|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Do you dream of a flourishing kitchen garden but can’t quite seem to find your green thumb? Maybe you just need a little coaching.
The mission of San Mateo-based Backyard Nourish is right in the name – to help people grow food in their backyards or whatever space they may have.
Though many may like the idea of having an edible garden of their own, “people are intimidated by it. I want to simplify that,” Backyard Nourish founder and “vegetable garden coach” Ritu Shrestha said.
While some urban and suburban homes may not have space for massive gardens – and most Peninsula folks aren’t looking to become subsistence homesteaders – Shrestha said there are benefits to growing food at home, even in small amounts. Not only does it encourage the eating of more fruits and vegetables – spending time outdoors and caring for a garden can also be a great boost to mental health.
“(The garden) nurtures you. It nurtures your body with the produce it provides and it nurtures your mind,” Shrestha said.
Her services are highly personalized and depend on each individual’s space and goals, she said. She provides education and coaching around best gardening practices, designs kitchen gardens and even offers hands-on management from season to season.
When helping plan a kitchen garden, Shrestha keeps practicality and personal tastes in mind.
“I ask them what they buy at the grocery store every week. I only want to grow things they’ll really eat,” she said. For her own family, cherry tomatoes are a must. “I love snacking them right off the vine,” she said.
The Peninsula’s mild climate allows for year-round edible gardening, and there’s something to suit every situation.
“The more I talk to the community, the more I realize (some) people think gardening is just for the summer,” Shrestha said.
While classic favorites such as tomatoes, cucumber and basil do love summer’s sunny warmth, “in general we have more cool weather than we have hot weather,” she noted, allowing for cooler-season crops such as salad greens, cruciferous crops such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, and much more. The region is also home to microclimates, and each garden space has specific soil and sunlight conditions, so a customized approach is key.
She prefers to foster diversity in the garden, planting borders with flowers and herbs among the vegetable beds and attracting pollinators and beneficial insects while avoiding the use of pesticides.
It’s especially gratifying, she said, to take part in the full cycle of composting kitchen scraps and using that compost to grow plants anew.
She sometimes hears from folks who would like to have a kitchen garden, but don’t think they have the time or space, especially if they live in a condominium or apartment.
“I have my little mini herb garden and I show them all you need is a window sill if that’s where you’re at in the season of life,” she said, recommending containers with herbs such as oregano, thyme, rosemary or cilantro.
“If you have a patio, put two planters with stakes and grow cherry tomatoes; you do not need a lot of space. Use vertical spaces. There are still things you can grow,” she said.
Some people are put off by past failures, or discouraged because wildlife gets into the crops. Shrestha takes a more positive attitude toward sharing the bounty, whether it be with squirrels, deer or caterpillars.
“I am all for organic gardening. When I plant something, I know that a little bit of it is for the critters; we need them, it’s part of the ecosystem,” she said. “We can’t be completely devoid of bugs and critters; then it’s no longer a living ecosystem.”
As a mom of two, helping expose children to gardening and teaching them about where their food comes from is one of her prime motivators. She recalled one of her children making a comment about something they were eating one day.
“My son said, ‘Oh, that comes from Trader Joe’s,'” she said. “What? Yes, it comes from Trader Joe’s, but somebody grows it!”
Educating kids (and adults) through hands-on practice “is so so important,” she said. “We spend so much resources in teaching them all these other skills … but we forget about the core thing that we need, which is growing food.”
Shrestha’s connection to gardening and farming has roots in her early life and family heritage.
“It comes from my childhood. I was always in the mud, in the soil,” she said.
She grew up in Nepal, where “everybody has a little garden. No matter your socioeconomic status, we’re all growing food,” she said. “My grandfather was a farmer. He grew everything that we ate, from rice and lentils to all the vegetables.” Her father worked as a banker but was still involved with farming and gardening as well.
“Me and my brother, we were always involved. I never say that I loved it – I did not!” she said with a laugh. The time and labor was demanding but, looking back, she appreciates the lessons she learned and the experiences she had.
She moved to the U.S. for grad school and didn’t have much time for gardening during that period. But when her family moved into their own home a dozen or so years ago, “the first thing I did was build a little garden,” she said, cherishing the time spent in the fresh air and sunshine, working in the soil instead of staring at a screen. Before turning professional, she also helped family members, friends and neighbors with their gardening skills.
“I worked in tech for the past 20 years and last year, like a lot of tech folks, I was laid off, and I was burnt out as well. ‘What can I do that actually I really enjoy?'” she asked herself. “The first thing that came was gardening.”
Prices for her coaching and culinary garden designing services differ project by project. She starts with a $200 consultation, which is credited back to clients if they decide to hire her for further work.
“It’s really important for me to go in there and look at their space, finding the best spot, the best sunlight,” she said, noting that crops such as tomatoes, eggplants and peppers thrive best with six to eight hours of sun a day. It’s also important to see what kind of soil and drainage conditions are present.
“I’m happy to support people where they are. Sometimes people need more hands-on coaching. I would work with them for a whole season,” she said. “A lot of times we don’t know how to harvest, when is the right time to harvest something.” In other cases, the initial consultation may be enough to get someone started on their kitchen garden plans.
Shrestha is based in San Mateo and works all over the Peninsula, ranging from South San Francisco down to Mountain View, although she said she’s willing to go a bit farther. This is Backyard Nourish’s first year in business, and she’s planted about five gardens with clients so far and is in talks with more as she looks ahead to summer.
She volunteers at her children’s school, leading seed-sprouting activities for Earth Day. In terms of business outreach, she puts up flyers at coffee shops and gathering places and sometimes visits local farmers markets, handing out seeds and trying to spread the word on Backyard Nourish and on growing food at home in general, which she’s realized is her passion.
“I can’t not do this. It’s very mission-driven,” she said. “I really want people to grow something. Grow anything!”
Backyard Nourish; Instagram: @backyardnourish.
Dig into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter to get insights on the latest openings and closings, learn what the Foodist is excited about eating, read exclusive interviews and keep up on the trends affecting local restaurants.
