Raven is not only a very knowledgeable gardener, she is also my neighbor! You can imagine my excitement when I found out we could talk about growing things together. We trade seeds, share plants and offer each other advice. She is self taught and knows more than you can imagine. Enjoy-Mackenzie
My name is Raven, I am a local artist and gardener. My Instagram page @growthandgardening showcases my passion for both art and all things gardening, the wins, the fails, and the tips that I hope will make your backyard gardening or urban homesteading dreams come to life.
Gardening in particular has been seen as a “grandma” hobby in years past but the truth is that anyone can garden. Gardening as a hobby is many things at once, an outlet for stress, a chance to slow down, instant gratification & delayed gratification, something you can involve your children in, and the by-product of your hard work is a delicious harvest of food and/or flowers to enjoy.
My goal is to teach you how to optimize your growing space and give you ideas on what to grow and when to grow them.
I offer garden consultations, garden and cottage garden installations, landscape design, garden layouts, & gardening classes. On the art front, I am a muralist, watercolor artist, live wedding painter & guest portrait artist, pet/house/family portrait artist, and love commissioning art of all kinds!
My first tip to offer those of you that are considering a garden or new to gardening is to have a solid plan. Start your garden off the right way the first time so you can focus on the growing process.
Whether you’re planting in the ground or in containers, think about the logistics of your garden. What will your pathways look like, what will they be made of (mulch, gravel, pavers, grass), how far apart should your garden beds be (2-4 feet), if you plan to keep grass as your pathways how wide is your mower?
Important questions like this will help you understand how to maintain your garden once it’s installed. Do not use landscape fabric on the bottom of your raised beds or under your pathways, a thick layer of cardboard will do the trick.
Then when you go to fill the raised beds make sure you’re using high quality 50/50 top soil/compost mix. Many local soil distributors have this mix available for a bulk delivery which will save you lots of money. Add pure quality compost & natural mulch like straw or wood chips to the top of your beds at the start of every season.
Amending in ground gardens can be as simple as visiting the New Hanover County Arboretum or your local extension office and requesting a soil test of your area. They will send back an analysis detailing what nutrients you need to add (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or Potassium), micro nutrients (calcium, magnesium), and what you need to add to optimize the PH of your soil for growing a healthy garden.
Now it’s time to plant! I always recommend investing in perennials first (plants that come back every year like fruit and nut trees, asparagus, grapes, & berries) as they take a few years to get established before you can get a harvest.
Next are your perennial herbs like oregano, thyme, chives, rosemary, chamomile, sage, hyssop, tarragon, stevia, Basil (summer only), dill & cilantro (spring and winter only), mint & lemon balm plant in a separate container to keep it from getting out of control.
Flowers for pest control in the garden are marigolds, calendula, echinacea, yarrow, sunflowers, nasturtium, hyssop, & chamomile.
Summer vegetables that need full sun but need support like trellises or cages are tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, pole type green beans, cow peas, sweet peas, & pumpkins. I recommend a Cattle Panel Arch Trellis, there are several videos on how to set them up on YouTube and they are cost effective.
And last but not least, cram in the plants! Follow spacing guidelines for individual plants like tomatoes but interplant other types of plants around the tomato like basil, marigolds, & carrots.
For more tips and garden advice follow me on Instagram @growthandgardening
To book garden consultations, garden installations, or commission artwork email me at sulli.raven@gmail.com or send me a message on Instagram.
See you soon!
