Featured Gardener
May's Featured Gardener – Laine Jeep
Every garden needs its caretaker. That is why, here at White Harvest, we want to honor gardeners from all around who live by the toil of their hands. Each month we select a gardener who enjoys "getting their hands dirty" and growing their own food. Every gardener has their own unique story to share!
Just outside St. Louis, Missouri, our newest Featured Gardener – Laine Jeep – enjoys every opportunity she gets to work in the garden and the delicious, wholesome food that follows. She's been about this rewarding work for 15 years now, growing and learning along with the lovely plants she's raised. It's a joy of hers to witness how much can result from such tiny seeds.
"When I was a little girl," Laine says, "I would spend time playing in my dad's garden. The tomato plants provided good snacks while I played." To this day, tomatoes are still a family favorite.
"Growing up in a rural area, most of the families had gardens," she says. In Laine's family, her dad and grandma were considered the real "green thumbs". From their inspiration, today she is continuing in their footsteps.
"Last year was my first time growing pie pumpkins. I enjoyed every aspect of their growing season," Laine tells us. The quality of the produce is very important to her. "I do not use chemicals," she says. "Instead I use dishsoap and neem oil." It's hard to beat a natural remedy! When it's time for guard duty against pests, she also uses a garlic and red pepper spray that works wonders.
Laine and her family have 5 raised beds that are 15 ft x 3 ft. While the raised beds undoubtedly brings great benefits – as they usually tend to – the Jeep family's garden is not without its challenges. "Living in Missouri is difficult at times due to the fluctuations in weather," says Laine. This year, they are using a Biodynamic chart to guide them towards the most successful planting times. She also received a designed garden by White Harvest, which we hope will bring further improvement to their garden.
Fortunately, the hard work that gardening requires is a small price to pay in Laine's mind. In fact, she welcomes the chance to get outside and discover new things. "It's nice to get away from the T.V., phone, and computer," she says. By doing so, Laine has learned first-hand what it takes to make a garden grow and has a few tips to share with us. "I put a nail around the base of my tomato plants to avoid cut worms." It may sound strange, but no one likes those nasty bugs anyway. What could hurt to try it? She also recommends soaking egg shells in the watering can for added nutrients to the water. Many natural remedies are easy enough for anyone to use. Don't be afraid to try something new! That's the whole point to gardening anyway.
While Laine and her family may lead busy lives, they hope never to be too busy for a garden. Time should never be our excuse. May there always be room for each of us to have a little garden.
Check back with us next month to learn more about another fellow gardener!
(866) 424-3185 or savanna@whiteharvestseed.com. Every selected featured gardener will receive a $10.00
Free Seed Certificate and be featured for an entire month on our website.
