I’ve always dreamed of growing my own veg and filling a garden with bright and colourful flowers. And now, after buying a house with my husband, I finally have a garden!
The only catch? I don’t know a thing about gardening – and it’s currently far from ‘grow your own’ ready. Between the infestation of invasive weeds, the bumpy lawn and the flowerbeds that look like they’ve barely survived an explosion, it’s going to take a lot of work to bring this garden back to life.
But it’s an adventure we’ve decided to take on – so here’s where it begins, with more enthusiasm than expertise, and a hope to share some helpful insights along the way.
As I embark on sharing this gardening journey, an introduction is in order. I’m Poppy – 28 years old, two years married, and we’ve just welcomed our first little one into the world. We live in the beautiful city of Bath and bought our first home at the beginning of the year.
I grew up in North Devon, surrounded by rolling countryside, so since moving to the city I’ve longed for a little green escape of my own. But now that I finally have the opportunity to create one, I need to figure out how to make it thrive.
So why a full-blown garden project instead of just a tidy-up and some nice patio furniture? Well, the idealistic goal is to grow my own food.
I’m tired of fruit and veg that are coated in chemicals, or the disappointment of bringing home greengrocer produce to find it’s already gone bad. I want fresh, trustworthy food straight from my own back garden.
But this is going to be quite a journey, because my current gardening knowledge goes as far as helping my mum in our front garden as a child – she somehow managed to rope a bunch of other kids from the estate to help her too. I loved the sense of community it brought – everyone working towards the same goal, whilst tending their own little patch.
That memory has always stayed with me, and it’s partly why I want to share this journey here – not just to document the process, but to rediscover that same sense of connection and joy that comes from growing something together.
So here we go. I’m clueless but excited, and ready to get my hands dirty.
If you’ve ever started a garden project – or at least attempted one – I’d love to hear your best tips. What do you wish you’d known when you first started gardening?
GRACEFULL REFLECTIONS 