Growing Good Things with Team Cultivate

In honor of our Growing Good Things sale this week (and the profusion of green outside!), Team Cultivate thought we'd pull back the curtain and share a bit about what's growing in our own lives—physically and metaphorically. We'd love to hear what's popping up for you, too! 

Emily, Director of Content:

What I'm growing in my garden this year:

In 2020, we harvested a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes—over 1,000 from four plants in our tiny raised bed!! Since then, despite our efforts with compost, fertilizer, and rotating crop families, our yield has dropped significantly. Last year, due to full weekends in the planting window and a bit of gardening discouragement due to lackluster harvests, we let our raised bed lay fallow. This year, though, we're back and (as we say around here) feeling relentlessly hopeful!

Last weekend, in our 4x8 raised bed, we planted Super Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes (our favorite variety!), Early Girl tomatoes, straight neck yellow squash, pickling cucumbers, red bell and snacking peppers, dill, chives, basil, and marigolds to help keep the pests away. We also tucked zinnias, cosmos, and dahlias amongst our perennials—jasmine, lantana, lavender, catmint, hydrangeas, gardenias, garden roses—to round out our haphazard flower garden. My dream of cutting centerpieces for backyard dinners is fully activated!

What's growing in my life right now:

Really, really big picture: my kids are old enough now that we see them starting to reflect back to us some of the most cherished things we hope to pass on as parents: a curiosity about faith, a love of reading, appreciation for unscheduled days and time outside, generosity, and feelings of connection toward the communities we hold dear. Even tiny flashes of these things are encouragement to keep going!

Tiny seeds I'm planting:

Running most definitely feels like I'm down in the dark, cold soil right now. It's hard to see how my meager efforts—slow, sporadic, sometimes painful—will ever add up to meaningful difference in my cardiovascular health. My husband has been a great encouragement, though: he started running in the fall of last year, and now, six months later, he craves his runs and has watched his V02 max score climb more than 10 points. Hopefully I'm not too far behind!

Sale picks: Write the Word® | Women of the Bible and the Family Workbook

Alli, Brand Specialist:

What I'm growing in my garden this year:

While I've had dreams for years and years of growing cut flowers and some of our favorite vegetables, we've had a really hard time growing successfully in our yard. We just don't have areas that get as much sun as our desired plants need. I do think it's possible, but this season with two littles just doesn't offer the time and attention I'd need to dedicate to the project. I'm hoping to pick just one or two things to try for later this year or next spring (my son really wants to grow zucchini!).

I have always wanted to plant a hydrangea near our mailbox, and hydrangeas do very well here. It just so happens that I was gifted a small hydrangea plant as a "thank you" for hosting a friend's baby shower a few weeks ago, so fingers crossed we can make it flourish!

What's growing in my life right now:

Community! Even just writing that makes me feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude to see some fruit finally coming from years and years of effort and prayer. I'm an introvert at heart, we have a weird work schedule in our family, and I have a really cherished, deep friendship states away that I work hard to prioritize.

All of that to say: it has taken a lot of time, a lot of discomfort, and a lot of commitment to get the the point where I now have some "do life together" friendships locally. What a gift it is to see this work take root and community bloom!

Tiny seeds I'm planting:

I'm stepping into a new creative project that feels scary and unsure—and also exciting! It's hard to take steps when you can't see the end of the path, and you're not even sure which direction the path is leading. While this project in its own right is an area I'm planting new, tiny seeds, it's also serving as a great reminder to me that we can always try something new and seize an opportunity to grow.

Sale picks: the Floral Sticker Book and the Grow What Matters magnet set

Lauren, Director of Marketing:

What I'm growing in my garden this year:

One of my goals this year was to update the front of our home, making it more welcoming to others, more useful to us to relax and enjoy, and more reflective of our family. Part of this goal included adding new flowers and bushes to one completely barren flower bed. I chose drought-hearty plants that will grow well once the Texas heat really sets in: azaleas, "fool-proof" gardenias (that was precisely what the tag on the shrub said when I purchased it!), Texas sage, Lantana, and knock-out roses. We've had a lot of rain since they were planted a few weeks ago and things are already blooming!

What's growing in my life right now:

While things outside are blooming, I'm grateful that inside the home, we're seeing some proverbial roots go deep when it comes to intentional family time together. With my children getting older (and busier with sports, school, friends, their own part-time jobs, and everything else that fills teen/tween time!), carving out time to be together this season has proved to be a challenge. But when I look around (among the messiness of the house), I can see evidence that the hobbies we're developing together (fishing and pickleball) and the meal times we're protecting (Sundays and Wednesdays) are allowing us to be deliberate with our time together.

Tiny seeds I'm planting:

I'm planting tiny seeds for my own health and wellness. From taking vitamins and drinking greens to walking regularly and adding a barre class each week, I am trying to build a few habits that will allow me to live healthier. Have I seen the growth yet? No, not quite... but I know that a year from now I'll be glad I started today.

Sale picks: the Grocery Shopping List Notepad and the Large Everyday Dotted Notebook

What good things are you growing right now, Cultivators? We'd love to hear!