你好，我是珂拉（Cora Xu），生活在加拿大多伦多。

这里冬天漫长，四季的界限分外明晰。每一年，菜园都要经历从蛰伏到苏醒、从葱郁到丰盛，再慢慢归于沉寂的轮回。也正是在这样的季节交替中，我越发真切地体会到土地、植物与时间之间，那种缓慢却令人踏实的联系。

春天，一切从育苗盘里的一抹新绿开始；到了夏天，我的八个菜床渐渐被绿意填满，黄瓜、苦瓜的藤蔓顺着爬藤架攀爬，紫苏和香草在微风里舒展，果实也一天天变得饱满；秋风起时，我们采收、清园、整理土壤、翻入堆肥，为土地盖上冬天的“棉被”，也为下一季留下新的期许。当大雪覆盖菜园，万物安静下来，我喜欢在暖炉旁重新翻看这一季留下的影像和记录，回味今年的收获，也想一想明年还有哪些地方可以处理得更从容。

慢慢走过打理家庭菜园的这七年，我越来越觉得，种菜从来不只是“把菜种出来”这么简单。

它让我学会真正留意清晨的光线、泥土的湿度和天气的细微变化，也让我渐渐懂得，万物都有自己的时钟。植物有长势喜人的时候，也有遭遇病虫害的时候；菜园里会有虫，也会有鸟鸣、蜜蜂和飞舞的蝴蝶，还有不少不请自来偷食的小动物。慢慢地，我明白了：一个健康的菜园，并不是没有虫害和问题，而是在这些复杂的生命关系里，寻找一种恰到好处的平衡。

我的 YouTube 频道 Cora’s PureViva｜珂拉的臻生活，记录的正是这样的日常。

那里有家庭菜园的泥土气息，也有低碳、低卡的健康料理。对我来说，菜园和餐桌始终是一脉相承的。亲手种下的果实与香草，最终会变成餐桌上的一蔬一饭，或是冬日里的一杯暖茶；而厨房里留下的果皮菜叶，又会随着堆肥重新融进泥土。这样朴素的循环，总能给我带来深深的踏实感。

Cora’s PureViva 是我建立的个人品牌。在这里，我把这些年一点一滴积攒下来的菜园经验与生活感受，沉淀为文字、影像、书籍和数字内容。

我的第一本书 《守住你的菜园》，便来自这些带着泥土温度的真实经历。它记录了家庭菜园里常见的虫害与小动物，更重要的是，它想分享一种面对问题的方式：先看清发生了什么，再决定是否需要处理，又该如何处理。守住菜园，并不是要把所有自然生命都挡在外面，而是在保护作物的同时，也尽量保留菜园本来的生态平衡。

未来，这里还会陆续上架我的中英文电子书与数字内容，分享更多关于土壤、堆肥、菜园规划，以及健康饮食与四季生活的故事。

这些年，菜园教会我的事情太多。

它让我知道，有些结果不能催，有些问题不需要立刻解决，有些收获也不一定只出现在篮子里。很多时候，一季菜园真正留下来的，是我们对土地多了一点理解，对生活多了一点耐心。

希望这些从菜园、厨房和四季里慢慢生长出来的文字与经验，也能陪你用心照顾自己的菜园，温柔对待自己的生活。

Hello, I’m Cora Xu, based in Toronto, Canada.

Winters here are long, and the seasons are clearly defined. Each year, the garden moves through its own cycle — from dormancy to awakening, from lush growth to abundance, and eventually back into stillness. Living through these changing seasons has given me a deeper appreciation for the quiet connection between soil, plants, and time.

Spring begins with the first trace of green in a seedling tray. By summer, my eight garden beds are filled with life: cucumber and bitter melon vines climb their trellises, shiso and herbs unfold in the breeze, and fruits slowly grow fuller day by day. When autumn arrives, we harvest, clear the beds, work compost back into the soil, and tuck the garden in for winter, carrying a little hope into the next season. Once snow covers the garden and everything becomes quiet, I like to sit by the fire and look back through the photographs and notes from the year — remembering the harvest, and thinking about what I might handle with a little more ease next time.

After seven years of tending my home garden, I have come to feel more and more that growing vegetables is never simply about “growing vegetables.”

It has taught me to notice the morning light, the moisture in the soil, and the subtle changes in the weather. It has also taught me that everything has its own timing. Some plants thrive, while others struggle with pests or disease. There are insects in the garden, but also birdsong, bees, butterflies, and more than a few uninvited little visitors looking for a meal. Over time, I have come to understand that a healthy garden is not one without problems, but one that finds a thoughtful balance among all these forms of life.

My YouTube channel, Cora’s PureViva｜珂拉的臻生活, records this part of my everyday life.

There is the earthy rhythm of the home garden, but also low-carb, lighter healthy cooking. To me, the garden and the table have always belonged together. The fruits and herbs I grow by hand eventually become part of an everyday meal, or perhaps a warm cup of tea in winter; and the fruit peels and vegetable scraps left in the kitchen return to the soil through compost. This simple cycle always gives me a deep sense of grounding.

Cora’s PureViva is the personal brand I created. It is where I bring together the gardening experience and reflections I have gathered over the years, shaping them into writing, videos, books, and digital content.

My first book, Protecting Your Garden, grew directly from these real experiences in the garden. It looks at common insect pests and small animals in home gardens, but more importantly, it shares a way of approaching problems: first understand what is happening, then decide whether action is really needed, and what kind of response makes sense. Protecting a garden does not mean shutting out every form of natural life. It means caring for what we grow while trying to preserve the garden’s larger ecological balance.

Over time, this store will continue to grow with more Chinese and English ebooks and digital content, including stories and practical work related to soil, composting, garden planning, healthy food, and seasonal living.

The garden has taught me more than I ever expected.

It has taught me that some results cannot be rushed, that not every problem needs an immediate solution, and that not every harvest can be carried home in a basket. Often, what a season truly leaves behind is a little more understanding of the land, and a little more patience with life.

I hope these words and experiences, slowly grown from the garden, the kitchen, and the changing seasons, can accompany you as you care for your own garden — and treat your own life with a little more gentleness.