You Grow Girl Turns 15!! (+ Giveaway)

162 Comments
You Grow Girl in Feb 2000

I can’t put enough exclamation marks behind that title. My baby Internet website is 15 years old this month. I can’t recall exactly which day of Feb it was when I launched the site. What I do recall was that it was the start of the new millennium and I was 26 years old.

You Grow Girl Spring 2000

You Grow Girl Fall 2000
These first images represent the first 3 site designs: Feb 2000 (Top of page), Spring 2000 and Fall 2000.

I have just spent the last several hours on a trip down memory lane, looking through several old disks dating between 2000 and 2002 and I’m a little overwhelmed by the emotion of it. The launch of this website marked the end of a particularly rough patch in my life and the start of a new path that took me away from a career as a graphic designer toward garden writing. What began as a webzine and a love letter to the botanical world has taken me places I neither predicted nor intended. There was never any grand plan; I just jumped in and started swimming, changing direction when the tide shifted.

gardenhoe_early
Our first version of our first tee, Garden Hoe. A more up-to-date version is available here.

cancoolitnow_old
One of my favourite columns was called “The Lab,” wherein various authors contributed their not very scientific findings on plant-related experiments. This one was inspired by The Secret Life of Plants. The author regularly played the 80’s pop song, “Cool It Now” by New Edition to a dying plant to see if the upbeat tune would have a reviving effect.

ygg_site2002
The site in 2002.

Here I am at 41 years old: 4 books and 5 gardens later; several site redesigns; countless photos taken, hours spent, and words written; so much the same and so very different. Two years ago I wrote a little something about the website when it turned 13, and reading it over, everything still stands.

ygg_plantjournal2001
Photos of me posted to my journal back in 2000 and 2001

ygg_oldgraphics

ygg_oldsitepromos
Graphics that Davin and I designed for the site as well as individual articles back in the early days. Back then, each page was designed and coded by me, by hand. I even coded individual journal entries in that way until content management systems came along. PHEW.

ygg_firstplantjournals
Some of the first garden journalers.

What remains to be said is a very big thank you to the people who were there in the beginning, back when the site was not a singular voice, but had many contributing editors, journalers, article writers, forum moderators, and artists. Thank you to Beate Schwirtlich who was there from day one (and before). And to Shelly, Renee, Shay, Kelly, Zesty, Jane, Saskatchewan, Erin, Jackie, Hilary, Emira, Sakura, Amy, Julianna and many more still who invited me into their gardens and gave of their time freely. And most of all, thank you to Davin Risk who has supported me unconditionally and put far more of his own time into this than could ever be calculated or repaid.

My thanks to all of you who have been reading, writing, and following along in one way or another through last 15 years!

Giveaway

UPDATE: CLOSED. Winners are Ashleah and Dd.

For the month of February I will be giving away one prize per week with a grand prize in the last week.

1st Week (Feb 2-9): 2 randomly chosen winners will receive 1 ebook bundle of my pocketbook, Drinking the Summer Garden.

To Enter: Tell us in 15 words or less about your plans for the 2015 gardening season. And of course, you can always just type in “count me in,” and that will count as an entry, too.

This week’s giveaway is open to everyone, anywhere. Winners will be drawn randomly after entries close at midnight on Monday, February 9, 2015, and informed by email.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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162 thoughts on “You Grow Girl Turns 15!! (+ Giveaway)”

  1. This year I will be doing a spring garden for the first time. I will be using my new portable greenhouse. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!

  3. Tons of herbs, flowers and cherry tomatoes on the balcony and a first plot at the community garden!

  4. My plans for the 2015 planting season is to plant tomatoes ,peppers,greens (lettuce,bok choy,)herb and don’t know what else.

  5. Vegetable garden, herb garden, and a pumpkin garden in a huge planter I have in my front yard that gets a ton of sun! Lots of beneficial insects being released also!

  6. I’m making plans tonight with my neighbour to share some garden space in her yard.. My garden is very small and I’m missing it right now. It always helps to look a seed catalogues and dream of sunnier days in the dead of winter!!

  8. My gardening plans are probably going to suffer a bit this year, since I’m having a baby this spring. Mainly they will consist of me telling hubby, plant that there. :)

  9. Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes and some Carrots

  11. I have some big goals for expansion on my tiny lot this spring! I plan to tear out the front hedges and use it for garden space. It will be the first step into turning the entire front lawn into a beautiful food-growing haven.

  12. Congratulations, Gayla! Gosh, I can’t even remember when I first found YGG, but I’ve learned so much from you since then!

    My gardening plans revolve around starting better seedlings and using everything I grow!

  16. This year will be the first spring in my first home. In fact, tomorrow’s my birthday and my boyfriend asked what I wanted and I was just “garden budget”. What’s really funny to me, not knowing your background before, is not only am I starting in on proper gardening this spring but I just started back to school for a degree in web design so I’m neck deep in graphic design and html myself. ^_^ Congrats on 15 years!

  17. This year I plan to remain motivated right through until fall. I usually go so over board in sowing, that by August I give up all pretense of order, and let the weeds grow where they may as I reap the harvest. Oh who am I kidding, I’ll never change :) You don’t have to include my name in the draw, I already your Drink book and have enjoyed it very much!

  22. Year 2 at this house so we are adding more boxes, expanding the herb garden, and taking over as much of the yard as possible (who needs grass when there are gardens to plant?) :)

  23. I don’t need entered into the drawing since I already have a copy, but I wanted to say congratulations on 15 years! I always enjoy visiting this blog!

  24. Herbs, flowers and fruit! Got a small greenhouse for Christmas and I’m so excited to plant what’s sprouted already!! Calendula, Shiso, chamomile, strawberries, dandelion and sage. =)

  28. Congrats Gayla!
    I have a big new perennial garden planned for this year, along with expansion of my veggie garden with veggies I haven’t tried growing before – broccoli, brussel sprouts & leeks to name a few.

  29. Trying quinoa for the first time in the front yard. Starting my pees in Feb. (earlier than my usual). Searching for tall herbaceous perennials to fill in back borders. Congrats on 15 years!

  32. We’re moving this spring, so I get to move some of my heritage plants, and will finally have room for my kitchen garden on the patio! :)

  33. Switch to more pollinators and water friendly plants in these drought stricken times in California.

  36. This year I will be returning to gardening after having a baby in 2013. I have such mixed feelings about the whole thing, missing gardening, missing farming, feeling so fucking pressed for time, and wondering if my precious time should be spent elsewhere. But then, THEN I remember the satisfaction of a weeded bed, the taste of a sungold cherry tomato popping in my mouth, the smell of the soil after the rain, and the feeling that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

    I have ordered enough seeds to start my own farm. I hope the community garden has some extra plots.

  41. Peppers and Tomatoes and Tomatillos oh my. Plus strange greens. and legumes a plenty. I have seeds starting in my kitchen window and can’t wait to get them in the ground!

    Congrats again. I have been a long-time reader and appreciate this site, you and all I have learned so much!

    And count me in!

  43. I’m trekking forward with my fiancé into unchartered territory: community garden plots. Oh, and marriage.

    We joined a Community Garden group, and have some big ambitions which include lots of tasty veggies that we can grow better at the plot with its sun exposure ( a lot tomatoes…nom, nom, nom…), and learning from our new gardening community. Looking also to see how many canning/preserves I can do.

    Yahoo!

  44. Congratulations on 15 great years Gayla!
    This year, I am sadly without a garden space as I just moved into an apartment. BUT, I do work on an organic vegetable farm, and I am hoping to find a spot with a tall fence in my neighbourhood to try growing loofah, which is something I’ve always wanted to do after reading about it from you!

  45. three kinds of beets! short season tomatoes! actually using official fertilizer instead of hoping the chickens and my mediocre compost do everything! and… SLUG MURDER.
    Also, Beppo pumpkins, which I’m excited about. Love eating pumpkin seeds, hate the hulls.

  46. I’ve been inspired by you since 2008!! Garden Goddess!
    Radishes, scallions, “shrubberies” ????, broccoli & cauliflower… For now!

  48. Greens ! I want to try growing fava beans for sprouts as well.and more greens. And some more kinds of greens!!!

  50. This year I plan to give my plants adequate spacing (something i’ve never mastered before), and get outside of my analysis paralysis and just get things in the ground. Happy 15th!

  52. This year I have decided to plant mainly tomato plants because I feel like there are so many varieties that I haven’t tried yet!

