A Backyard Garden That Reflects Real Life: Some Wins, Some Losses, All Learning

When people hear the words backyard garden, they often imagine rows of neat beds, overflowing harvest baskets. They also imagine someone who has clearly been doing this for years. 

That isn’t my reality, though. Well, at least not yet. My backyard garden is made up of containers, small experiments, lessons learned the hard way, and a lot of patience. And honestly? That’s exactly why I am sharing it.

I am a novice at this. I’m learning as I go. And I want you to know that from the very start.

How My Backyard Container Garden Really Began

Before Hurricane Melissa came through Jamaica in late October, I already had a few plants around my home. I planted them months before, without much strategy behind them. 

Two snake plants (now three), a caladium plant, many of us know it as Heart of Jesus, and a struggling guinea hen weed plant that looked like it was barely holding on. At the time, I didn’t call it a garden. They were simply plants I had around me.

After Hurricane Melissa, something shifted. Like many others, I was reflecting on stability, resilience, food, wellness, and what it really means to take care of myself. In early November, I became far more intentional. 

That’s when my backyard container garden truly began, not just as a reaction to the storm, but as a conscious decision to grow something, even if it was small.

Since then, I have added:

• Tomato
• Pepper
• Two pots of scallions
• Two pots of green mint
• Fine leaf thyme (struggling, but not abandoned)
• Two pots of aloe vera

This is not a “perfect” backyard garden, but I guarantee you that it’s a real one.

What Is the Difference Between a Backyard and a Garden?

This is a question people actually ask online, and I understand why. A backyard is a space, often unused, decorative, or treated as an afterthought. A garden is intentional. It has purpose. What I’m learning is that a backyard becomes a garden the moment you decide it has a role in your life.

My backyard garden isn’t about size or status. It’s about function. It’s about using the space I already have to support my wellness, my food choices, and my sense of calm. Even with containers, even with the limited space, my backyard is no longer just “outside.” It’s active. It’s working. It’s teaching me.

The Purpose of My Backyard Garden

Another question people search for is: What is the purpose of a backyard? For me, the purpose of my backyard garden is layered. It’s a place where I:

• Learn patience
• Practice consistency
• Grow food and herbs in small quantities
• Support my wellness naturally
• Reconnect with rhythms that don’t rush

This backyard garden supports my belief that healing doesn’t hurry, and neither does growth.

Learning Through Struggle: Thyme, Rosemary, and Letting Go of Perfection

Fine leaf thyme that I planted in my backyard garden, hanging in a beautiful crochet plant hanger.

One of the most honest parts of my backyard container garden journey has been learning what doesn’t work. 

I tried growing rosemary from cuttings. It died. I tried growing fine leaf thyme from cuttings, but it’s struggling, and while I’m still holding on, I’m realistic enough to know it may not make it.

That used to feel like failure. Now, I see it as information.

I know I need thyme and rosemary in my garden, not because they’re trendy, but because I use them. Rosemary, in particular, plays a big role in my wellness routine. Sometimes I make large pots of rosemary tea to rinse my hair and body, leaving it on for nourishment. I also ingest it for its internal benefits. Planting rosemary won’t be a hobby for me; it will be an extension of how I already care for myself.

So instead of forcing cuttings to work, I have decided to source healthy seedlings from a local supplier here in Kingston, Jamaica. That decision is part of gardening too; knowing when to adjust, when to ask for help, and when to choose sustainability over pride.

Aloe Vera, Mint, and Gentle Wins

Not everything has been a struggle. And I think that’s important to say too.

My aloe vera plants have settled beautifully into their pots. Aloe is slow, quiet, and generous, much like the lesson it keeps teaching me. It stores what it needs, waits for the right conditions, and heals without drama.

My green mint is growing well, reminding me how generous plants can be when conditions are right for them. Scallions are proving that food doesn’t have to be complicated to be empowering. Even small wins matter. 

This balance – wins and losses – is exactly what real gardening looks like.

Backyard Container Gardening as Intentional Living

I am often asked why I choose container gardening instead of planting directly in the ground. In fact, someone in a Facebook farming group told me last week to plant my aloe vera in the ground. The answer is simple: I’m growing where I am.

Container gardening allows me to:

• Work with limited space
• Observe plants closely
• Move them when needed
• Learn without overwhelm

It’s also a powerful metaphor for life at 50+. We don’t always start with ideal conditions. We start with what we have, and we grow anyway.

Let Your Food Be Your Medicine

One of the guiding principles behind my backyard garden is the belief that food and herbs are not separate from wellness; they are wellness.

Tomatoes, peppers, scallions, mint, aloe, thyme, guinea hen weed – these are not decorative plants for me. They are functional. They support digestion, skin health, immunity, and nourishment. They remind me that healing can be practical and gentle at the same time.

This is why intentional living matters. What we grow, what we consume, what we surround ourselves with. All of it communicates what we believe about ourselves. 

Food is medicine. So, start growing your medicine…let your food be your medicine.

This Garden Is Still Becoming

I am sharing this update not as an expert (far from it, lol), but as someone who is paying attention. My backyard garden is still becoming, just like I am.

• Some plants thrive.
• Some struggle.
• Some need a different approach.

And none of that disqualifies me from growing.

If you are thinking about starting a backyard garden/container garden, even one pot, even one herb, let this be your encouragement. You don’t need to know everything. You don’t need perfection. You only need intention and willingness to learn.

My backyard garden reflects real life. Some wins. Some losses. All learning. And that, to me, is exactly what growth looks like.