Ellaberry Gardens

Website: ellaberrygardens.com

Gardening classes, herbs, produce, plants, seeds, and crafts for the home

Ellaberry Gardens is owned and operated by me, Jenny Thompson, with the help and support of my wonderful husband and four children…not to mention my wonderful extended family. We offer garden design and consultation, gardening/urban homesteading classes, produce,herbs and crafts for the home!

I started growing food when my children were small because I cared so much about what went into their little bodies. I grow food now because I absolutely love the feeling that being responsible for your own food can provide….so much nourishment!

The name Ellaberry is very dear to me. My grandmother’s name is Ella and I fell in love with idea of growing food by digging around in her strawberry plants when I was just a wee thing. I was absolutely mesmerized by the idea that you could just walk out your back door for a snack. I still get that feeling when I see my trees loaded with fruit or I bring in a basket groaning under the weight of a good harvest.

All of the pictures we use to represent our products have actually been taken in our own yard. Just thought you might want to know that we don’t use broccoli body doubles :).

I’m an aspiring urban homesteader. I think I’ll always be aspiring because I keep finding new projects I want to tackle. I have installed and planted several beds on my city lot full of vegetables, berries, herbs and flowers. I have planted a plum tree, 4 peach trees, 2 apple trees, 1 pear tree, 2 apricot trees and 2 fig trees in the last six years. I’ve also added blackberries, strawberries and blueberries. We have 5 laying hens and a few quail for eggs and backyard entertainment (and invaluable compost material!)

We use natural gardening practices here on our homestead. We compost, practice rotation planting, use fish fertilizer and other OMRI approved plant foods, and only naturally based (no synthetic) pest and disease controls…and those only when absolutely necessary.

We can, dry and freeze some of our food so we can extend our eating through the winter. We’ve built and are growing in our first cold frame this fall, 2010, for even more food through the cooler months.

In the winter months, when the gardening chores die down, I sew, make jewelry, cross stitch, and craft treasures to pretty up our home.