About This Garden

Welcome! I’m Lori — some folks call me Plant Lady — and this site is for people who feel a quiet tug toward a simpler, steadier life. Not the “move to a cabin and churn butter” kind of simple (unless you’re into that), but the kind of simple that comes from growing something real, learning a little each season, and remembering that life wants to live.

What is this site about?

At the practical level, this is a gardening site. We talk about growing food, building healthy soil, designing beds, choosing varieties, managing pests with a clear head, and preserving what you harvest.

At the deeper level, this is a place for gardeners who don’t want their garden to feel like another performance metric. If you’re tired, overwhelmed, or quietly discouraged — you are still welcome here. We’ll work with reality (weather, soil, time, energy, budgets), and we’ll start where you are.

I care about food security because it changes something inside us. A garden can soften grocery stress, increase confidence, and bring a particular kind of peace — the kind that comes from knowing you can participate in your own nourishment.

What you’ll find here

  • Garden design that fits real lives (including small, imperfect, “start-here” gardens)
  • Soil care — composting, feeding the soil, and building resilience over time
  • Pest and disease management with a calm, observant approach (not panic and scorched earth)
  • Plant-specific guides for vegetables and herbs
  • Harvest + preservation: freezing, drying, fermenting, canning, and other ways to save the season
  • Recipes that help you actually use what you grew (because zucchini happens)

You’ll notice I’m friendly with research here. I like good information. But I also believe a garden is a living system, not a battle plan. If something “works” but harms the soil, the insects, the birds, or your spirit… I’m going to have questions.

Who am I?

I grow vegetables and herbs, and I’ve been around plants long enough to have both confidence and humility. I’m a certified horticultural tradesperson, and I’ve stewarded a tropical plant commercial greenhouse — which taught me (among other things) that plants notice everything and forgive nothing.

I also ran a CSA farm for a time, supplying families with weekly baskets of seasonal produce. That experience taught me a lot — including many things not to do. (If you’ve ever tried to learn by doing, you know exactly what I mean.)

My home garden includes decorative landscaping and growing beds for food. I’m in Zone 5b/6a, with an heirloom apple orchard that needs help, plus nut trees, haskaps, raspberries, rhubarb, and sour cherries for the long game.

Why I’m really here

I spent a lot of years in work that required constant responsibility for other people’s outcomes. It taught me many good things — but it also left me craving a different rhythm.

The garden gives me that rhythm back. It’s a sanctuary, an experiment, and a conversation — with the soil, the weather, the creatures who live nearby, and with our Creator.

I don’t believe in forcing nature to comply. I’m far more interested in learning how to be like water: stop throwing myself against obstacles, look for the better path, and work with what wants to live here.

If you’re wondering if you belong here

If you’re longing for a calmer, more grounded approach to gardening… if you want practical help without shame… if you want to grow food and also grow your confidence… if you’d like the garden to feel like remembering instead of proving… then yes. You belong here.

A gentle note on safety

I’ll share preservation methods, recipes, and techniques, but please use your own due diligence for food safety. When in doubt, consult reliable food safety sources for your region and choose the cautious path. (The goal is peace of mind — not mysterious jars.)

Let’s begin

If you’re new, start with the posts that feel like a small exhale. You don’t need to overhaul your whole life to begin. One bed. One herb pot. One tray of seedlings under a light. One small proof that life wants to live.

I’m glad you’re here!