I’ve never done any gardening before and not seen any appeal in it, thinking it a boring and unnecessary task which would waste time. Today, I planted some veg seeds out for my mum in pots and in her tiny garden, and it was just the loveliest activity to do.

Getting my hands dirty, deep in soil, pushing seeds into holes I created, and hoping that something new will develop from them - well, if there was a life-affirming thing for me to do in this pandemic hell, I’ve found it. It was joyous and calming and now I want to do loads more.

I understand gardening now. A real connection to nature (and I don’t give a shit how corny that sounds), something I’d poo-pooed my whole life. A small thing which temporarily made the panic in my head stop and forced me to slow down and listen to the birds, and enjoy the moment.

Anyway, who knows what - if anything - grows from the seeds I’ve planted, but the joy I discovered today has made the experience wholly worthwhile, no matter what the outcome. And maybe more dirty hands are what’s needed - what I need for my mental health - in the months to come.

My first ever shoots! Teeny lettuce ones, so exciting!

Beyond excited that I now have multiple shoots of lettuce, tomato, basil, cress, radish, and nasturtium growing. Patiently waiting to see if the beans and coriander will produce anything, but very happy with current lot: let’s hope these little babies survive (my amateur hands)…

GREEN BEANS! (My first ever.)

Lettuce and tomatoes doing well, but look at my green beans! Have learned how to prick-out (ahem) and re-pot today.

Spent 5 hours yesterday and 4 hours today carefully pricking out and repotting more tomatoes, French beans, basil and lettuce, and then planted some parsley, runner beans and petunias, which I hope will all germinate… It's been very tiring/slow, but delightfully calming.

Inordinately proud of these French beans. No idea if they'll produce anything I can eat, but the fact I've not killed the plants (yet) and they've grown this big amazes me.

The highlight of today was receiving a shipment of seeds I ordered a month ago, and squealing with excitement at the thought of planting out some French marigolds, kale, rocket, cucumber and courgettes; I already have scores of things germinating... Who have I become?!

Never knew how satisfying it would be to handwrite dozens of tiny labels.

Hardening off my beautiful bean babies.

Instead of my usual pandemic panic dreams which I've been constantly tormented by, last night I hazily dreamt of courgettes, lettuce and peas and woke this morning happily thinking about how I need to repot the runner beans today. Gardening has apparently changed my actual brain.

Runner beans, just 11 days after sowing! (French beans in background.) And two sowings of radish, 25 and 11 days' growth, with a handful of nasturtiums (and marigolds germinating alongside) in the foreground. Hopefully a few of these will be edible soon...

Before (in the lounge)...

After (in the garden). Yes, I did buy a mini-greenhouse, and no, I have no idea who I am anymore.

Hurry up and finish growing, radishes, I want to eat you NOW.

Slight overkill? But slugs and snails can piss right off out of my patch.

Have had a dreadful mental health day today, felt like giving up on everything, but harvesting these beauties - the first things I have ever grown myself, from seed - has lifted the darkness for a moment and made me immensely proud: I grew this food! And they're delicious!

From picking (and eating) my self-grown radishes, to making cream of radish leaf soup: no food wastage on my watch, oh no.

Today's harvest! (And a Daisy cat amongst the daisies.)

Just received a same-day home delivery of compost (thank you @Argos_Online!) and it's made me so happy: dozens of my seedlings are pot-bound, and not been able to source a delivery anywhere till now. Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day of repotting tomatoes, beans, lettuce, peas...

Made the first-time-gardener error of thinking that none of my sown seeds would germinate and that if any of them did, I would kill every single seedling, so have now ended up with 27 tomato plants and only space for about 3. Ditto beans of which I now have 20+. Oops.

Surely I can plant out my beans now? My seedlings are well over two feet tall and full of flowers, I'm desperate to get them out of their pots... Is it still too risky, do I really need to wait till the end of May/start of June to be safe?

I planted out my runner beans! First time in my entire life to plant anything out, so I hope I've not screwed it up too much...

I have a new-found respect for gardeners after spending almost two hours weeding, digging, hoeing, raking and hand-picking stones out of this bed: it's absolutely knackering work. Very rewarding though: I now have a calm mind alongside the well-deserved sweat.

Dwarf beans are IN. Finally! Been nursing these babies from seed for six weeks and waiting for the day when they'd be ready to face the world on their own; I hope they're going to be okay... Bloody hell, I'm shattered now.

BEANS! My plants have actual beans growing on them! I can't believe it, am so so happy.

Planted out my lettuces! God, so nervous - I hope they make it.

I know it's just basil, but given I'd never in my life grown anything from seed until seven weeks ago, I'm really chuffed with these plants. Ate some for tricolore salad last night, was delicious.

