How Does Your Garden Grow | Franklin, Webster Groves

Tell us about your garden!

I just moved here from Los Angeles. With the help of my chicken flock and their compost-making, I began growing microgreens late last year. Sunflower, Broccoli, Kale, Arugula, Cabbage, Kohlrabi. I love growing my micro greens. For spring and summer, I have close to 70 different vegetables just waiting to hit the garden.

We'd love to know more about your garden. How much space do you have? What are some of the challenges you've faced?

I have .10 acre in my back yard. Winter of 2020 was my chickens first winter, but they crushed it. But keeping compost heated through those few weeks in February were tricky. They eat only soaked whole grain and food waste, so keeping that thawed was a bit frustrating. I also have a resident owl and hawk that I like to have strict conversations with. Haha.

Share your knowledge! Do you have any tips and tricks? What are the benefits of gardening for you?

As a compost & chicken farmer, my focus is always on soil health. And the most efficient way to maintain the optimal soil health is to keep it in the traditional farming realm. No sprays, no amendments, no pelletized food, heavy bio-diversity, heavy density; creating an environment that resembles our world before shopping malls and commercial mono-crop farming.

Most importantly, why do YOU garden?

Sustainability is key. Having pure autonomy about what goes our bodies is the only way to go. Once you realize how easy it is to grow your own food and/or watch others discover it, it's whole new level. Like magically traveling to another time in history and watching that first, discarded wheat seed grow into grass, then transform into bread. A forgotten herb that heals wounds. The buried, rotten corn ear that produces food in the hot summer months.

How does YOUR garden grow? Share your photos with us HERE!

How Does Your Garden Grow | Arion, St. Ann

Tell us about your gardening experience and your plans for 2021!

I've been growing in pots for the last 3 years but in 2020 I decided to take it to the next level and do some digging. So far my favorite thing to grow has been collard greens. This year will be even better. I will get a jump start on the season by starting seeds indoors. I've also created a blueprint to incorporate companion planting.

What are your biggest challenges?

I am on an acre of land but one of my biggest challenges are the trees, so I have to be mindful and plant things that don't need a ton of light and utilize a greenhouse and the few sunny spots to the maximum.

Do you have any useful tips or tricks?

Don't throw out those fall leaves! Dump them in the garden beds instead. Using leaves from the fall is a great way to prepare your soil for the next season.

Why do you garden?

Gardening is therapeutic and is also an excellent workout. Seeing your seeds grow into an actual harvest has changed the way I view everything.

How does YOUR garden grow? Submit your photos and tell us more at urbanharveststl.org/share-your-garden

How Does Your Garden Grow | Sam, St. John

Tell us about your gardening experience!

I started my gardening experience in 2014 when I had the amazing opportunity to teach a 3-5-year-old gardening class at a children’s museum. I will admit I learned a lot by failure and took some time to get used to gardening in the desert climate of Los Angeles. Once my family and I moved back to St Louis it got a lot easier due solely to knowing that rain was a thing here. Ever since then we have slowly grown our garden(s) at our house and I continued to learn more while working at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

My favorite thing to grow is flowers, especially zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers. As much as I love growing food, flowers are what bring all the beneficial insects that both my kids and I love to watch. We had one Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) and would see up to 15 butterflies on that one plant at the same time. Adding flowers through our edible garden also breaks up all the green foliage bring much-appreciated beauty to space. That being said I love growing cherry tomatoes – one of my favorites snacks to eat while working in the garden.

The biggest change in our garden is the addition of a giving garden in our front yard. We have a decently sloped area of our front yard next to the sidewalk. Rather than mowing the evil hill, we are going to be planting it up with cut flowers and edible plants so anyone can harvest what they need. May that be a handful of herbs, a few tomatoes or a bouquet of flowers to bring life to their house.

Back in 2020, we took down 2 trees in the backyard opening up a lot more light. We will be adding a food forest area in the backyard including many fruit trees, raspberries and of course native flowers.

Tell us a little bit about your growing space! What are some challenges you’ve encountered?

My family is my first priority and sometimes my biggest challenge in the garden.

First, my husband is extremely allergic to the outside world. If he comes outside while someone else is mowing their lawn he tends to break out in hives. Or if I mow our lawn then our dog’s tack in clipping onto the sofa he goes into anaphylactic shock. I personally want to fill our whole yard with native plants and edibles, I also know my kids in a space to play. Finding this balance between gardens and play areas is the second challenge I face every year when I am planning the space out. Luckily our next-door neighbors have a child the same age as my oldest and the three kids tend to fence hop all day long. This has to lead to their yard as the running yard and ours the adventure yard. All of the plants we grow are great for playing hid and seek, looking for bugs and we even plant some of our neighbor’s favorite foods for him to snack on while playing in our yard too. This has allowed me to slowly covered half our backyard with growing spaces and a lot less grass to aggravate my husband's allergies.

