How it Started

When I was a young girl, we lived in Northern Utah. I remember we had a family garden. I have great memories in and around that garden. Because of the garden there were things I would never eat from the store. The taste of store-bought produce just couldn't compare to the fresh flavors from our garden. When I was 11 we moved to Las Vegas and no longer had a garden.

After I was married and had a couple kids and was still living in Vegas, I decided I was going to grow a small garden. I was so inexperienced. I didn't understand zones, spring crops, summer crops, or all that stuff. I planted everything at the same time. I planted all my favorites from my childhood. For example, I only had a small area for my garden. I planted just two corn seeds—as many of you can probably guess, they didn't grow a single ear. My peas died before pods came. The carrots looked good…above ground. But once they were pulled up they were no more than an inch long. I did have some success. I got raspberries. Well just a couple of raspberries. I learned so much through my failures. I knew I had to do something different the next year. I got a shade-cloth. Vegas just gets way too hot for almost everything. The garden did better but still struggled. The following year our family moved. This new place that we rented we could not do a garden. After 3 years we moved to the middle part of Utah.

This new home had a neglected patch that was once a garden. It looked more like a jungle of weeds. It used to be a garden but a very long time ago. So, we got to work. We cleaned the weeds out and planted our 1st large garden. Large as in 20’x30’. This was very large for us. While planning this garden I started to recall things my dad did. For instance, planting corn in a block shape. At this point I read, watched and tried to learn all I could about planting corn. I researched all the plants I tried to grow that year, and I've been growing a garden ever since—that was nine years ago. 2 years ago, we took grass out to expand our garden. We added about 25’ x 60’ more garden. The garden has helped us to be more self-sufficient. I have always liked the idea of gardening now I love gardening. I love everything about it. Starting with a patch of dirt and turning it into living soil with many growing plants. Gardening is a source of joy, a lesson in hard work, and a way to learn from your failures.

My journey from a failed Las Vegas plot to a thriving Utah garden is what inspired us to create this business. We want to provide you with the right tools and knowledge, so your gardening journey is a success from the start. Sign up for the Garden Dreams newsletter, browse the store, and comment with your own gardening stories.