Where Gardens Grow was born from an interview with my mother, Maria, about gardening; the gardens she cultivated in our backyard and the plots that belonged to her family members. For me, summertime memories have always been sun-soaked garden beds and the smell of tomatoes in the sun, and it was these memories that I wanted to capture in my zine pages. Our interview took us through the gardens of my mom’s youth–recounting afternoons among the dirt, bugs, and plants–and the gardens of her adulthood. Through this interview and the creation of Where Gardens Grow, I was able to hold another piece of my family’s legacy and see a glimpse of my own future where I too grow my own garden, wherever that may be.

-Natalie Arneson, Winter Cohort 2023