Our home sits on around the 10th of an acre (which is really just fancy saying 5,000sqft) and our garden is around 1,200sqft..which is around the same amount of space as our house in comparison. This includes our new giving garden in the front yard, our market garden style veggie patch and a new food forest in the back yard. And lastly B.A.R.B., our Big A** Raised Bed. BARB was the first garden we built with motorcycle pallets we got off of Craigslist 4 years ago. BARB is 21’x3’x4’ which has been great to grow herbs and veggies that I only want to grow one of. This year we have added old windows that I have collected to make a mini greenhouse to start all of my plants this spring.

What are some tips and tricks for other gardeners? What are the benefits of gardening for you?

Gardening should be enjoyable.

One of the main reasons we built BARB was because my mom wanted to help in the garden but couldn’t do the bending for traditional in-ground gardening anymore. In the summer I don’t even start working on my garden until after dinner normally because of the heat. There are times that my beds get super weedy and I let it happen because I know the world will not end if I wait until I feel like I am up for the task. Yes, I want to have a beautiful garden but don’t make it so complicated that it is no longer enjoyable.

Also, listen to your garden. I have made my life a lot harder before because I was trying to force plants to grow in areas they were not suited to. Look where the sun hits, where water pools, where the high traffic areas are in your yard. Hint: don’t plant something in the direct path from the swing set to the house when you are potty training...plants will get squished in a bathroom emergency! Listening to your garden goes further than that though – if you notice low production, you might be missing pollinators like the native bumblebee...plant some flowers among your veggies. Squirrels only go after your tomatoes...most likely they are thirsty so add a water score. Missing lightning bugs thought the summer added bushes for them to hide in thought the day.

Even though I have worked with plants for the past 4 years as my job I truly find gardening fun. I love the planning of what I want to grow, the act of getting my hands in the soil is satisfying. Solving the mystery of why a plant is struggling and finally, harvesting makes me want to give myself a pat on the back. My biggest benefit though is seeing how much my kids love the garden. Whether I want their help or not they are in the garden with me.

Why do YOU garden? What does gardening mean for you?

It is very important to me that my kids have a strong connection with nature. The easiest way to do that is to make our yard an enjoyable place they want to be in.

They go through the seed catalogues in the winter and they help me pick what we should grow. This has led us to have a small Disney section with Rapunzel Tomatoes, Cinderella pumpkins and Hercules Carrots. My son has requested we grow his weight in raspberries and cucumbers. Their love of the garden is what keeps me going some days and allows me to grow in so many gardens.

Sam is the Volunteer Coordinator and Assistant Farmer at Urban Harvest STL! Read more about her here.

How does YOUR garden grow? Submit your photos and tell us more at urbanharveststl.org/share-your-garden

How Does Your Garden Grow | Claire, South City

Tell us about your gardening experience!

I started gardening 4 years ago because I knew that nothing beats the taste of a home grown tomato. I started in food-grade buckets but upgraded to my first garden bed the following year. As someone that enjoys cooking for people, I realized that sharing my produce with others brought me the same kind of fulfillment. Last spring, the uncertainty of COVID-19 gave me an unexpected surplus of time spent at home. That's when I enlisted my boyfriend to help build three raised beds in addition to amending the soil in three more ground-level ones. I bought organic starters from Biver Farms, at Local Harvest Grocery, and I spent hours researching the best way to lay out my new garden.

Describe your garden! What are some challenges in your space?

I have about 1600 square feet in my backyard, and much of it is still dedicated to running space for our dogs. Growing melons and squash for the first time was pretty tricky. I had no idea how their vines would sprawl, so trying to wrangle them into a good space was a challenge. I've also struggled with aphids and trying to repel the pests using organic growing methods. To combat that, I'll be incorporating both trap crops and flowers that repel them this year. I also try to use companion planting and crop rotation to maximize space and soil quality.

Do you have any tips and tricks? What are the benefits of gardening for you?

Trellis gardening is magical, especially for those with limited space! I grew cucumbers on a trellis last year, and it kept them powdery mildew-free while creating a beautiful wall of green on my fence. I highly recommend using trellis netting for any crops that like to climb. This one sounds cheesy, but spend time with your plants! When you visit with each plant in your garden, ideally multiple times a day, you can learn what they like and dislike. Plants are expressive, and you can use that to your advantage. The benefits are endless. Last year, I gave produce to friends in exchange for donations to local, food justice-focused non-profits. As an amateur chef, there is nothing cooler than going out back to harvest food for your meal.

