About Me

Claiming my vegetable patch.

My name is Christina Springer and this is my journal about urban gardening in Stuttgart (Germany) and things that inspire me.

I am in my early forties and share my life with my wonderful husband and my two cats: Marlene and Mowgli. Both sides of my family have been farmers for many centuries. I started gardening in the heart of the city ten years ago.

Five years ago I added growing vegetables to my repertoire and I am hooked. To me it is very grounding and relaxing to grow at least a tiny part of my own food.

I am fascinated by the approach of permaculture: “Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system,” per Bill Mollison.

I also enjoy painting, practicing yoga, cooking, traveling, photography and learning new things in general. Since I work a full time corporate job, I am still experimenting with the scale of my tiny urban farm operation.

Update: In September 2018 our rented apartment in Stuttgart was sold and we moved to Beuren, a small town at the edge of the Swabian Alps. However, I am still farming my rented plot and working in Stuttgart.