We’re peeking over the fence into gardens around the world to explore their place in our lives today. This week, Christiana Drewry shares her garden tucked into the forests of Marin County, just north of San Francisco.
As someone who grew up in a small farmland valley, moving to this forested ridgetop initially made me feel like a fish out of water. The soil was rocky and dry, tree canopies blocked the sun, there was nowhere to put plants in the ground. My (now) husband heard that and endeavoured to build me a garden that would make me feel at home.
It began with three simple single-plank beds in the one sunny spot on the property, but when we received a windfall of windows from a neighbour (who was replacing their house windows) we knew it was time to go all in – levelling more space to build a greenhouse and new garden beds.
All of it is built from redwood lumber my husband milled himself, a true labor of love. When I asked for a garden sink, he welded one out of scrap metal. Inside the greenhouse is a mix of practical and comfortable, a place to work and to rest.
Now I spend my happiest hours tending to the garden, starting seeds in the greenhouse each spring and growing food for our table year-round. Food is my love language. Each season is different, I am always learning and looking for more ways to incorporate the things that my family enjoy – plenty of spinach for his breakfasts, loads of berries for the baby, specialty citrus that we tried once while on a date at a restaurant.
So really, this garden is built out of love and that’s what it grows.
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Follow Christiana: @halfwaywild