  53. I’m hoping for a warmer/sunnier summer because that plus a baby made for a really poor vegetable year last year. Sigh. Some more tree trimming and maybe I’ll get some more tomatoes.

  54. Dear Gayla, I can only imagine how emotional this anniversary must be for you! It is truly inspiring :) I have struggled with gardening since I left my family home at 21. While living at home I had the privilege of helping my family food garden flourish in Iran and later in Canada. Currently however, am in a scorcher of an apartment facing west (without a balcony), and I find my options quite limited. Needless to say this pains me. Not sure whether it’s the nature or nurture you had referenced in earlier posts or a combination, but I have a need to grow my own food and to spend quality time with the earth in the process. Am hoping that this year I can contribute to a community garden, and cultivate my new-found interest in urban beekeeping! Oh, and please feel free to leave my name out of the draw, as I already possess a copy of your beautiful pocketbook.

  57. I found last year that my backyard just didn’t cut it for all the tomatoes I wanted and then perhaps some squash and a few other veggies, so this year I will use my own backyard, plus a friend’s backyard (he said I could) for plum tomatoes, and I’ll put my squashes there.

  58. This year we are creating permaculture guilds around our young fruit trees, adding some new berries (currants, gooseberries, nanking cherries), and planting more than ever in the vegetable garden. Keeps getting bigger & better every year :-).

  60. I plan to get some large raised beds going at some property down the street from my home and working towards a self sustaining garden. We have been prepping for year round indoor/outdoor gardening and I plan to really work on that some more this year!

  61. We’re trying to repeat last year’s successes and be smarter about the things that flopped. P.S. CONGRATULATIONS on 15 years! :)

  63. Been following about 10 years now! Congrats Gayla

    New perennial bed in 2015, using nasturtium Cream Troika for filler annual

  64. matt’s wild cherry tomatoes and also matt’s wild cherry tomatoes. didn’t do them last year and missed them terribly. Mesclun mix again – can’t believe how long it kept going – and the lovely + prodigious Sugar snap peas. i think i have given up on peppers and spinach, however.

  65. Count me in.

    Many, many congrats to you Gayla. I’ve never ever commented on your site before even though I’ve been reading “you” for a long time now and your contribution feels the most human and authentic one to me. I look forward to every post you do. Sincerely so. Please know, that you and your site are an inspiration to me – and I am sure to many others aswell. May there be many moments more to share!
    Britta

  66. This year I plan to put tons of compost in my veggie garden. It wasn’t very productive last year, and I think it was the soil

  68. Keep the hummingbirds happy…scarlet runner beans, cardinal climbers, cannas, butterfly weed, buddleia, and penstemon.

  72. This year will be an abundance or herbs and tomatoes. You don’t need to enter me to win the book as I already have it. I love it the best out of all your book ( which I also have). It’s my go to to for the summer.

  73. I bought all kinds of seeds last year for 2015 season, will start soon. Lavenders, patio cucumbers, tomatos, radishes, salads, some easy flowers too….So happy that I stumbled to your site just in time. One question, any tips on getting MORE containers on budget? (I interlocked my backyard due to some drainage issue, now I am all about container gardening)

  75. I’m currently sitting on the sidelines while my husband organizes & starts our seeds (I injured my wrist this week or I’d be helping, too!). We bought our first house last fall & have been excitedly planning & dreaming of our first vegetable garden. Previously, we’ve grown herbs and the odd sunflower, but this is our first go at growing our own tomatoes, squashes, peppers, melons & more. We’re converting our first floor bathroom into a seed-starting station, both in over our heads & having a great time!

  76. Last year the garden was ruined when I found out one of the neighbor cats was using it as a litter box. This year, I have high hopes for some containers on my balcony.

  77. This year’s garden will be mostly old faithfuls, things I know I can grow with ease: beans, peas, cucumbers, yellow pear tomatoes, & strawberries. I want to free up some time to do other things, like house hunting. Thanks for the giveaway!

  83. Congratulations Gayla! What a wonderful achievent that’s great for you and also great help and inspiration in content and authorship for us – all of your readers!!

