Gardening Like a Ninja: Giveaway, Free Course, & Interview

Giveaway, e-course, and interview

The secrets to food production in landscaping are here!  You’ve got a front row seat.  I’ll wait while you go get a cup of tea.

We’ve got a fantastic giveaway and a huge announcement about how you can take an edible landscaping course for free.  So stick with me.  But to truly understand how far you can still come on your journey to food production, you just must read this interview!

Angela EnglandI’m introducing you to someone rather important to me.  Angela England–maybe you know her from Untrained Housewife, or as the author of Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less), or maybe you’ve met her through following Homestead Bloggers Network (HBN) and its pages (she’s the co-founder of it, too).  I first began my friendship with her through HBN, and her knowledge and empathy have pulled many through crises, whether goat or garden.

We’ve got a fantastic giveaway for her newest book, Gardening Like a Ninja,  and a huge announcement about how you can take her course for free.  So stick with me.  But to truly understand what kind of person she is and how far she can bring you on your journey to food production, you just must read this interview!

 

Angela England: Gardening Like a Ninja

gardening like a ninja

You say that a garden is far more than just a garden, and that it is therapeutic. Tell me how the act of gardening touches that special place in you.

To me planting a new seed, or a new plant, is an incredible act of hope. There’s something very magical to me about this cycle of life played out seasonally before our eyes, that reminds me the world is larger than just me. I think this is why gardeners have so many emotional health benefits compared to the general population. We are stepping away from the crazy busy rat race and invested energy into something that while it can take weeks or even seasons to come to fruition, grows exponentially. You plant tiny seeds or a skinny stick of a sapling. And you harvest by the bushel. It’s so rewarding and relaxing.
The premise of this book is that you can “sneak” edibles into a beautiful landscape. This might mean purchasing varieties beyond what they sell at the local box store nursery. Where should we begin when selecting the right plants for our yard (and budget)?

The first place to start with gardening is always the soil. Always. It’s the literal root of everything else that happens in your garden and if you don’t get that right, you will never have the picture-perfect garden that you want. I always recommend that gardeners have a simple soil test done on their garden areas (in each garden location around your home in fact). These are often free or super cheap at the local County Extension Office which is perfect for someone as frugal as I am.

blueberries
Blueberries require very acidic soil–start by taking a soil sample!

This book is absolutely beautiful. There are so many full color photographs, all worthy of the frame. I remember when you called upon friends and bloggers to submit their own photos that highlighted these gardening practices to supplement your own garden photos. Photos coming straight from the gardens of people who are already gardening like ninjas tells a lot of the practical results people can expect. How long until we see our own gardens transform? Can you give us a realistic perspective on what we should expect during year 1, year 2?

I’m so glad you mentioned the photos – finding those photos was one of the most rewarding, and time consuming, elements of this entire book project! As to the question of what to expect in your own before/after scenario, one thing that gardeners have to understand is that not all plants are created equal. Some plants take longer than others to begin producing a harvest.

Annuals, for example, grow, bloom, fruit and die all in a single year. So you’ll have all your annual plants at “full force” in your landscape right from the very first year! Where as a fruit tree can take anywhere from 2-10 years to begin producing a harvest. Shrubs and perennials fall between the two taking typically 2 years to reach full maturity.

edible flowers in salad
edible flowers in salad

What does this mean for the landscape designer? Well this is where container plantings and using annuals more in the first years can come in handy! Let’s say, for example, you have a shady border that relies on a bank of hostas for color. The first year these plants are likely to be on the smaller side, leaving gaps between them. You can put a container with shade-tolerant herb like lettuce (in warmer climates) or mint in the gap the first year and the following year the hostas are larger, use your container elsewhere in the landscape. Or you could plant a shade-loving ground cover of violas and johnny-jump-ups and know that the following year some of them may be crowded out by the growing hostas. This is one of my favorite approaches because it’s so simple – sprinkle the seeds of your ground cover in between all your perennials and shrubs and tada! Instant color where you need the little boost.

Unlike so many gardening books, you strike this amazing balance between the big picture and the individual plant information—it’s both gardening and landscaping. You are also extremely balanced between ornamental, herbal, and edible plants. What should we keep in mind when we try to strike those balances in our own garden?

vines from Gardening Like a Ninja

I like to use plants that have a multi-function. If I want elderberries in my garden great. That’s on my list. But can I get an elderberry that is not only edible but beautiful? The answer is yes! So in my landscape designs it’s worth it to me to choose a named cultivar with, for example, burgundy fine-cut foliage for a pop of color and three-season interest to boot. Always ask yourself, “can I get this plant I want in a version with added appeal?” If the answer is yes why not experiment and see how it does for you? Now when I plant a container full of “plain” mint, it contrasts with the burgundy foliage of my elderberry and suddenly the beauty of the mint is also enhanced. To me, the contrasts of form, texture, or color only serve to highlight and accent the unique beauty of each plant.

What are some tips you can offer to those of us who struggle beating the local wildlife to our fruit?

