All About Gardening
Gardening here doesn’t look like what you’d find in a typical zone 6+ how-to guide. Up in Zone 4/5, the season is short, the thaw is slow, and what other people are planting doesn’t necessarily work here.
This is where I share how I actually garden, through permaculture design training, a lot of trial and error, and a genuine love for getting my hands in the dirt.
Pick a section below to dig in.
Seed Starting & Garden Planning
Spring here doesn’t rush. Up in Zone 4/5, we’re often still watching for frost into May… so “spring gardening” starts long before anything actually goes in the ground.
This is where I share how I plan and start seeds indoors for a short northern growing season, what I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) about timing things right for our climate, and how I prep beds and soil while we wait for the thaw. If you’re gardening somewhere the calendar says spring, but the ground disagrees, you’re in the right place.
Soil Health & Composting
If there’s one thing permaculture taught me, it’s this… the soil is the garden. Everything else is just details.
This is where I share how I actually build soil on my Zone 4/5 homestead — composting methods that work through a real winter, mulching (and growing my own mulch), nitrogen-fixing plants, and the no-till, chop-and-drop habits that keep me from fighting my garden every spring. If you’re tired of buying bagged amendments every season, this is where that ends.
Workshop
Effortless Soil Building Plan
Easily build healthy soil the permaculture way
This resource will help you learn the ecological way to build your soil, without hauling compost or buying expensive amendments.
Choosing Plants
This is where I break down what I actually grow and recommend — best herbs, best natives, best guild plants, best varieties for short seasons and cold winters. Real picks from my own garden and from my permaculture experience.
Herb Gardening
My herb garden isn’t just a collection of plants I can use… It’s designed to heal on more than one level. The medicine is in the herbs themselves, but it’s also in the beds they’re planted in — the layout, the stillness, the place I go to slow down.
This is where I share how I grow, plan, and use medicinal herbs in my Zone 4 apothecary garden — what I actually reach for, how I design beds for both function and beauty, and what I’m learning as the garden matures. If you think of your herb garden as more than a harvest, you’re in the right place.
