Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 56 of Life On the Brink!
Today you’re in for a real treat because I’m sharing a very special interview with a professional gardener (amazing!). You all know I’ve been on my garden journey for the past few years, and I’m always looking to learn more to help maximize my harvest.
I’m joined in this episode by very-special-guest Nicole Schauder, who helps people like me and you do just that!
Nicky and her husband Dave are passionate about helping families grow their own food.
Their garden journey began when their kids were diagnosed with “failure to thrive” due to multiple food allergies. Because of these health issues they felt called to grow organic at home and now supply 25% of their fruits and veggies from their tiny townhouse backyard.
Their mission is to help families grow their own food, medicine and find God through ecological gardening.
They do this primarily through their Permaculture Gardens, a website filled with garden resources such as free webinars, blogs, and “Grow-It-Yourself/GIY” – a garden membership program that helps simplify and strategize backyard garden success!
Permaculture Gardens has received the “Most Sustainable Brand” award at the Green Festivals and Nicky & Dave’s work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Permaculture Research Institute - Australia, Mother Earth News Fair, and Green America.org. They also volunteer at their local Title 1 schools and started permaculture garden after-school programs for elementary & middle schoolers.
What’s more, she and her family are about to move from a >1600 square foot space to a 3 acre property! Considering the fact that they currently grow an average of 300 pounds of food per year, I’m stoked to see how they will grow (get it) over the next few years
What’s in my teacup? The Paris blend by Harney and Sons, what else is new hehe.
Ok, so let’s dive right in! If you’d like, you can skip to 3:49 to get to my interview with Nicole. We talk about a LOT of stuff, so I’m going to just leave the links to things we discussed below, and be sure to check out her website too!
RESOURCES:
More info on the Grow-It-Yourself program (takes you step-by-step for a year to set your personal garden up for success)
Subscribe to the monthly Seed Sampler for $13.50 a month
BLOG POSTS: they are seriously good reads.
-A Medicinal Herb Garden (we didn’t really talk about this in the interview but I’ve since found this post and loved it)
Nicky’s Little Joy: The pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) in her garden. It’s a plant used by Native Americans (in fact, its name comes from the Arawakan tribe) and its fruit is described like a cross between a banana and a mango, so cool! Hers is blooming right now and she enjoys admiring it, along with the bird calls and buzzing bees.
What She’s Listening To: She shared a song called “Grow a Garden” by a group of permaculture gardeners called Formidable Vegetable (so cute). The song is on their album “Earth Peolpe Fair.” The song is played at the end of this episode, but you can find the whole album here!
Thank you so much for listening! I'd love to get your feedback and know how your gardens are doing, so feel free to leave a comment. And if you haven't yet and would like to leave a star rating or (even better) a review on Apple Podcasts, it would mean so much!
Have a lovely week, friends!