1When I first joined the community garden, I could barely tell a weed from a seedling.
2The older members patiently showed me how to prepare the soil and plant tomatoes in straight rows.
3During my first summer, almost everything I planted died because I watered the beds far too much.
4Instead of giving up, I borrowed gardening books and kept a notebook about every mistake I made.
5By the second year, my carrots and beans were growing well enough to share with the neighbours.
6What I enjoy most is the quiet hour before work, when the garden belongs entirely to me.
7The sound of birds and the smell of wet earth clear my head better than any medicine.
8We also donate spare vegetables to a shelter, which gives the whole project a deeper meaning.
9Last autumn we organised a harvest dinner, and forty people came to celebrate with us.
10Gardening has changed how I eat, how I spend my free time, and how I see my city.