Kirsten’s Garden Tour

How long have you been gardening?

K: Our family has been gardening for about five years now. My husband, AJ (who was my boyfriend at the time) and I embarked on a wonderful adventure with a 1-acre urban garden about ten years ago. We learned so much about gardening on such a large scale—it was truly a labor of love. This passion project was fueled by our dream of one day having a community garden for our future restaurant. Now, our restaurant is no longer just a dream but a dream come true! However, the garden attached to our restaurant is still a dream we're nurturing. We have supplied pounds of herbs to our restaurant from our family’s garden! 

Who or what made you desire gardening?

K: AJ and I have a dream to have a farm and land in the future. AJ has supported and worked hard to make it so I could experience that dream sooner than I thought. He really encouraged the idea that we could start with what we are able to do and not have to wait for perfect conditions. We decided to start small here in suburbia to see if that would be something we could enjoy on a larger scale.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced with your first garden and how did you overcome it?

K: My first year nothing grew! It was pitiful. I planted all my seeds directly into the ground with barely any cultivating of the soil. The next year, we built our four raised garden beds, and I started my seeds inside under grow lights. You can say I went from 0 to 100. Not all the transplants made it, but I was proud that I was able to grow a vegetable from seed, transplant it, and harvest from it. I did this for two years but have since moved to getting our plants from our local nursery—they have lots of great heirloom varieties, making the process more manageable for us in this season of life.

What were some of your challenges this season?

K: We had a huge hail storm. I thought it was going to take out my garden completely. When we checked the damage we retained about 60% of what we had planted. It was a blessing each bed still has life! I am grateful for the fruit that we have harvested this year. It has been more than expected. 

Also, my beds need to be filled with compost and topsoil. It was something I couldn’t get to this year, and I needed to get plants in the ground. This fall, I plan on tending the soil so I don’t have to worry about it in the spring and can get to the fun things—planting!

What are the greatest joys you find in gardening?

K: I love having my hands in the soil. I love planting the first transplants at the beginning of spring. I enjoy planning for it and seeing all the little babies in the beds, eagerly anticipating what will happen! 

I also LOVE when my actual babies, Adley and Truett, pick the first fruits of our garden. We always make it a point to cut and eat it together. This year, it was Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.

How is your family involved or blessed by the garden?

K: We plant, weed, and harvest together for the most part. I truly enjoy doing it together. We also moved their Wendy House into the garden so they can play while I garden. Sometimes they start helping pull weeds and then end up making a “salad” with the pulled weeds for either me or the chickens. 

What factors impact your decisions on what to grow each season?

K: We love to grow heirloom varieties. I make a list of what I have seen in different seed catalogs and other gardens and see what I am able to get locally. I have ordered seeds in the past and had some success transplanting them, but as I mentioned earlier, the time and energy constraints of starting from seed have limited some of the varieties I can get. I hope to have more edible flowers in my rotation for next year. 

Has gardening been economical for your family? In what ways?

K: No—it is still one of the more expensive hobbies at this point. I am sure I could purchase all of the things we harvest cheaper than doing it myself. However, I will say some years we have supplied our restaurant with herbs and a pound of herbs is very expensive. I will need to grow more to make that more sustainable and consistent. 

What lesson is your garden teaching you this season?

K: That I am a work in progress, just like my garden. I see the improvements, flaws, and ways it needs to be tended and cultivated in the fall in preparation for spring. My body, soul, and mind are so similar to this process—there is cultivating, sowing, tending, and growing that I need to do to truly shine, harvest, and savor in the next season. As humans, sometimes sowing and harvesting happen in the same season, depending on the season of life. I feel like that is a representation of where I am currently. 

The hail storm also set it back and ruined so many plants, reminding me of the resilience and patience required in gardening and life. It was unexpected and yet the fruit we have received in this season has been unexpected as well. 

I can also see the potential for more- more flowers, more fruits and vegetables, more experience in the garden. In my life I am hopeful for the seasons to come as AJ and I cultivate our young family in this season. 

What is your favorite plant growing in your garden this season?

K: I am not sure I have a favorite- the cucumbers have been very fruitful this season which has been fun for our kids to harvest or count each time we go out there.