    As for my garden plans for this year, big plans! And I’m ready for it. We built a few raised beds in our backyard for the first time, last fall and hope to add a few more this April or May. And plunge heads on into starting from seeds and get a great vegetable garden, this year. Mostly greens and simple vegetables, nothing fancy… You bet that I picked my list from easy to grow lists. :)

    So far I’ve only gardened in the community garden once and a tiny container garden, except for the one time in grade six eons ago, that we had a garden patch in our backyard that me and my sister planted and gawked with amazement as the okras and tomatoes and eggplants grew! So this is great step for us and we are so excited.

  84. Congrats, Gayla!
    This year, among others, I’m planning to plant many many onions, beets, many kinds of tomatoes, mint, amaranthus blitum, peppers, strawberries, pumpkins and corn.
    Moreover, I’ll try again with garlic (hoping that they won’t be eaten by foxes this time :-) ) and plant dandelion (I’ll have to figure out, though, how to cover the plants so as to avoid having the seeds fly to the neighbouring gardens, which my neighbours would not appreciate :-P)

  85. happy webiversary to you! “love letters to plants” – that has got to be a potential book title :)

    for me, this gardening year will be about 1) growing everything from seed (except celery which i need one plant of and will buy from a local grower; also your post was paramount in the set-up of our seedling growing station – thank you); and 2) commitment to watering my garden in the mornings – last year it was mostly evening watering and we were eaten by mosquitoes every time.

    i will also work on incorporating some flowers into my vegetable garden. For the past couple of years, we had calendula growing around the garden, but i want to add more this year.

  86. I am moving to a new place with a bigger gardening area and better soil! I just started kale and broccoli seedlings indoors, and I am going to plant lemon cucumbers, sugar pie pumpkins, brussel sprouts, giant belgium tomatoes, purple dragon carrots, a ton of basil for pesto, some fennel, hyssop, and of course zucchini. The zucchini variety I have produces human infant-sized fruit. It’s amazing. I haven’t tried most of these veggies before, and I haven’t had this much space to garden in my adult life, either. So exciting!

  88. Gayla! You are such an inspiration – to write, to plant, to photograph, and most of all to believe. I love how much you love your plants. It makes me confident that I’m not the only crazy out there!

    I have so many plans this year- upcycled containers, dwarf tomatoes galore, and wildflowers. I’ve already started milk container greenhouses about which I’m quite anxious. Runner beans and root veggies are also on the docket – wish me luck! I can’t wait to take this journey with you yet another year.

  89. Bought our fist house last summer but left gardening alone. So this year i am planning out my first ever raised bed garden, planting some trees and gonna start composting. Woohoo!

  91. Phase 1: survive my relocation to Boston. Phases 2-infinity: urban gardening adventures at 45° N latitudes!

  93. I’ll be ordering seeds of interesting varieties of heirloom seeds like blue podded shelling peas, black and yellow tomatoes. I’d like to add more ornamental but edible varieties like scarlet runner beans. I’ll also being trying your trash can potatoes on my balcony, hopefully from true potato seeds. Oh, and I’m going to get more serious about seed starting, and get some lights on the go.

    Thank you for the inspiration! Congraduations on 15 years!

  94. I just had twins so this Spring will be more of a reset button to the garden as it’s been sadly forgotten as I grew my own little beans. I do have bigger plans to incorporate more native plants in hopes to increase our bird population :)

  99. This is the year I get a soil test done. I want to make better soil so I can make a better garden. The more of your books I read, the more I utilize my harvest.
    Congrats and keep up the great work.

  100. Félicitations Gayla!!! 15 years, it’s impressive!

    This year will be planting lots of rosebushes, fruit trees and ornemental grass and will have a nice potting shed built somewhere in my field, not far from my flowerbeds and potager.

  101. I am restarting my flower garden this year since we put a new porch on the front of our home,it ending up destroying the flower garden I already had. I plan on planting blue shrub flower bushes,white sasha daisy’s, brown eyed susans,sunflowers,tulips,crocuses, purple irises and I am looking into finding flowers that will attract butterfly’s to my garden too

  103. I hope to expand my gardening class offerings, continue storing my food harvest for the long term, meet some new bugs, work off a few pounds (!), redo some sidewalks, rearrange some brick raised beds and listen to the birds.

  107. Will be gone a lot this summer so plan to spend time here improving my soil. Can’t resist planting a few peas and tomatoes!

