So, it is a chance to start anew! Make it our own, which, is actually great. Because at this point, we have basically gutted this 35 year old house into something entirely and uniquely ours! My heart sings. And, every muscle in my body aches. LOL.

I decided to tackle the little space by the driveway first. In a way, this was also my proof of concept space; a little nook that would get me started on the learning journey of what was out there and what I liked. What a fascinating journey it has been and continues. For this space, I wanted a cozy, inviting look, as after all, it is first spot you pause on coming to the house. So I went the eternal rose as the center piece…

One of the true joys of the last couple of months has been walking our every morning onto the garden and finding out what is growing there! So far, I have found blackberry, raspberry bushes that have delighted me with their blooms, fragrant wild rose, lemon balm, lamb’s ear, wild iris and azaleas and lots of boxwood. I also confronted critters - stubborn, cut and with resignation…!

This post talks about living with nature and appreciating its beauty. Plus notes on the wild fruit bushes, and, tips on critter management.

Ah! That first harvest!! A joy that knows no bounds... a harbinger for that everlasting hope and a gentle sigh of relief that hey, it is all coming along ok. There is so much emotion when you pick the first few gems from your garden, be it a little or a lot! My first pluck was true to that. I felt so, so gratified, happy, elated, joyous... just precious!

This post has notes on harvesting cilantro, lettuce, spinach and caring for pea flowers and pods.

Things started picking up in early May. With the sudden heatwave, I madly rushed through the clearing and planting. In hindsight, it was necessary as we went to through a cold and wet spell for most of the rest of May. But, hey, at that time with 80-90F weather and blinding sun, I felt like the peak planting was passing me by.

This post includes tips for transplanting tomato and pea seedling, planting radishes and potatoes. Plus some learnings I acquired in the first weeks of setting up the vegetable garden.

May was a busy busy time. There was a lot that was done... beginning with actually preparing the space for the garden.

The area I had picked had South and East exposure with sun through all early morning and with shade creeping from the wall side (call it North Side of the garden) from about 11am till evening. Still, the Southern most part of the garden continues to get some, if weak, sun all day.

This spot originally housed a maple tree with pachysandra as ground cover. The first order of the day was to weed out the tangled mess of pachysandra that was this plant to create a tillable area of 80 square feet for vegetable garden this year.

When I asked on Insta Polls, I received overwhelming support for blogging about my garden! Thank you very much. I am really gratified by your interest. And, so I am starting this series to share my experiences and learnings!

This first post talks about starting seeds indoors before the frost goes away. Many of the seeds were started 8 weeks before the last frost in my region. I have included my experiences with germinating and seeding peas, tomatoes and peppers, as well as tips on how to keep them healthy, as I learnt through the process of the first 8 weeks.