Two Gardens, One Purpose:

I grew up around gardens. I know the feel of rich soil under your fingertips and the quiet satisfaction of nurturing plants into bloom. Just joking, I hated working in the garden as a kid. But for the longest time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that gardening might resemble hard, back-breaking labor — something that, frankly, could be mistaken for slave work. Oh yes, I am that girl who once clung to a skewed viewpoint of what it meant to work in a garden.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

In other words, I would tell the grownups, “You know slavery ended in 1866, right? You don’t have to do this anymore.” I was that kid. I’d proudly say, “I know my worth,” but as it turns out, I was so wrong. My perspective was all the way off. As an adult, you better know how to tend to your garden. The garden that is your mind and, in this case, we’re talking about a physical vegetable garden.

Rethinking the Landscape

Recently, I began reexamining my yard, pondering how I could transform my landscaping into a little sanctuary that truly reflects me. I wasn’t just thinking about aesthetics; I was considering the deeper conversation that my garden could represent. As I dug into research and learned new gardening approaches, I stumbled upon a challenge that sparked both curiosity and frustration — “the uninvited roommate,” my playful term for the gopher turtle that had set up…