I’m *finally* renting a place with a yard that’s mine to do what I want with, as of like, a month ago (!!). I’ve already put in a shade garden in the front (full deep shade under some massive old pines) and planted hostas and ferns. I’ll be adding some Jacob’s ladder and horsetail eventually. The back and sides of the house are the opposite (full sun every day) so I’m planning a potted herb garden with the usual suspects – basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, oregano – and then I have lots of seeds that need to get into the ground ASAP – sunflowers, 3 kinds of morning glories, tomatoes, peppers, beans. Then I hope to get started on what will eventually be a big hedge of lavender in like, 3 years. Gotta start somewhere! The place also came with an olllllld rosebush that’s seen better days but I’m hoping I can clean her up a little bit and enjoy some roses this summer! :D if I could garden all day, I’d be a happy camper.

This is so great you pulled the links from all over your blog into one place! I have to share this with my sisters, they’ll love it! Amazing that you have surprise radishes!

It’s so true, spring is totally uplifting. And yes, I’m so lucky! I have BIG plans for this yard, and it’s so fun to see what’s already here, as well. So far I’ve had volunteer radishes, tomatoes, mint, and even a potato plant in the back yard! There’s also pre-established native tobacco and epazote and stinging nettle, which is so exciting.

Sounds like you are growing tons, too. I have just recently (like int he last few weeks) been really warming up to geraniums. I always thought they were boring, but suddenly I’m seeing them in bloom all over the city and realizing how pretty they are! Funny that you mentioned them — I just may have to get me some as well.

I love what you wrote about your Lavender plant. I have a few plants like that! Like my potted miniature Meyer Lemon tree which used to live in my living room in Portland (too cold for citrus outside) and which I would cross pollinate by hand each year because, ya know, no pollinators inside! That tree is still going strong in a pot, now outside and loving life in SoCal.

Awww I love plants!! ♥

Aw, thank you Elle, I love hearing that! And you are not alone — the vast majority of my readers are not vegan. And I love that! It means so much to me that I can create a space here where non-vegans feel dafe and un-judged. I think it’s so valuable! So thank you for being a part of that.

When does the garden season in Chicago begin?? All I know about Chicago is EXTREME weather. I imagine that it goes from freeing cold to sweltering hot with very little in-between, but that may just be my imagination. How long is the growing season there?

You’re right, it is SUPER extreme! This is the first year I’ve had a garden bed instead of containers, and I really struggled for a long time to find things that would happily produce both in a container and in the cold (read: almost frozen!) Spring AND in the sweltering summer! Last year I was harvesting kale in late May and putting the tomatoes to bed in late September– I probably could have done another round of cool weather crops in the fall but we were moving and it was just too much of a hassle. I love that gardening is all about learning, so hopefully I’ll perfect my methods a little more this year.

Well that’s actually not so bad at all, seems like a decent growing season. And I know what you mean about learning more each year. It always strikes me how I can recognize seedlings when I walk through the garden store or through someones home garden. Like, I can totally distinguish the species just be looking at a 3 week old seedling. It’s so cool! No one taught me that, I just learned to identify by growing those seeds! I dont know why but I just love that. =)

Good luck with the first in-ground garden this year! I’m growing directly in-ground instead of in beds for the first time as well, and I am SUPER excited about it!

Gosh, I wish I had your enthusiasm for gardening. Sadly, I really kind of hate it. :-( I do it every year because I do find it rewarding when things begin to sprout and bear fruit. But the planting, the weeding, the watering — all of that is no fun for me. My partner loves it, so he’s responsible for a lot of the work. But I wish I loved it more. We planted some hot peppers, and the strawberries I planted last season are making berries now (which is awesome!). I’ll be potting some herbs this weekend because I love cooking with fresh herbs. But gardening is just one of those things — like hot tea and bitter greens and licorice (ha!) — that I wished I loved but just don’t.

I’m still trying to convince the hubs that growing cucumbers and tomatoes in the front yard isn’t a crazy proposition, but in the meantime, I’m making do with what space I already have. We started seeds inside in February and last month, put out 25 heirloom tomato plants (yes, 25), plus purple cauliflower, eggplant, and some cool little babies called “wonderberries” that we’re pretty stoked about. Once those were planted, we started seeds for melons, zucchini, and cucumbers… LOTS of cucumbers. Yum! I hope to plant those burgeoning beauties this weekend. I’ve also got spinach, lettuce, and herbs going like crazy in a raised bed. Charlotte has loved helping this year, which makes me really happy. At 3, she’s already showing immense interest in such things, and I hope she’ll be a little homesteader someday. We picked our first strawberries a few days ago, too. That was exciting! I think I’m most looking forward to the “muncher” cukes so I can make pickles using your fermentation recipe again. Last year’s were amazing!
Can’t wait to see what you do with the new place. I see lots of wine boxes in your future, right? I mean, with the wine bar and all. ;-)