Most importantly, why do YOU garden?

Giving back to the community while fostering connections between friends and their food is joyous. I love walking people through my garden and showing them exactly where their food comes from. It's a great chance to share cooking tips or plug my passion for local, pasture-raised meat as well. Time spent alone in my garden is equally fulfilling. I enjoy taking the time to sit with myself and reflect. Our dogs appreciate it too!

How does YOUR garden grow? Submit your photos and tell us more at urbanharveststl.org/share-your-garden

How Does Your Garden Grow | Ro, Bevo

Tell us about your gardening experience!

I began my journey into gardening about 10 years ago. It all began when I became a first-time homeowner. I was so excited to add my own personal touches to the yard. I knew that I wanted to plant hydrangeas, but didn't know a thing about gardening. Once I get started with planting my front yard, I absolutely got the "garden bug" and haven't stopped since. Gardening has become my biggest passion, and the absolute best thing that I have done for myself. It helps to support my mental and physical health, relieves stress, keeps me grounded, and gives me something to look forward to during the hard winter months.

My absolute favorite things to grow are tomatoes! There are endless varieties to choose from, they are extremely prolific and delicious, and the plants smell amazing. I love going down a row of tomatoes, pruning them, being in the moment, and enjoying their abundance. I also love throwing the ones that get nibbled on, split, or messed up in some way to my chickens. They LOVE fresh tomatoes!

My garden plans for 2021 are to really maximize the amount of produce we are able to grow and donate. I have removed some of the plants that take up a lot of space and a long time to produce, such as broccoli, and plan to take full advantage of all 3 seasons. I am trying a few new items to feed our soil life and add nutrients, such as alfalfa pellets, and will be adding a lot more beneficial herbs and flowers.

Share a little more about your garden itself.

Feed the People Garden Project has 33 raised beds. Some are made from cedar pickets, some from cinder blocks (my favorite), some have log borders and were created using the lasagna layering method, and some are made from untreated 2 x 12 boards. We have tons of cattle panel trellises to support tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and other vining crops. We also have a food forest, where the chickens spend their daytime hours scratching, fertilizing, and doing insect management. We also have a small 6ft x 8ft greenhouse that has really increased our capacity to start plants from seed.

Our biggest challenge has definitely been squash bugs. We will not be growing squash for the next 3 years in order to try to remove the issue. Other challenges include our *super helpful* garden pups that like to go through and undo much of the work that gets done, keeping up with a garden of this size that is run entirely by volunteers, and mosquitoes during the hotter months.

Do you have any gardening tips and tricks?

Plan ahead! Use the winter months to learn as much as you can and really think through what your are planting, what materials you still need, and how you what you want your season to look like. Focus on your soil prep and putting up any trellises and such before the growing season kicks off, so that when it is time to plant you can focus on that. I try to always make my soil my top priority, because having good soil is critical to having good crops. Compost is your best friend! Don't skip it! Try to source used materials or tools. Many people have sheds and basements full of goodies that they aren't using. Often, you can get much of what you need for free or low cost, rather than purchasing new.

Why do you garden?

Gardening brings me to life! It is incredibly centering, healing, and motivating. It provides endless opportunities to continue learning, try new methods, fail and try again. For me, it is also a way to build community and to give back to community. I love being able to bring folks together (during non-covid times) for big gardening days and seed swaps! We have many folks in our community that are food insecure, and being able to grow and donate fresh healthy produce is a way to help support that need.

Follow along with Ro’s gardening adventures at the Feed the People Facebook page! Ro is also a staff member at Urban Harvest STL and manages our farm at Rung for Women.

How does YOUR garden grow? Submit your photos and tell us more at urbanharveststl.org/share-your-garden

How Does Your Garden Grow | Melanie, West County

TELL US ABOUT YOUR GARDEN!

When my husband and I moved in to our house, the backyard was flat lawn. We didn't know anything about gardens. Over the past 4 years, we've developed a few different spaces. We love our 3 large raised gardens for edibles like tomatoes, watermelon, herbs, beans, and anything else we can cram in.

WHAT NEW PROJECTS HAVE YOU BEEN EXPLORING? WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2021?

Our newest project has been converting a slope full of winter creeper to a native wild garden. This is really going to take off in 2021. Our little girls love to meander through the native garden on the wood cookie steps we've added and catch frogs or even a snake!

WHY DO YOU GARDEN?

Gardening is so fun because its dynamic- you can easily pivot and try something new. Im addicted!

