redloon

I come by my vegetable gardening obsession honestly; my mother is also a gardener, and I was playing in compost-fertilized soil and eating self-picked green peppers as soon as I could walk. My father maintained a red raspberry patch in each of our three homes (transplanting some was a priority each time we moved). On family outings, we would go U-Picking: strawberries, blueberries, plums, apples.

I’ve lived and gardened in Upstate NY, North Carolina, Los Angeles, and now in Boston. I dream of becoming a small organic farmer. But for now, I live in the city, and I make do. I have a plot in a community garden in the South End, which is a lot of fun. I’m trying to convert my apartment’s weedy, shady, small, high-lead-soil yard into something attractive (a change for me since my usual goal is growing edibles). And I volunteer once a week at a non-profit 2-acre CSA farm.

In the past, I’ve done seasonal full-time field ecology research (in fields, forests, estuaries, and deserts), environmental engineering research, and taught high school science. I currently work in clinical research. And enjoy my gardens… :)