My Grandma planted that one seed in my mind……
I grew up in a garden. Not literally, I am not a gnome or anything, but I spent a lot of time in my grandmother’s garden as a child. My grandma was one of those people that others describe as having a “green thumb.” She could grow just about anything, anywhere. She was in the local paper once for growing bananas in Illinois because, well because bananas don’t grow in Illinois. That garden was just a way of life for her. When tomatoes were ripe, we ate a lot of tomatoes. We ate them on sandwiches, hell, I think we actually ate them as sandwiches. We ate them with cucumbers, sliced with salt, fried, etc. I remember summers where we ate fresh vegetables every day.
Despite spending many years in a garden and having that seed planted within me at a young age, after I left home, the only think I grew for decades were house plants. And I killed them.
Something changed when my grandmother died. Despite my negative history with house plants, I took a Peace Lilly home with me to Atlanta from her funeral. I felt like as long as I could keep it alive I would protect her memory. But guess what happened? It died too. But I didn’t forget her. She didn’t strike me down for killing her plant (although those that knew her well, would not have been surprised if she had). I could have become discouraged, but after that something in my head would not be quieted. I needed my own garden.
When I knew I would be moving to Texas, I started planning and researching. That first little raised garden bed was built and planted way before the boxes were all unpacked in the house. Man, I killed a lot of plants that season…but I also got a lot of things to grow. I remember slicing my first tomato and being taken back to my grandmother’s kitchen where tomatoes actually tasted like tomatoes.
I’ve now been successfully and unsuccessfully growing edible plants in my backyard for almost 10 years. But I didn’t decide to start a garden business because I am an expert. I actually started this business because I was not an expert. I am a single, busy, working doctor mom with three young kids. I started this business because I want to help people just like me that want to do something good for themselves, their family and their environment.
I know my grandmother planted this seed, but I’m the one that nurtures it season after season. I hope to help others on this journey to help you make something beautiful, healthy, sustainable and amazing in your backyard. WE can do this together!