You’d think a hobby or interest is a hobby or interest no matter where you are, but lest, even these can throw you for a loop of you live abroad! Anyone that really knows me knows I like to garden, in particular growing my own vegetables. This has been a part of my life since literally before I can remember, and here is the proof of it:

I had to put gardening on hiatus while I was studying since I didn’t have the time, room, or means to grow much, but it was something I sorely missed more and more as the years flew by. The last place I lived was an apartment that at least finally had a balcony, which allowed me some room for a few pots to do some experimenting with container gardening. Not ideal, but better than nothing. I was able to get a few tasty salads and beans out of it all those days.

The ability to have a yard big enough for flower and vegetable gardening was a big draw for my husband and I to buy a house. My husband loves plants and eating tasty vegetables too, so it was a good fit. So a little over 3 years ago, we bought our house in the country, sandwiched between two corn fields. It is located quite far out of town (in order to be affordable), but it is worth having green all around us, fresh air, soil to work with, and blooms to gaze at together in the morning when we wake up on the weekend. Pretty much a similar situation to how I grew up in the Midwest, just less land now. Back to the roots, just across the pond!

Now fast forward to our 2nd spring at our house (the first one didn’t count gardening-wise since we were busy moving in and renovating). I took a closer look at the ground and landscaping that was our backyard and once again realized I was not on home turf (literally) anymore – the weeds were all different! What we’re they? Or were they even weeds?! Turns out gardening in Germany also had a cultural twist; even the grass and roadsides were filled with unfamiliar greenery.

Nature felt like home for me, but upon closer inspection, even this needed translating.

After a fellow gardening friend gave me the lowdown on weeds, we left the plants we didn’t know alone until we could tell if they were perennials or just weeds trying to take over all of our beds, plus we bought a few books on the subject. Even found out that one of the most abundant and invasive weeds on our property, Ground Elder or “Giersch” in German, is actual edible and makes an excellent spinach substitute. A source for free, nutrient-rich, organic greens for salads and quiches right in our backyard PLUS a way to clear the beds – SCORE!

Besides being in a different climate zone from back home (which for you non-gardeners, if you’re still reading, affects planting/frost times and length of the season, for example), I had the task of learning the German names of what I knew and both the German and English names for new plants. Vegetable and flower varieties here are also all different, although many of course work the same. After all, we are not in the tropics or the desert here, ha. This provides and additional but fun challenge – getting to know what there is to offer here, what grows well (independent from our particular soil or weather that year), trying new varieties, and finding substitutes for a taste of home…

Even gardening techniques and traditions are different. For example, it is common practice where in from to grow tomatoes using cages to support the plant, but these cages are apparently non-existent here! I realized this after frantically scouring outdoor supply stores in the area then the Internet. I ended up using a mix of the tomato spirals common over here and self-built cages I put together since the season was getting late. Last year I tried the “German” way and used only the spirals (requires more pinching off of side shoots):

A few things I miss growing or wish I could grow more of / better but can’t due to inclement weather aka too cold/rainy/short seasons are: melons, okra, chili peppers, and sweet corn.

A few things that I’ve had grow better or are new for me are: leaf lettuce, plums, tomatillos (have grown well here thus far, big surprise!), grapes (I know, also a surprise, we will see how they do this year though), and Jerusalem artichokes.

So besides finally being able to recognize almost all the weeds in our yard, I am starting to get the hang of things all over again, both because od time and culture, and have enjoyed some nice vegetable harvests the past 2 years. Practice makes perfect, right?

Here are a few pics of this year’s status as of now, the beginning of the new growing season: