Homegrown harvest

Tag : Vegetable Garden Gardening Organic Vegetables
“For a long time, I wanted to have an organic vegetablegarden,” Lundberg says. “I like the idea of eating whatis in season and growing my own seemed the best way to doit.” But, she says, she didn't have time to garden.
Garza and her business partner visited Lundberg to assess herspace. The one spot with enough sunlight for veggies also was theright size for their smallest raised bed.
It may not be huge, but Lundberg says, “It is amazing to seethe amount of food you can get from such a small space.” InJuly, she was harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, eggplantand the hot habanero and jalapeño peppers her son adds toguacamole.
Lundberg loves that her little garden has helped her son understandwhere food comes from. According to Garza, Lundberg is not alone.“People don't want their children to get lost in thecommercial aspect of food,” she says. “They want theirchildren to know where their food comes from. Even more, peoplewant us to create a garden to enjoy and share with theirchildren.”

Typically, Backyard Organics gardens have three or four raisedbeds, each 4-by-12 feet, filled with a special planting mix andoutfitted in drip irrigation. Some homeowners take it from there,planting and caring for their garden. But many people hire Garza'scompany to do it all – plant, weed, fertilize and evenharvest. “We allow people to have a garden when theirlifestyles may not otherwise allow them to,” she explains.
Though Lundberg's garden is Backyard Organics' smallest to date, itis one of their best, according to Garza: “Linda has anatural appreciation for what is going on in her garden and sheshares that love and joy with her son. She constantly interactswith her garden so it provides her with a lot of produce. It is asynergistic relationship.”
Lundberg agrees, adding, “I see this as my little victorygarden.” Nan Sterman is a horticulturist and freelance garden writer. She is the authorof “California Gardener's Guide, Vol. II.”

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