  108. This Fall I’ll be transplanted (get it?) to Victoria & I’m in pre-mourning for my large outdoor space/garden – though really it’s been too big for me.
    So this season I’ll be deciding what to bring with me to my new, as yet undetermined, space. What to take cuttings of, what to leave and what to dig up.
    I’m not excited yet, but I will be. Right now I’m teary & overwhelmed by how much I’ll have to do!

  111. Every year I strive to try at least one new thing. I’m fortunate to have a half acre to work with. The 10 years that we’ve been here have seen a huge transformation in the lot. A new fairy garden design using succulents is the new thing this year!

  113. I’m working on turning my front garden into a bird and butterfly sanctuary and the backyard into an herb garden so that I can make tinctures and oils.

  121. I’m planning to spend all my time outside, getting the gardens in tip-top shape for my daughter’s June wedding–in my garden.
    Congrats on your webiste–always interesting.

  122. I just wanted to say a big old congrats on reaching 15 years. It’s been a long journey, and I’m thrilled to have been along for the ride since the early days :).

  126. 15 Thumps Up for YGG. I have been reading it for a bit less that 15 years. Have learned a lot, grew a lot and enjoyed a lot of your projects. I will continue to read, to grow and to enjoy YGG.

  128. A little late, but it’s great to read about your growth and success! Planning to add more raised beds to increase plantings.

  136. Congratulations Gayla! All the best for the next 15! Always love the succulents posts and any veggie garden info. Thank you for sharing with us.

  137. First of all congrats on the 15 year mark! :D
    I’ve only discovered your blog recently, as the boyfriend an I bought a piece of land last year and I am planning on doing some garden decorating myself, building a house, collecting a zoo… ;-) Thought it would be a good idea to start a blog about it to share my experiences and when I was googling blogs, yours caught my eye immediately :)
    Let’s hope I’m still on it in 15 years! Keep it growing girl!

  138. I’m excited this year for access to a larger planting area at my in-laws’ new place in the country! The goal is to grow enough peppers and winter squash to last the whole year….

  140. I adore gardening – for me it’s green therapy. Apt. living dictates a balcony garden, so I will fill it with as many containers as I can.

  142. I started gardening as therapy when my mother-in-law became ill. It relieved the stress of care giving. Now I just love it. She has passed away but she has given me a great gift. I going this year to try my hand at a vegetable garden. I never planted one so I will start simple with tomatoes, carrots and spinach. Three of my favorites. I am pretty good at planting flowers and berry plants but this will be a first vegetable garden. So this year of 2015 will be a year for veggies for me. Wish me luck.

  143. count me in! I could use some lovely tomato seeds. I’ve moved this year and am back to containers for my tomatoes. I love gardening and love your site!

  145. Am growing out all kinds of seeds for three local non-profits: CA Rare Fruit Growers seed exchange; Master Gardener plant sale; and GleanSLO plant give away. Would LOVE more tomato seeds. Thanks – and keep up the great work!

  146. Tomatoes, 3-4 varieties and tons and tons ‘o basil. Our very small backyard only receives a couple of hours of direct sunlight a day and we’re always very lucky to get our tomatoes & herbs to grow. Small tomatoes do pretty well, larger varieties not so much, so I must supplement from the farmer’s market.

    This year, I vow to overdo sowing basil; we never have near enough!!

  147. Hey Gayla ~ congrats on 15 years!!

    I’m up North, and last year….well my wee garden didna fare so well. But here we are in a brand new year – yay! I plan to aim for a few more varieties of beans (they do well up here) and greens greens, tomatoes and basil in containers… I dream of carrots and beets, but they seem to elude me.

    Count me in for the seed giveaway!

    Go easy ~p

  148. My 2015 garden goals are to cultivate my star jasmine and salvias so they’ll thrive and grow on my trellis while toughening my front and back yard against weeds and holes dug by dogs!

  150. Count me in~
    I am growing in my raised beds in the city, which include 3 veggie as well as 1 herbs part as well as getting more planted out in a country garden where I can grow many more potatoes, greens and beets. Thx :)

  153. I am working on some new community garden projects and hoping to plant a few new things at home as well. Also, I’m trying to grow ginger for the first time! So excited about the 2015 growing season!

  154. Container gardening in my new urban garden! I live in the UK & am researching my possibilities. Would love to do a mix of veggies & flowers (especially edible ones :-)

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