Even if there hadn’t been a pandemic forcing us to stay home 24/7, my partner and I had planned to start a big garden this year. When we moved out to this land last summer, I started my first tiny plot in the meadow overgrown with blackberry brambles. I managed to get a few carrots, kale, and broccoli out of it.

This year, we’ve expanded it eightfold, growing artichokes and greens, squash, corn, and beans, peas, root veggies, edible flowers, tomatoes, and herbs. It was a lot of labor at first, but now I can just walk out to the garden after work and enjoy it.

I’m learning so much. This year feels like the trial run. Hopefully next year, we’ll be able to share more of it with our community as we work out the timing of growing things and what plants work best together, and how to best manage it to scale.

It’s all a big lesson in how to bloom where you’re planted. So, thank you, artichoke, squash, tomatoes, beans, and to all the other plants, for being my green gurus this summer.