There are many things I want to do with the limited time I have on Earth, and growing my own vegetable garden has always been one of them. I already have the space for it as my backyard was large enough but what I lacked is the skill. Fortunately, gardening is one of those hobbies where experience comes from doing, and I knew I had the enthusiasm and determination to learn along the way. Summer 2026 is going to see me realise my dream.
With that in mind, I chose a spot for my vegetable garden and got started in April when it is still cold in Michigan. My first decision was whether to use a wooden raised bed or a metal planter and I chose the metal planter because I liked its clean and organized appearance. I also don't have to worry about wood rot and winter weather damage which Michigan will be sure to inflict. When I found a planter on sale for $19.99 on Amazon, I took it as a sign to begin.
Next came the challenge of filling it. I mean, what do I fill it with? During my research, I discovered the Hügelkultur method which is a permaculture technique that layers natural materials to create a rich growing environment. After watching a few (okay, many) videos, I started by laying cardboard across the bottom of the planter, including the Amazon box it arrived in. Then, I added logs and branches from my backyard, something I had no shortage of. On top of those went twigs, dry leaves, and finally a layer of potting mix.
I've never had a vegetable garden and wasn't sure how many bags of potted soil to get so I started with 4 and gradually ended up getting 6 in total. They were big bags which I won't be able to manage on my own but fortunately there is Home Depot free delivery and it solved my problem of transporting the heavy bags on my own.  |
| You can never have enough of potting soil. |
On one of the few good weather days in April, I finished filling the planter and felt a real sense of accomplishment. I looked at my filled planter and watching it sit on the chosen location in the backyard made the project suddenly feel real. Although Michigan still faced the possibility of frost and planting season had not fully arrived, I couldn't resist getting started. Over the next few days, I started to put up the fence using deerblock mesh and 4 stakes which my friend helped me pick out because I had no idea what to get. Once again, I tried watching fencing videos but none helped me much so I just jumped in and tried wrapping mesh over the four stakes. it worked! After that I stapled it to the ground and it looked sturdy enough to keep my plants safe.
Next, I had to decide what to grow, and that turned out to be harder than I expected. After spending hours researching vegetables, I finally chose carrots and potatoes because I could plant them in April. I also chose them for a more sentimental reason. A year earlier, I had visited a beautiful garden in Athlone, Ireland, where carrots and potatoes flourished. That garden stayed in my mind long after I left and inspired many of the ideas for my own vegetable garden.
Starting a vegetable garden also meant buying supplies, and the list seemed endless. Rather than purchase everything new, I repurposed whatever I could find around the house. I turned egg cartons into seed trays, gave old coffee cups a second life as plant containers, and cut up milk jugs for containers to hold some plants. Most gardening advice recommend that beginners start with seedlings, but I couldn't wait that long. Instead,h I sowed beet, cilantro, carrot, and sunflower seeds indoors. Even better, I picked up some of those seeds for free from my local library.
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| Carrots and beets from seeds to seedlings |
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| Beet seedlings |
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| Watching beets growing feels rewarding |
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| Handmade ceramic plant markers. |
As I quickly learned, gardening rewards planning but also exposes every planning mistake. I for one completely underestimated how much space plants need. Before planting, I mapped out nine different crops for my raised bed but reality had other ideas. Once I started planting, I discovered I only had room for three varieties in the metal planter (potatoes, carrots and beets). The rest, I placed them in pots such as beets, lettuce and water spinach. A few months later (and a little too late), I came across advice that suggests first-time gardeners should grow only two vegetables in their first season. Two! Really? Perhaps next year, I may actually listen but I am not counting herbs.
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| Water spinach. |
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| Lettuce. |
Most gardeners would plant vegetables they love eating but my selection came from various reasons. I planted carrots and potatoes because of the garden I admired in Ireland, while the remaining vegetables simply earned a spot because I had the seeds. Out of everything I grew, cilantro is probably the only crop I genuinely look forward to harvesting.
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| There can never be enough cilantro. Cilantro farm in a beautiful handmade wooden planter box. |
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| In full bloom. |
The sunflowers were different. Years ago, I successfully grew sunflowers and have wanted to repeat that success ever since. Unfortunately, pests usually beat me to it. This year, however, I declared war. I protected those sunflowers like they were in Alcatraz, and so far they seem determined to survive. Fingers crossed!
Nothing gives me more satisfaction than watching the plants grow. Every day, I check for new leaves, taller stems, and signs of progress. I especially admire the carrots and potatoes. I planted them while frost still lingered in the garden sometime in April, yet they pushed through the cold and continued growing. Watching them survive those harsh conditions reminds me how resilient living things can be. Plants don't complain about the weather or wait for perfect conditions. They simply keep growing.
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The first sprouts were the potatoes (from Aldi) |
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| Resilient crop |
This garden also taught me that most things become possible once you decide to begin. Today, anyone can find endless gardening advice, videos, and resources. Ironically, that abundance almost stopped me from starting. Every article seemed to introduce another technique, tool, or rule to follow and it was all too confusing for me. Eventually, I realized that I could spend forever researching or I could start planting. So, I chose to plant.
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Late April, early May  |
I still have plenty to learn. I want to build better fencing, understand ways to fertilize, and improve the way I space my plants. Despite all my mistakes, I have enjoyed every part of this journey. Each success encouraged me, and every mistake taught me something useful. I know that a lot of my plants yielded small fruits such as my strawberry plant in my container garden. In addition, my beets were tiny but they were surprisingly sweet and the leaves were edible and delicious.
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| Surprisingly delicious beet leaves |
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| Small but sweet |
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| Lettuce and beets harvest |
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| The bounty- carrots and a very big beet |
For some people, summer means planting season. For me, summer has usually meant travelling and discovering new places. This year, I stayed home and traded airports for time in my garden. Instead of collecting memories from distant places, I watched seeds break through the soil, leaves unfold toward the sun, and flowers slowly open while the bees dance around and butterflies flutter about. In the quiet space between watering cans and garden beds, I discovered a different kind of journey which is one that invited me to slow down, pay attention, and find wonder in the small patch of earth right outside my door. I count myself blessed to have this experience.
