I started growing a garden in my back yard two years ago in the spring of 2021. Everyone was still in full pandemic mode at that point and the vaccines were just starting to roll out. Gardening seemed like a good activity to pick up back then. It’s mostly done outdoors, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a group activity, and I love to cook so having a supply of home-grown vegetables is very welcome. I had several pandemic hobbies. This one just happened to stick and it was a real bright spot in an otherwise bleak time. This coming spring will be my third growing season.

My baby chive plants live on

This morning I was making coffee at the kitchen sink, staring out into the back yard. It’s been a sunny and fairly warm (47°F/8°C) day for February, a welcome treat in the deepest, grayest part of the Midwestern winter. Looking out at one of the small raised beds I built last year, I noticed two small green tufts sticking up out of the dirt among all the other gray and brown dead stuff. It was two small bunches of chives I cut off at ground level last fall shortly after our first frost. Those two bunches came from splitting and transplanting one big bunch I had planted the year before in my inaugural pandemic garden. Here they are again, starting over after making it through another winter.

My tiny backyard garden isn’t much, but it means a lot to me. Remember to always look forward to spring and a new chance to start over.