I joined Reese Baker (no relation to me) at a residential backyard garden recently where he was doing a bi-weekly service call with the Farmer D Organics’ Backyard Cultivators program. His hat protecting his tanned face from the mid-day sun, Reese harvested green beans and cucumbers, removed dead leaves, pruned tomatoes to encourage bigger fruit, and sprayed a compost tea he had brewed the day before to both leaves and roots throughout the large, meticulous kitchen garden.
He checked all the plants for aphids and other bugs that could cause problems, made mental notes about what to advise the client regarding when and what to pick, and left the fresh produce on the cool, shady back porch. A bona fide farmer who came to Farmer D Organics by way of an organic farm he ran in northern California, Reese clearly knows his stuff and loves what he does.
He makes about five to six stops like this every Wednesday, and can tell you the specific needs of each garden. By the time this service call was done, I totally “got it” as to why backyard farmer services like this are sweeping the nation.
Gardening is not for everyone. There. I said it. It has taken me years to finally realize this, and I offer a deep apology to everyone whose eyes I made glaze over when I swooned over my Moon and Stars watermelons (and even shot videos of them) when you would have preferred to talk about anything (anything) else. When I first heard about the Farmer D Organics Backyard Cultivators program, I couldn’t imagine who would actually create a vegetable garden in their backyard but then hire someone to come take care of it. But, you know what? It now makes perfect sense.
People hire professionals to care for their lawns and pools, so why not their gardens? And why shouldn’t people who work long days or travel frequently not come home to fresh veggies? Or what about moms with babies or those of us who help care for our aging parents? Or people who would rather ride their bikes or take classes or volunteer at their children’s schools or read a good book, for goodness sake, in their limited free time? Although gardening can certainly be a great stress-reliever, it can also turn into a big, fat chore pretty quickly, too. Plus, researching answers to common garden problems and seasonal transition strategies takes time, and self-diagnosing solutions can waste money, neither of which you may have to waste.
The Farmer D Organics Backyard Cultivators program lets you grow your garden successfully. This protects the investment you made in your garden when you started it. It frees you up to spend your time the way you need or want to. And it ensures fresh, healthy food will end up on your dinner plate (sorry, Farmer D’s doesn’t offer chef services . . . yet). Find out more about our Backyard Cultivators services here. See more pictures of Reese at work on our Pinterest board here. And let us know if you’d like Reese or the other Farmer D Organics’ Backyard Cultivator, Greg, to make a house call to your garden.
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