I grew this! I grew this French bean! I can't believe it - I thought I'd kill everything I planted, but instead - somehow - I seem to have grown some actual FOOD. I was so excited, I ate it raw: it was the best, most sweet, bean I have ever tasted. So goddamn proud.

More beans! I'm not ever going to stop being amazed that *I* grew this food from seeds.

Small, medium and ginormous courgettes, all sown the same day (29 days ago), I have no idea whether these will produce anything, but I think they look happy? (Cat in top corner unimpressed by my first-time-gardener achievements.)

Home-grown rocket (arugula, for )! It's a bit feeble and most of it has been eaten by bastard slugs, but an pleased with it regardless. Gonna add it to my salad right now.

Just spent the best part of 2 hours watering in slug nematodes all over the garden and veg plot. Eight weeks ago I’d never even heard of nematodes, now look at me: a ruthless killer of slimy invertebrates. I’ll be damned if the bastards are going to get any more of my seedlings.

Finding daily beans to eat - on plants *I* grew from seed - is like my own private treasure hunt: it fills me with childish glee every time I discover a ripe one amongst the lush green foliage. Such a simple thing, but it makes me so happy. (And they are delicious!)

Peas and sweetpeas (and cat) looking good! Can't wait for these babies to flower...

Irrationally excited by one of my runner bean plants growing its first flowers. Each day, something new in the garden. God it makes me so happy.

A snail or slug somehow got into my zipped up mini greenhouse and ate all my fucking petunias. I've been growing these for 6 weeks: every single one has been demolished.

3 of my 31 (!!) tomato plants, getting to be a decent size, I think. Too big to live with their siblings in the greenhouse now though, looks like another cool night wrapped in fleece...

Look at my lettuces! Can't wait to eat these beauties.

Broke.

Fixed.

Eight bush tomatoes and some carrots now planted out alongside the lettuce. Bloody 'eck, I'm shattered. Tomorrow: cucumbers, courgettes and peas...

Forgive my child-like excitement, but MY PEA PLANT HAS ITS FIRST EVER POD!

Excitement on a Friday night during a pandemic lockdown: this much-needed package being delivered. Hello Zoe of three months ago, this is your new life now.

Sweet peas now potted out! For a first-time, growing-everything-from-seed, gardener, I've had to learn it all as I go along, with no idea if I'm doing it correctly. Really hoping these survive - I'd love to have some flowers growing alongside the veg I've managed to produce.

First ever lettuce crop! I - a stupid newbie - grew this!

Courgettes (3 of 6) now planted out into pots. God I hope they make it...

My nasturtiums are finally out! Even though I sowed them as sacrificial plants to distract aphids and flies away from my veg, these are the first flowers I've ever grown and I'm so proud!

My tomatoes are flowering! I have grown 31 (!) plants from seed and now given a bunch away, which has left me feeling a bittersweet joy: I'm happy to see them go to good homes, but also so worried about how my babies will get on with their new plant parents. Is that weird?

Repotted all my cucumber plants. No idea if they'll actually produce any cucumbers but delighted with their progress (7 weeks) so far. Assistant gardener slacking on the job, may threaten her with furloughing.

A runner bean! My very first runner bean! Was worried the bees weren't visiting the plants and therefore no pollination, but clearly some have come because today there's an actual proper bean developing!

Are these baby courgettes?! Is my plant, which I grew from seed, actually producing courgettes?

OMFG, a tomato. An actual, real-life, goddamn TOMATO is growing on one of my tomato plants. Holy shit, THIS IS HAPPENING.

First runner bean! Hopefully the first of many...

100% homegrown lunch. Hope to add some tomatoes and cucumbers to the plate in a few weeks' time...

Spot the difference: courgette plants a fortnight ago and today.

Twelve weeks ago, I'd never done a single day's gardening in my entire life, and knew nothing about how any of it works. Now look at me, building my own plant cages to support my little cucumber plants that I grew from seed. Who have I become? I dunno, but I like the new Zoe.

First courgette flower!

First cucumber flower!

Remember a month ago, when I was devastated that the petunias I’d grown from seed had been demolished by slugs? Amazingly (and as people had suggested), they came back to life, and today the very first flower has bloomed! I’m so delighted they survived! https://twitter.com/girlonetrack/status/1268531011199123456?s=21 https://twitter.com/girlonetrack/status/1268531011199123456

I know everyone’s probably bored of me going on about the things I’ve grown as a newbie gardener (and muted this thread), but here’s where I’ve posted my journey and my joy, so I’m now sharing my pride in this beauty - my first ever courgette - from a plant I grew from seed.

I probably pulled these little carrots from the ground too early, but I’m impatient... #IGrewThisFood

PHWOAR

Two aspects of gardening are really testing me. 1) being arachnophobic and having to put my hands, sometimes entire arms, into dense greenery is pretty scary for me. 2) keeping up with constant pruning (especially pinching out 15 indeterminate tomato plants daily) is exhausting.

