A Year of Growth: Reflections from Our Kitchen Garden 2025
As I sit down to reflect on this past year, I am struck by how much there is to be grateful for, how many lessons the garden quietly offers, and how much growth happens in ways we do not always expect.
A Year of Growth in Our Kitchen Garden
One of the biggest joys for Matt and me this year was adding a new kitchen garden to our own backyard. We finally addressed a part of our property that had challenged us for years: the lowest point on the land, where heavy rains collected and in-ground crops struggled season after season. I’ve lost more crops in this area than I can count.
Rather than continuing to fight the conditions, we chose to work with them. Installing raised beds allowed us to manage moisture more intentionally and create a space that could truly thrive.
Because this garden sits just off our pergola and outdoor dining area, I wanted it to feel special. This is where we gather, eat, and host. So we added a fountain, a detail I had dreamed of for years, to bring the sound of water into the space. Listening to it burble while we eat under the pergola has become one of the most grounding parts of the day.
This is one of the things I love most about kitchen gardens: when they are designed thoughtfully, they become part of how you live, not just something you tend.
The raised kitchen garden was not our only addition this year. We also established grapevines, both white and Concord varieties, and expanded our mini orchard.
And of course, I have to give Matt credit for being such a good sport. I think the hair still stands up on the back of his neck whenever I say, “I have an idea.” Especially after a summer snafu involving a rustic grape trellis made from reclaimed wood. A full day of work in the heat, only for me to realize it didn’t fit the aesthetic of the rest of the garden.
When I told him I wanted to start over and design a custom steel trellis instead, he gave me that familiar shake of the head and quietly wandered off to process what I had just said. And then, as always, he got right back to work. It’s moments like these that remind me how lucky I am to have such a patient partner and teammate.
We also added lingonberries this year, a small nod to my Swedish heritage, and I’m excited to see how they establish over the next few seasons.
There were mornings when I stepped outside with my coffee and looked across our one acre and realized how much a space can change when you give it purpose. Bed by bed and vine by vine, it begins to shape your days without you even noticing.
Growth rarely arrives all at once. It comes through small, steady decisions that slowly reshape a place and, in many ways, reshape you too. There was a time in my life when I never could have imagined living this way, sourcing most of the food for our family from our own gardens.
That is not to say everything went smoothly. This fall, the cabbage worms showed up in full force. I know many of you experienced the same thing.
At first, I thought I had escaped them. Even after soaking my broccoli and cauliflower in salt water, my usual trick for flushing out those living worms, the harvest still told a different story. When I cut into the florets, dozens of petrified worms were tucked inside. The entire harvest ended up in the compost. For the first time in all my years of gardening, there was nothing to save.
Gardening has a way of humbling you just when you think you have things figured out. And if you shared your frustrations with me this year, I hope this reminds you that setbacks happen to all of us, no matter how long we have been growing.
Nothing in the garden is ever final. There is always another season, another chance, another row to plant.
Our potatoes were a true win this season. We harvested over three hundred pounds from a single one hundred-foot row. By the end, we were sweaty, tired, and almost laughing as we dug, wondering if they were ever going to stop coming. Planting early, around mid-April, gave them a strong start before the potato beetles arrived, and I believe that timing made all the difference. It was a reminder that small decisions early in the season often lead to the biggest rewards.
A few more personal notes from our garden this year. Matt refined his tapping process on our black walnut trees, and we’re looking forward to tapping again in February. Many gardeners dislike black walnut trees because their roots are known for disrupting other plants, but the syrup has no comparison in my opinion. The depth, the nuttiness, the almost toffee-like flavor is something truly special. I love that we found a way to work with a traditionally challenging species and turn it into something delicious.
My favorite new plant variety this year was the cornito pepper. It was the sweetest and most productive pepper we’ve grown, and even the dogs loved joining us for fresh-picked snacks. This variety will absolutely be returning to the garden next season.
Designing Kitchen Gardens That Support Real Life
We also had the joy of installing many beautiful client gardens this season. Watching both the gardens and the gardeners grow continues to be one of the greatest gifts of this work.
Whether you are a maintenance client, a member inside our Garden-to-Table community, or someone who sends a quick photo of a harvest and a meal you prepared, seeing these spaces come to life in your hands never gets old.
Over the past five years, this work has shown me again and again how powerful it is when a garden is designed to truly fit the people who live with it.
Where Gardens Become Places to Gather
When the greenhouse is not functioning as a working space, it becomes a place for people to gather around a table, to slow down, and to share meaningful conversation.
Looking ahead to 2026, we hope to offer more of these experiences: a handful of chef-led dinners, seasonal garden walks, and small gatherings that invite people to experience what garden-to-table living really feels like. These aren’t the victory gardens of the past. Today’s kitchen gardens serve as a living extension of the home, supporting everyday meals, meaningful gatherings, and a deeper connection to the seasons.
More than anything, this year reminded me how powerful it is to create spaces that support the life you want to live. A kitchen garden is not just a collection of beds. It becomes a place to gather, to cook simply, to notice what is in season, and to reconnect with yourself and the people at your table.
When you shape a space with intention, it has a way of shaping you back.
A Place for You Here
If you have been considering a kitchen garden of your own, or you are ready to take the next step with your property, there is a place for you here.
Whether you are dreaming of your first raised bed garden, expanding into a mini orchard, adding berries and vines, or creating a long-term edible landscape plan, our work is rooted in helping you design a space that fits your lifestyle and supports the way you want to live.
If we are already growing together, I hope the year ahead continues to deepen your confidence, your harvests, and your connection to your space. And if we have not yet worked together, we would love to help you take that first step.
Here’s to a new year of digging deep, growing strong, and creating something beautiful together.
