The garden is where all of this began. What started as a single, curious experiment turned into rows of plants, daily check-ins, and a whole new way of paying attention to small changes. This is where I share stories from the garden — what I’m growing, what I’m learning, and what’s working (and not working) along the way.
Notes From The Garden
Gardening in Yuma, AZ: When Kitchen Curiosity Meets Desert Reality
When I first started gardening, it wasn’t part of some grand plan. It was a kitchen experiment. I was making dinner one night, pulling seeds out of a bell pepper, and had a very casual thought: Could I grow more bell peppers from this? That curiosity snowballed (as these things tend to do), and before…
A New Season, a New Plan (and a Kitchen Full of Seed Trays)
Last season taught me a lot. I learned what worked, what didn’t, and how quickly confidence can grow after just a few small wins. Coming off that first year, I feel different heading into this one. Less impulsive. A little more organized. Still excited—but with a plan. This year, I actually thought things through. I…
The Day My Tango Mandarin Turned Yellow (and What I Did to Save It)
We purchased our home a little over two years ago, and from the beginning, I knew the backyard had potential. There’s a mature orange tree back there that was clearly thriving long before we ever arrived, but surrounding it were five large shrubs. They looked nice enough, but they felt like wasted space—especially when I’m…
What I Learned My First Season Growing Things
After the peppers and the potatoes, I was hooked. Coming off the success of the bell peppers, I felt bold. Like I could grow anything. So I did what any reasonable person would do: I built two more garden beds and started planting… everything. Corn. Beans. Strawberries. Herbs. Jalapeños. Tomatoes. Sunflowers. Watermelon. Pumpkins. Random flowers…
Second Breakfast: My First Attempt at Growing Potatoes
When my bell peppers sprouted, something in my brain changed. I went from “let’s see if this works” to “I am clearly a person who can grow things now.” After watching 72 tiny pepper plants come to life, I felt unstoppable. Like maybe I could grow anything. And once that thought takes hold, the next…
From One Bell Pepper to a Garden
It started in the most unremarkable way possible. I was making dinner one night, slicing up a bell pepper, and doing that normal thing where you pull out the seeds and toss them in the trash. Except this time, I paused. And thought:Wait… could I grow more bell peppers from these? I had no plan.…
Coop & Crop 