Look at these beautiful babies.

First proper crop, dinner for three. Such joy, picking these.

My French Marigolds have finally bloomed!

Is this a baby cucumber growing?!

I've never grown any flowers before, so I'm very proud of these petunias. Grown from seeds I sowed myself, then demolished 6 weeks ago by slugs, yet amazingly recovering to this, now. They're so pretty, I love the colours, and they give me such joy every time I look at them.

Love being able to harvest my own, homegrown, salad from the garden for dinner. Hoping that I'll soon be able to add some of my tomatoes and cucumber to the daily crop.

Delighted by the success of my (*cough* 25+) tomato plants BUT when are some of these bastards going to turn red?! The anticipation is killing me.

AN ACTUAL BLOODY CUCUMBER! I grew this! Can't believe that I, a total dumb arse about gardening just four months ago, managed to grow some real food myself - am shocked daily by what I've accomplished. So happy! And it's DELICIOUS.

Today’s haul.

Today's cucumbers. I don't know what I'm doing wrong / right...

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE: MY SWEET PEAS HAVE FINALLY FLOWERED! I'm so bloody happy (and proud)! https://twitter.com/girlonetrack/status/1272201064465534977?s=21

I'm so, so happy with these petunias. Never, ever thought I could grow flowers from seed, and after the slugs chewed them, I thought I'd failed. Now, when I look at their colourful beauty every day, I'm filled with delight and pride. I grew these beautiful babies!

Everyone said I'd be overwhelmed with 5 courgette plants, but actually it's my 5 cucumber plants which have required daily cropping, so productive are they. (Not complaining: I am thrilled!)

The first cut flowers I've ever grown - so beautiful, and oh! heaven scent. I love them so much

SOOOOOOOOOOON

IT'S HAPPENING! My first ever tomatoes!

Today's haul. Cropping 700-800g of these beauties every day now. Each one I pick is like finding a rare red jewel amongst the greenery - I'm never going to get over the childish delight of growing, harvesting and eating FOOD THAT I SOWED MYSELF. Gardening's still my daily joy.

Been out of London for a few days and the garden has gone WILD. Amazing how much everything has grown in under a week - these aren't even all the tomatoes I've just picked. Looks like gazpacho for dinner tonight then.

In early July, I took a handful of side-shoot cuttings from a few of my tomato plants, as an experiment (and also because I hate waste) and planted them in little pots. 10 weeks later and these babies are now ripening - I can’t believe they’ve been a success (in late summer!)!

I continue to find it amazing that I sowed runner bean seeds over five months ago and am still getting a daily crop from my plants even now, as we head into autumn. Being able to eat (and share) food that I’ve grown myself, as a new gardener, is still giving me so much joy.

A few months ago, I sowed some sweet peas in the hope that maybe a few would grow. I can’t believe that they’re still flowering as we head into October! As a newbie gardener, it’s been *so* rewarding growing flowers, alongside vegetables. Definitely doing this again next year.

Daily, I remain amazed at how things continue to grow in the garden, even as we approach the second week of October with frequent heavy rains and cold. Seeing the petunias, French marigolds and nasturtium which I sowed, still flowering in all their beauty, fills me with such joy.

Picked the final crop of tomatoes today. Whilst this will be my final homegrown salad (lettuce, spinach, kale, rocket, parsley, spring onion) for the year, I’ve had four good months from what I sowed back in April and May. Still harvesting courgettes and runner beans though!

Still picking these beauties every few days. I can’t describe how much joy it’s given me to be able to eat my own homegrown runner beans for dinner every night. And I still can’t get over the fact that I, a total newbie gardener, have managed to grown ANYTHING at all. So proud.

Final courgette picked. It’s a bit weedy and small, but I can’t complain: I’ve had over three months of harvesting loads of food from my five courgette plants, and for a total gardening newbie, I’d say that’s an achievement.

Final vegetable harvest from the garden - we’ve had so many months of these beans, it’s incredible: I can’t believe I picked these and it’s November! Seven months on from my first tweet in this thread and it’s fair to say I LOVE gardening: it’s given me SO much joy this year.

I can’t believe my marigolds and nasturtiums are still flowering after almost five months! Is it normal for them to continue blooming in the first week of November in the UK? I thought they’d die in the cold weather..?

Prepping for spring... Why yes, I have become someone who washes out dozens of pots ready for the next batch of seeds to be sown.

During brief moments of non-rain over the last few weeks, I’ve been clearing up the garden and have finally planted all this lot out in beds and pots. I have no idea what, if anything, will grow, but it’s exciting to think some surprise colour might appear come early spring.