There are thousands of people in the world who are interested in gardening but don’t have the knowledge or skills required to grow a successful garden. If you want to start your own garden, it's helpful to find someone in your community who is able to teach and guide you through the seasonal steps of vegetable gardening. This is where a garden consultant or professional gardener comes in.

Garden consulting is a service that empowers and educates families on how to plan, install, and maintain a healthy garden year round. Here is a short guide to help you understand who a garden consultant really is.

What is a Garden Consultant?

A Garden Consultant is a gardening mentor, designer, and problem solver. They provide a framework for beginning gardeners based on site selection, garden setup, and crops that grow locally. A garden consultant can also be a garden designer or landscaper, but what sets them apart is their expertise in food production. They are...

You always hear about farmers rotating crops to replenish soil nutrients. What you don't hear much about are other options that provide the same results. You guessed it, Cover Crops!

A cover crop is traditionally a non-edible grain, legume, or tillage radish sown to feed the microbes under the ground - in your garden beds.

Winter is THE busiest time of year for soil decomposition. Cover Crops help to feed the biological soil life keeping them active longer. In return, these plants will reduce soil erosion, improve aeration, improve drainage, replenish nitrogen, and organic matter.

In Kentucky, we like to use a Winter Blend containing: Winter rye, Austrian peas (or Hairy Vetch or Crimson Clover), and daikon radish. This will sprout in the Fall, go dormant in the Winter, then grow more in the Spring. It's gorgeous and green ALL WINTER. Come Springtime, cultivate plants into the soil and let them rest before planting in that bed. You may also plant among the cover crop...

Sustainable Income: Proven Methods to Monetize Your Hobby Farming Efforts

Do you often find yourself dreaming about turning your hobby farm into a sustainable source of income? With a bit of creativity and strategic thinking, you can transform your passion for farming into a profitable venture. There are numerous opportunities for homesteaders to generate revenue while enjoying the rural lifestyle they love. Let's delve into the innovative ways you can monetize your hobby farm and cultivate a thriving business, courtesy of Edible Gardens Inc.

 Building Up Your Business Acumen

If you’re looking to distinguish yourself from your competition in the business world, a great way to accomplish this is by going back to school and increasing expertise from business degrees available through online courses. That way, you can advance your understanding of the business world by working at your own pace from the comfort of home, then incorporating the lessons you learn in real...

Planting a Garden: A Step Towards Helping Vulnerable Neighbors, Soup Kitchens, and Food Pantries

Gardening is more than just a hobby; it's a powerful tool for community support and social change. This Edible Gardens Inc. article explores how planting a garden can be transformed into a meaningful endeavor to help vulnerable neighbors, soup kitchens, and food pantries. By harnessing the power of gardening, we can contribute to alleviating food insecurity in our communities.

Starting a Community Garden

A community garden is a fantastic way to begin your journey in helping others through gardening.

• Identify a Suitable Location: Look for unused land in your neighborhood that can be converted into a garden.
• Engage the Community: Involve local residents and groups to foster a sense of community ownership.
• Plan Your Garden: Decide on the types of vegetables and fruits that are most needed in your community.

Partnering with Local Organizations

Building partnerships with local soup...

From Garden to Table: Designing Your Edible Landscape for Beauty and Bounty

Photo by Freepik

Imagine stepping into your garden, where the very essence of beauty merges seamlessly with practicality. Each plant, flower, and shrub not only adds to a stunning visual display but also promises a bountiful harvest of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. This is the heart of creating an edible landscape—a harmonious blend of form and function that transforms your outdoor space into a living, breathing canvas of sustenance and aesthetic appeal.

In this guide, courtesy of Edible Gardens Inc., we'll share essential tips and innovative ideas to help you cultivate an edible landscape that is not only a feast for the eyes but also for the table. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a green-thumbed newbie, get ready to turn your garden dreams into a delicious, blooming reality.

Use Raised Beds

Raised beds offer a multitude of benefits for your garden, from improved soil conditions to...

It can feel like forever waiting for seeds to sprout once we've planted them. If you're feeling anxious - don't worry, it is still very early in the Kentucky growing season. Soil temperatures outdoors are not staying warm enough for long enough to properly germinate vegetable seeds outdoors. The question is, how can you germinate seeds now to get a jump start on the growing season?

Hiring a professional garden coach makes it easy as they always have helpful tips on seed germination in a jiffy! But for you DIY'ers... here are the dirty deets: 

#1. Seed Selection

You may start *most* lettuces, brassicas, and some herbs indoors now. EX: salad greens, cooking greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, (wait on brussels sprouts), fennel, celery, green onions, dill, cilantro, calendula, nasturtium, etc.

It is not advised to start root vegetables indoors or very fast growing plants. EX: Carrots, beets, turnips, radish, parsnips, rutabaga, potato, snow peas, snap peas....

     Have you or your spouse always dreamed of having a home garden but maybe the time wasn't right? Maybe the kids were too young, the set-up was too daunting, or time felt too restricted?

    Perhaps 2024 is your season. Taking time for ourselves, in our hearts and homes, requires removing something from our plate. Literally or emotionally we get to decide when its time to nurture our dream. One plant at a time:)

    I'm Marlena Wolf, owner of Edible Gardens Inc. est 2019. My job and purpose in life is to help you learn how to grow food, successfully. Why do I care? It's my lifelong obsession.

    It started in 2005 with poor health. It quickly advanced to research on modern food systems and how they correlate with chronic illness in the Western diet. I'm seeing holistic medicine doctors because "modern medicine" failed me. In 2007, I'm volunteering on local farms and joining local food advocacy organizations. Lobbying in Frankfort to...