Garden coaching
I help gardeners grow beautiful, productive gardens that are good for humans and the environment. I offer support in these three ways:
- In-person consultations, in person, in and around Boise, Idaho
- Virtual consultations, via video chat
- Small-group workshops, virtually or in person, customized for your group’s needs
I also offer free garden education resources on the Sow Distracted blog.
What’s garden coaching?
A garden coach helps beginner and intermediate gardeners design and grow food and flowers. As a coach, I help people:
- identify and refine their gardening goals
- design gardens that are right-sized for their busy lives
- select appropriate plants for their garden sites
- cultivate a healthy garden using simple, natural, sustainable techniques
- align their garden practices with their values
I specialize in helping people who feel overwhelmed—by work, life, or their own brains—grow gardens that support both humans and nature.
How does it work?
Initial consultation
We begin with an initial hour-long consultation, during which:
- I’ll help you get clarity on your goals and desires for your garden.
- I’ll provide you with a sun map of your site, indicating where you can expect sunlight in the spring, summer, and fall.
- We’ll identify the best sites in your yard for your garden beds.
- I’ll introduce you to some principles of permaculture and why I recommend a permaculture approach to gardening.
- We’ll talk about what food and flowers are likely to thrive in your garden.
- We will make a list of your next steps, including my ongoing support if you’d like it.
Through April 2022, I’m offering initial consultations for $100. In May, the price rises to $150.
Ongoing support
We can decide together what kind of support you need from me. This support might include, but is not limited to:
- Planting plans for individual garden beds
- Comprehensive garden design: sketches of your site, with specific plant recommendations based on your vision and goals, available sunlight, and other resources
- Lists of what to plant, where, and when
- Reminders about key garden tasks in each season
- Dedicated gardening lessons created specifically to meet your needs
- Periodic walk-throughs of your garden to evaluate its health and identify additional opportunities for growth
- End-of-season evaluations in the fall and planning for the next spring
- Referrals to experts who may be better able to meet some of your garden infrastructure needs (e.g., irrigation, raised bed construction and installation, design and installation of larger structures like decks, patios, or hardscape)