I am a self-taught gardener. When we bought our house six years ago, I had succeeded in killing more than my fair share of house plants. What we got wasn’t exactly a yard so much as a tangled mess of ferns, mint and crabgrass. One day I got the great idea to maybe try to dig up a patch of those ferns and mint and plant a few vegetables since my then 4 year old son had no interest or desire to eat anything green. So I found a shovel abandoned under our deck and started digging, and digging and digging. In the process what I discovered is that gardening is hard work, hard work that I love and take immense pleasure in and I find it super rewarding to grow my own food.
Looking back at that first year, I now realize I did everything wrong, but it was a super fun learning experience and I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. A garden is a living breathing thing, nurture it, feed it and love it and it will flourish and reward you with breathtaking beauty and moments of quiet splendor. Just like life it’s full of challenges, failures and rewards but that’s what makes it worthwhile.
Here is a picture of the garden the first year
And here is my garden now. It’s gone through a lot of changes but that is the fun of it. Right now the garden is just waking up for the season but I will be sure to post lots of photos as it springs into action. The cycle is just starting, I can’t wait to see what this year will bring!
There is a lot to know about gardening. I’m “self-taught” as well, and I know I still have a LOT to learn!