My garden is my happy place. It’s the perfect compromise of where I am in life today, and where I want to be. Even though my dreams of becoming an organic farmer are on hold until land is purchased, I can still live out my dreams on a smaller scale today.

We all can.

After stumbling through my first indoor plant growing experience and introducing my plants to raised beds a bit late in the season, I wasn’t feeling too confident about my garden. “It’s just a learning experience this year!” has been my gardening mantra.

Even with the doubts and fears, my garden has been chugging right along. It’s been a humbling experience to trust in the land, the earth, and nature. All of our pruning, weeding, and fussing as gardeners helps – but let’s face it, Mother Nature is really doing all the hard work.

After taking a road trip to Indiana, I came back to unbelievable growth. We had a hot streak of weather while I was away, and my plants were joyfully growing in approval. Tomato flowers had turned into vegetables, plants that shouldn’t be growing this late in the season were flourishing, and it was time for my very first mini-harvest.

Pink Oxhart Tomatoes (Organic / Non-GMO / Heirloom)

Golden Crookneck Squash (Organic / Non-GMO / Heirloom)

Radishes, a shallot, yellow tomato, and cucumber fresh from the garden

Fresh blackberries picked from the bush

I was beyond delighted to have my first combined harvest! Throughout the summer I’ve picked a cucumber here and a radish there; while this is great for making fridge pickles for one, it can feel a bit anticlimactic after pouring energy and love into these plants since March.

While I roamed checking for ripeness and gently cutting vegetables, I felt warmth spill over from my heart and radiate throughout every inch of my soul. In the course of a year, I went from not understanding the difference between organic and non-organic food, to growing my own organic garden. That actually produces food. For free. That we can eat. What the what?!

A tiny first harvest is probably not too exciting for anyone who has grown up in a slower lifestyle. But for a girl who was knee-deep in academia for a decade with a city girl type lifestyle, always on the prowl for the next career ladder to climb, this beautiful simplicity fills my heart with more joy than I can explain.

What’s growing in your garden lately?
While chasing your dreams, what milestones are you excited about?

{ shared on Simple Lives Thursday + Green Thumb Thursday }