I grew up in a family and extended family that always had gardens and always put the Great Outdoors high on the priority list. I’ve been forced to endure countless stories of me eating dirt and bugs when I was little (built up my immune system at least) and always “helped” by planting carrot seeds too close together and over-watering. I used to take plants apart to see how they went together like a budding engineer will take apart his toys. Once I got to University, my many Botany classes reinforced that idea as a way to classify plants.

Gardening is now my full-time occupation, along with wife, stepmom, catmom, and cook. Very little of what goes in our mouths did not at some point come from our own garden. I do a lot of canning, freezing, and drying of the produce we grow and I’ve become very involved in seed-saving and distribution, to local gardeners as well as through Seed Savers Exchange and Seeds of Diversity. I love sharing what I grow with everyone I meet and getting them excited about growing their own food.