Seeds sprout a love of gardening

When my husband and I moved into our new home in the East Bay in 1984, we built raised beds for our first vegetable garden. We ordered seeds from Renee Shepherd’s catalog (“Seeds: A Starter Set for Epicures,” Feb. 12), which made us even more enthusiastic about gardening because it was beautifully illustrated and packed with information and good recipes.

After the seeds were planted, our seedlings were promptly eaten by garden pests. I wrote to Renee for pest control advice, and she took the time to send me a handwritten note with recommendations for safely ridding the garden of certain pests.

We’ve been in the Southland now for more than 10 years and continued to grow vegetables in raised beds thanks to the success of our first garden.

Thank you, Emily Green, for informing all gardeners about Ms. Shepherd and Renee’s Garden seeds.

Celeste Fong

Upland