Growing, learning, and sharing the journey
Hi there! I'm an amateur gardener documenting my successes, failures, and everything in between. This site is my personal journal of backyard experiments, seasonal observations, and lessons learned from getting my hands dirty.
Whether you're a seasoned grower or just starting out, I hope you'll find something useful or inspiring here.
With the last frost finally behind us, it's time to prepare the raised beds for spring planting. This year I'm trying a new composting method I learned about—layering green and brown materials directly into the beds rather than in a separate bin.
I've also decided to rotate my tomato and pepper locations to help prevent soil-borne diseases. Fingers crossed for a better yield than last year!
Looking back at last season, my carrots were a total success—sweet and crunchy. The zucchini, on the other hand, got completely overrun by powdery mildew by mid-July. Lesson learned: better air circulation and earlier intervention next time.
The herb garden thrived, especially the rosemary and thyme. They survived the mild winter without any protection, which was a pleasant surprise.
Spent the weekend building a simple cold frame from reclaimed windows and some scrap lumber. Nothing fancy, but it should extend my growing season by a few weeks on both ends. Already started some early lettuce and spinach inside it.
Total cost: about £30. Not bad for potentially harvesting fresh greens in early March!
Location: Small suburban backyard, Zone 8a
Size: Four 4x8 raised beds plus containers
Focus: Organic vegetables and herbs for the kitchen
Experience: Fifth growing season—still learning!
I started this garden in 2021 after spending too much on grocery store tomatoes that tasted like cardboard. What began as two small beds has slowly expanded into a full backyard operation. Still making plenty of mistakes, but that's half the fun.
Here are some sites and books that have helped me along the way: