What We’re Planting This Season (and Why It Matters)

There’s something about this time of year that invites us to begin again.

The soil is ready. The days are longer. And even if everything around us still feels a little messy or unfinished, there’s an opportunity to start something new anyway.

This year, our garden is small. Just a backyard space. Nothing elaborate. Nothing perfectly planned.

But it’s enough (for now).

And I’m learning that “enough” is where the best things tend to grow.

Planting With Our Hands

There’s something grounding about putting your hands in the soil.

It slows everything down.

The screens are forgotten. The to-do list quiets. And for a little while, the only thing that matters is the work right in front of you.

This is the kind of learning I want my children to know.

Not just how things grow—but how to care for something.

How to tend it.

How to wait.

Because growth doesn’t happen all at once.

What We’re Planting This Year

Our garden this season is simple, but intentional.

We’re not trying to grow everything. Just a few things we can tend well.

And this year, something that matters to me is knowing where our plants are coming from.

Most of what we planted came from local farms and nurseries. There’s something important about that—supporting people in our community but also trusting how those plants were grown.

It’s not about doing it the “right” way. It’s just what works best for us.

I don’t typically start from seed. Mostly because of space and time. I have tried it in the past, and we just enjoy having our living room be a living room.

And while seed starting is a beautiful process, buying starts has been a better fit for our season of life. The local farm we order from grows things in a way that aligns with how I would want to do it myself—and that gives me peace of mind.

🍅 Tomatoes & Basil

Jet Star tomatoes paired with purple basil. My grandfather grew Jet Star tomatoes, so planting them feels like carrying something forward.

There’s something meaningful about growing the same things that were once grown before me.

And the purple basil—it's one of my favorites. It’s beautiful enough to use in bouquets, but just as useful in the kitchen. A reminder that things can be both practical and beautiful at the same time.

🌼 Tomatoes & Marigolds

Arkansas Traveler tomatoes with marigolds. These tomatoes feel steady and dependable—something you can count on.

The marigolds bring a bit of color but also purpose. They help protect what we’re growing, quietly doing their job alongside everything else.

🌿 Herbs for the Kitchen

Italian parsley, bouquet dill, and chamomile.

These are the quiet workers of the garden. They’ll find their way into meals, teas, and small moments throughout the day.

Nothing complicated. Just everyday usefulness.

🌸 A Space for Beauty & Calm

Lavender, white yarrow, and lemon balm.

This part of the garden feels softer. Less about productivity, more about presence.

Something to smell, to pick, to enjoy.

A reminder that not everything we grow has to be for output.

A Small Garden Is Still Enough

It’s easy to feel like a garden has to be more.

More space.

More plants.

More structure.

But this year, I’m leaning into something different.

A small garden.

A manageable garden.

A garden we can actually tend.

Because just like in our homes, it’s not about doing everything. It’s about caring well for what’s right in front of us.

What We’re Really Growing

Yes, we’re planting tomatoes and herbs and flowers.

But we’re also growing something else.

Patience.

Responsibility.

Attention.

Care.

We’re learning that things take time. That growth can’t be rushed. That not everything will turn out perfectly.

And that’s okay.

One Season at a Time

This garden won’t be perfect.

Some things may not grow the way we expect. Some days we’ll forget to water, or we will get too much rain on others. Some plants might not make it.

But we’ll keep tending it anyway. Because that’s the work.

Not perfection.

Not control.

Just showing up, again and again, and caring for what we’ve been given.

One small garden.

One season at a time.

If you’re planting this season too—whether it’s a full garden or just a few pots on a porch—you’re not alone in it.

Coming soon! Our free online community will have exclusive downloads to help with gardening, daily life, homeschooling, and more. We will have a prayer board where we can lift one another up, and you will find a group of us walking this out right alongside you.

Pull up a chair; I am so glad you are here.