How did you get started in gardening?
My mother grew roses, and is a green thumb with a very nice indoor garden. I started experimenting on my own when I moved out, and as I got involved with gourmet cooking and wanting to eat healthier, I began focusing on organically growing my own foods, herbs, and spices.
Why did you join the EtsyPHAT Team?
Hmm, it's been some time. I'm just lazy when it comes to homework. :) I may not say it, but I'm ecstatic about it, as I usually try to share my gardening enthusiasm with others and for some really bizarre reason it's not [always] as exciting to them.
Where do you get your ideas?
Mostly I have to credit all my loved ones. I haven't been into gardening as hard-core for very long, but I'm lucky to have so many knowledgeable people in my life, so I soak it up from them like a sponge. I co-garden with my father-in-law, a Master Gardener who specializes in orchard fruits, vegetables, and has developed several hybrids of day lilies and irises; my mother-in-law, who grows herbs and is teaching me landscaping; and my two sets of neighbors who can food (jars), grow herbs, and also are into berries like I am.
My personal source of inspiration tends to be cooking. I would love to have a space in my house to grow tropical plants. That way I could grow my own vanilla, green tea, and citrus trees.
What are you currently working on?
We moved into this house almost three years ago, and the entire land area was a blank canvas with almost no landscaping. So, I've spent much of my summers on developing gardens. I currently have a perennial, herb, and vegetable garden that seem to grow larger (pardon the pun) every year. I also am developing a small orchard, and I pot all my annuals for the front porch and long driveway and walkway, ending up with approximately 20 or so pots of flowers at any given time.
Is your Etsy your full time job?
I'm disabled, so nothing is really a full time job, but I am passionately devoted to gardening. I love Etsy and the people on Etsy. A lot of people don't appreciate heirloom seeding, for example, so it's nice to be among those who do.
What do you do when you are not gardening?
I tend my flock of pets. We have two pups and two cats, all under 3 years of age. I also love food and cooking.
Recommend a book?
The Essential Garden by Liz Dobbs. It's a very details-oriented a-to-z on everything from composting, tools, landscaping, potting, pruning, and so much more! It is a bit heavy for a read, but very informative.
Favorite from the garden recipe?
Oh god, there's no way I could choose. One of my favorite things is when I'm harvesting, I'll pick fruits and veggies and eat them as I'm collecting. It doesn't get fresher than that!
