The farmer at the vegetable patch.

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.