This year, in particular, is full of new beginnings. I welcomed the New Year in with a toast and a cheer from my home in Apex, NC. Just a few months later, this native midwesterner calls Long Island, NY home.

The question I was asked most often about the move was, "Are you going to take your garden with you to New York?". I had 11 individual 4'x4' beds for annuals that constituted the main garden. Separately I had 3 individual 4'x4' beds that were permaculture consisting of asparagus in one, strawberries in another and herb garden in the third. The family that is buying my house in a few weeks will inherit these three boxes. The other 11 beds are disassembled and stored in the basement of the house I am renting for a bit.

The second most common question was, "Will you be able to grow anything in the cold up there?". This question was a curious one to me. I had check the Hardiness Zone Map and both Apex and most of Long Island are Zone 7b, but no one could believe that Long Island and Raleigh are roughly the same growing climate. Despite the incredulity of the south, I should be able to grow roughly the same varieties and seasons in NY as I did in NC.

For the first year while I rent, my growing will be restricted to hydroponics and containers. I am looking forward to a year from now, buying some asparagus crowns and a backyard to put them in!