How does YOUR garden grow? Submit your photos and tell us more at urbanharveststl.org/share-your-garden

How Does Your Garden Grow | Ronald, JeffVanderLou

WHY DO YOU GARDEN?

I garden because it's therapeutic and it allows me to escape the real world. I started gardening back in 2008 as a hobby and it soon turned into a passion. The benefits of gardening is it increases my emotional well-being.

DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS OR TRICKS FOR GARDENING?

The only trick I have is when I'm in the yard gardening I love to listen to James Brown greatest hits and the plants and trees seem respond well.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO PLANT?

When it comes to plants one of my favorites are the Giant Phlox. (pictured above)

WHAT’S COMING UP FOR YOU THIS SEASON?

My plan Spring 2021 is to build and Herb Garden.

Follow along with Ronald’s gardening adventures on Instagram and Facebook!

How does YOUR garden grow? Submit your photos and tell us more at urbanharveststl.org/share-your-garden

How Does Your Garden Grow | Rachel, Tower Grove South

How long have you been gardening? How did you get started?

I started experimenting with gardening in the spring of 2014. I loved juicing and it was expensive as a recent graduate, so I took to the internet to do some research to grow veggies. I'll admit, I didn't start easy AT ALL. I started with fruit seeds (lemon, apple, pear, etc.) and I did get germination and growth, but overall realized this would take YEARS to get fruit and I wasn't in a semi-permanent location. From there I stumbled into regrowing veggies from scraps--lettuce was super easy and a super cost savings! But it only works for so long before the plants need soil or something goes funky.

While in graduate school I determined that I wasn't going to let apartment living stop me. I signed up for a couple of community gardens (one at school and one in my neighborhood). This was my first time getting my hands into some soil and my gardening passion took root. The trouble with most community gardens is you don't know what was grown in the plot before you. I learned how much quality soil makes a difference as well as crop rotation and getting a handle on weeds early!

Tell us about your garden (what area of STL you live in, how much space you have, challenges in location, etc...)

One challenge is too much sun/heat for some of our veggies. Cilantro, leafy greens and brassicas are somewhat difficult to grow because they don't get enough shade. This leads me to having to "grow my shade". What I mean by that is growing veggies that love sun and putting other cool weather veggies underneath to protect from the heat when we get odd hot days early or late in the season.

What do you enjoy most? What benefits do you see?

I love starting seeds! That's when most failure happens too. This keeps me humble and continually learning. Just when I think I've learned all the ways to grow tomatoes, someone literally grows them upside down! Experiment and don't think you need to learn everything before you get growing. Another benefit I see is the amazing gardening community, hyper-local and worldwide. Most gardeners want to share and see what others are doing. It's a great way to feel like you are getting a tour of someone's garden without being there.

Do you have any tips or advice to share?

Start small and with food you know you like to eat. It takes a lot of patience for most things to grow. So if by the time it's ready to harvest, if you don't like it, then that's a waste of your time and energy. Also try to start with plants you can get a quick harvest in 30-45 days (radishes, beets, lettuce, kale). For the first couple of years I purchased seedling starts and they are still really cost effective (especially food you continuously harvest such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers). Honestly, you can't mess up much in the garden, which is the magic of plants. Sure, you can refine your skills to get plants to be more productive, but most will give you a decent harvest if you just meet their basic requirements of light and water needs.

What's your favorite thing to grow?

Anything edible because I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor--I don't want to unnecessarily sweat for a beautiful yard! Just kidding (kinda)--I have started to enjoy growing flowers more, specifically natives in my front yard. I do enjoy summer veggies a lot. Tomatoes will always have a place in my garden along with beans, garlic and cucumbers. Peas found a new place in my heart last spring and I found myself working and snapping off a few peas to munch on. I try to grow something different every year to keep things interesting.

What most excites you about your garden in 2021?

This year I'm going to work more on preserving the garden. I grew a lot of odd varieties last year, which was fun and plan to have some this year, but overall I want to stick to tried and true varieties to get a bumper harvest. I also love composting because it takes 6 to 9 months for me to get a finished batch and it feels like such an accomplishment! This year already I have two of my three bins full. In past years, I'm lucky if I have 1 bin half way, so I'm excited about all the compost I will produce for my garden on site. Last year I gave away over 250 plants, which was really fun to provide that to those in the community who were staying home and starting gardens.

Follow along with Rachel’s gardening adventures (and free plant starts!) on Instagram (@Greathouse_Garden) or Facebook (@GreathouseGarden) .

How does YOUR garden grow? Submit your photos and tell us more at urbanharveststl.org/share-your-garden