About

loader

I’m Michelle, the owner of Growing the Good Life, and I’m so glad you’re here.

In this corner of the internet, I take you along with me as I build and grow a garden that feeds my family and others in Patterson Springs, North Carolina. I grew up in rural NC, the proud product of generations of farmers. No matter where I lived in the US I always had a garden, even if it was just a few containers or a raised bed.

Then, in 2020, the world changed for everyone. Self-sufficiency and self-reliance in service to my family made me feel more in control, and I felt a pull to expand my gardening that I just can’t explain. I wanted--NEEDED-- space to grow. Delicious food grown simply and without chemicals is what I wanted to feed my family. And I needed to grow A LOT.

growingthegoodlife-about-us-michelle
My first garden here was 800 square feet, built in July 2020.
growingthegoodlife-about-before.jpg
growingthegoodlife-about-h2.jpg

Garden expansion from Summer 2020 to Summer 2021

It was grown from seeds that I planted in Michigan and transported 700 miles during our move to North Carolina in July 2020.

In Spring 2021, we doubled the garden size to over 2000 sq ft. In Fall 2021, we’re building a greenhouse! And in Spring 2022, we’re talking about doubling again to 4000 sq ft. In the blog, I share everything we do here to build out the garden, prep the beds, seed-start, grow crops, maintain and fertilize, and finally, harvest. I’m thrilled for you to come along with me to learn how to do these things for your family as well.

Three things you don’t know about me:

  • I once jumped out of a perfectly good airplane, but I would NEVER bungee jump.
  • I was first chair flute in high school, primarily because I’m stubborn and painfully
    competitive.
  • Astrophysics was my first love, but I was the only woman in my college class, so I
    dropped my dream of becoming an astronomer. That’s probably the only do-over I really want.
×