Dogs. Chickens. *laughing* It’s a constant struggle especially for those of us in more rural areas. The deer in my neighborhood walk up to the front door practically so you know they are going to be in our garden.

Part of how I combat that is to plant extra. If I anticipate that I’ll want ten sunflowers to harvest seeds from than I will plant twenty. So if the birds eat a little bit from each I don’t feel bad. It’s my gift to nature then and I build that buffer in if I can.

Another way is to use deterrents. Dogs are a good one if you have a fenced yard to contain them. Fake owls or shiny windchimes sometimes help but only for a little while. The key with most deterrents is to not use them until they are needed because the local wildlife will become accustomed to your “scarecrow” after a time. Put them up just as things are beginning to ripen.

Harvest early. Some fruit can be harvested early and ripened off the tree. Pears come to mind right away as an example of this.

Covers. Sometimes you can use bird netting on small trees to keep birds and squirrels from getting the majority of your fruit/nut harvest. This is one of the huge benefits of edible landscaping because your garden spots are near the house and easy to access.

Use covers to protect fruit
Use covers to protect fruit

What has been your most unlikely gardening success? Failure? (And what did you learn from that one?)

It’s interesting because it seems like some years certain things just don’t do well. Last year our tomatoes did very poorly because of our higher-than-average rain. We didn’t get as much sunshine and with all the rain the tomatoes burst their skins as they ripened. It was just a miserable harvest for them. So you have to always anticipate that plants *will* die. Sometimes it will be a case of the wrong plant or the wrong place and sometimes it will just be. Learn to get a little zen about it and just plant something else.

Probably my most surprising edible that has become an unexpected favorite for me are asparagus. I actually use them in one of my garden designs because they are so lovely! Because they are perennial they work nicely into more permanent garden spaces as opposed to the traditional “till it every year” backyard veggie plot. While it’s not much to speak of visually in the spring, this is when the harvest takes place and WOW. You’ve never had asparagus until you’ve had it fresh picked right from your yard. In the summer, however, is when I adore this plant. The foliage is gorgeous and fern-like with these lush, tall fronds of foliage billowing up from the ground. It’s really a sight and when accented with flowering plants and other ornamental edibles can turn an unexpected plant into a rock star in the landscape. In some zones the foliage even sports fall color – a bonus.

Thank you, Angela, for stopping by Pantry Paratus!   Now, let me tell you about her new course! By the way, Pantry Paratus is not an affiliate or anything.  We just truly believe in it.  And we are proud to sell Angela’s book on our store shelf! 

The Gardening Like a Ninja Course

Get 12 lessons in 4 modules to walk you through, step-by-step, the process of designing your own edible landscape.  These lessons will be delivered directly to your inbox–for free-when you buy the book from Pantry Paratus.   You can add Gardening Like a Ninja to your shopping cart right now and you’ll get access to this ecourse FREE!

Free Offer expires April 4th!

Pantry Paratus Exclusive!

Right Now:  All customers purchasing Gardening Like a Ninja from Pantry Paratus receive this e-course completely free–a $30 value!  How awesome is that!   Offer expires in less than a week of the giveaway’s end (April 4th) so don’t wait!

The Giveaway: 2 winners. These are the prizes

The Giveaway!

Prize 1:  Get the Gardening Like a Ninja book & the e-course for free!  That’s $50!

Prize 2:  Get a Roo Gardening Apron, your choice of 5 colors.  That’s $30!

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9 thoughts on “Gardening Like a Ninja: Giveaway, Free Course, & Interview

  1. I don’t tweet or instagram…

    1. That’s okay! I wouldn’t either if it wasn’t for business. Just do what you can–and since you’re already a newsletter subscriber, be sure to check that option as complete (and the survey, too, if you’ve already done that one). Thanks Darryl!

  2. I don’t facebook, tweet or any of the other social media. But I love reading Pantry Paratus newsletters and shopping.

    1. I am so glad to hear you say that! We want everyone to get value out of our newsletters and from our store & blog. Social media can suck a person’s life away if they let it, so no worries! Just do the other things (the survey), and be sure to get credit for having signed up for our newsletter already. It counts if you’re already a member of it.

  3. So excited about your giveaway. The book looks great. I may have to check it out even if I don’t win! 🙂

    1. It’s so hard to convey the beauty of a book through a blog. You would just HAVE to flip through it to see how awesome it is! It’s a great time to get it, since you’ll get the course for free!

  4. even if i don’t get picked, the book sounds fabulous. Be nice to win something though LOL
    Especially being able to take a course that i’m interested in for free would be outstanding.
    Can’t wait to check them out. 🙂

  5. What a wonderful idea to teach people–I’ve searched for years for someone to teach me how to cook for my family. I grew up on fast food when we had money and otherwise scraping for anything. Thanks for the opportunity with the contest!

  6. Really like your book. I’d definitely consider buying it. The heading is catchy enough at least 🙂 It is my hobby so a little extra help and suggestions would make me even better. Thank you!

    Regards,
    Miranda

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