My suitcase broke. It is a suitcase that has followed me around the world for the last five years. Finally, after travelling to Trinidad and Tobago, a wheel came off and ended any possibility of future travels.

After using it as storage space for a while, I decided to recycle it as a planter box. Mostly because I did not have a garden and secondly, the absence of a wheel equates to an excess water outlet.

I have always wanted to grow my own vegetables. The American family portion doesn’t work for a couple like us. We end up composting half the food we buy. It is terribly wasteful.

With this broken suitcase, I appointed my first “farm manager” and started growing kale.