions return to Level 1 from today, but even the easing of outdoor watering conditions isn't enough to satisfy the crops.

She is uncertain what the future may hold and hopes the city will continue to receive follow-up rain over the next few months.

A Hunter Water spokeswoman said it offered users the option to apply for an exemption, which would be considered by the drought committee. Exemptions are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Ms Nguyen threw herself into suburban farming a couple of years ago after she fell in love with the earth market and the 'family' it has created. Since then she's played a vital role in changing tastebuds across the city and showing shoppers how to introduce more Asian vegetables into their meals.