The Garden Chronicles: Learning as I Grow
Why I Garden (Even When I Don’t Know What I’m Doing)
Let’s flash back to 2007.
I’m 28 years old, working as an Assistant Operations Manager at Smith Barney. I had five financial licenses under my belt, was hoping to become a full manager, dreamed of traveling the world, and was living the “free” life. I felt invincible. I stayed up late, partied on weekends, and couldn’t even microwave food correctly.
If someone had told me then that my 45-year-old self would be a wife, mom of two (loving and adorable… most of the time), running an interior design business I built from the ground up, living on what we now call our “mini farm,” growing vegetables, and cooking from scratch, I would’ve laughed out loud. For days.
To say my life went in the complete opposite direction I had planned is a wild understatement.
And yet—I couldn’t be happier it did.
I’ve Always Loved Flowers… I Just Couldn’t Keep Them Alive
Before I ever picked up a fabric swatch or took an interior design course, I nearly signed up for a floral design program. But I was too intimidated to even figure out where to start. So I didn’t.
Instead, I found my way into interior design after three years of being home with my kids. I took a course simply to feel creative again—not to start a business, and definitely not with a ten-year plan in mind. But here I am, a decade later, still in awe of the homes I’ve had the privilege of designing. (That story’s for another day.)
My love for flowers started as a simple desire to have something beautiful around me—but over time, it became something more. As a designer, I was craving another creative outlet, and the garden quickly became just that: a space to shape, grow, and experiment beyond the walls of a home.
2020: The Year the Garden Started (Sort Of)
Like most people, 2020 had us turning inward—and outward, to our land. Suddenly, we saw our yard with new eyes. I’d been drawn to gardens for years: walking through arboretums, strolling through landscape centers, drawn to the wild, layered beauty of it all. I wanted that same peaceful, creative feeling in our own backyard.
So we started small: 4 raised beds, a firepit area, and space for flowers. We grew the “easy” things—tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, lettuce—and that first season sparked something in me I didn’t even know I needed. That old phrase “it tastes better homegrown” is no joke. I started dreaming about expanding before we even finished our first harvest.
When the Garden Got “Too Real”
By 2022, things got serious—my in-laws (avid gardeners) were staying with us, and I asked them to teach me everything they knew.
Big mistake.
(Just kidding. Kind of.)
I had no idea what I was getting into. Companion planting? Soil pH? Pollination? The difference between feeding, fertilizing, watering, hardening off, planting zones… It was overwhelming. My inner perfectionist went into full panic mode. What if I messed everything up? What if I couldn’t keep anything alive again?
So I did what any perfectionist does when faced with too much information: I panicked and quietly walked away.
Those same fears followed me through the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
2024: First Garden Without Training Wheels
Last year was my first time doing the garden without my in-laws guiding me, and you know what?
It wasn’t half bad. I had fresh flowers, herbs, lettuces, green beans, tomatoes, and a boatload of peppers—enough to share with friends and family, which felt incredibly rewarding.
But This Year Feels Different
This year, I’m shifting my mindset. I’m finally realizing what gardening has been trying to teach me all along:
It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Nature isn’t perfect.
Perfection doesn’t grow food—consistency and curiosity do.
Whether I get one zucchini or ten, whether my tomatoes flourish or flop—it’s all part of the experience. The garden has become a space for me to be messy, try things, fail, and try again. It’s become a creative outlet that doesn’t require approval or outside validation. It’s mine.
And even if I ignore my own notes (again), I’ll still show up next season and try it all over. Isn’t that what life is, anyway?
2025: This Year’s Garden Plan (So Far…)
This year, we’re growing in:
6 wooden raised beds
2 larger metal beds
Our 3 original high beds
So far I’ve planted:
6 zucchini plants
2 cucumber plants
9 poblano peppers (yes, NINE 😂)
6 beefsteak/San Marzano tomato plants
6 cherry tomato plants (yes, I ignored last year’s “just one” rule)
Red bell peppers, banana peppers, radishes, bush beans, carrots, lettuce
Dahlias, basil, cilantro, parsley
I plan to add flowers, onions, and more herbs in the coming weeks. We’re even trying vertical growing this year for the vine plants, and I’m excited to see how that goes.
I’ll be sharing updates as we go, mistakes and all.
Because whether it’s gardening, designing a home, or figuring out dinner—it’s not about getting it all right. It’s about showing up, trying again, and letting yourself enjoy the process.
Stick around for garden updates, and tell me—what are you growing this year?
So glad you’re here with me on this journey, one season (and story) at a time.
-Maria
Design in Real Life is a publication of design tips, garden updates, and simple recipes from a real home, shared with warmth, humor, and heart. ❤️
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