We are very excited to have Plant Grow Eat as a part of our Virtual Holiday Market! We love the idea behind her garden kits and we want you to get to know her better.

Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:

My name is Whitney Wade, and I’m the owner of Plant Grow Eat. I started by building, installing and maintaining home, organic food gardens in the Los Angeles area. I also teach organic gardening at 3 local elementary schools, and I’m excited to get even more people growing with our garden kits and more at plantgroweat.com, which is what I’m currently promoting with Jackalope! I worked in the entertainment industry for years, but I finally broke away and started Plant Grow Eat 5 years ago. I’ve loved growing food since I was a kid, as an apartment dweller with a community plot in my own yard, and volunteering at my kids’ school. It was a natural and joyful transition. I love getting people growing, teaching kids, and helping everyone to know that growing organic food is something that anyone can do, whether you have a yard of your own, a balcony or even a sunny window.

Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?

Plant Grow Eat was originally the tagline to the business’ initial name — Frontyard Feast. The intention was, and still is, to promote the community of growing food. I started my own home garden in my front yard, and I’ve never met so many neighbors and taken the opportunity to share harvests and recipes and prepared dishes. I’ll admit though, that “Frontyard Feast” limited peoples’ understanding of growing food anywhere, so I simplified to Plant Grow Eat, highlighting the cycle and intention of growing and eating food.

What makes your business unique to the industry?

I learned early on to allow for my initial business vision to evolve. I’ve found various needs that weren’t part of what I’d originally planned, and I’ve been thrilled to focus on teaching kids and families, as well as well as promoting the message that anyone can grow, which is healthy for mind, body AND the planet. It also provides a connection between people and the Earth that is so important right now. Once you’re a part of the Plant Grow Eat community, I make it my personal goal for you to be a success at growing organic food. I’ve found that there’s a “plant and leave” aspect that is prevalent with other garden services, and I’m available via multiple platforms to answer questions and provide advice whenever you need.

What is your favorite part of what you do?

As I mentioned earlier, connecting with people but then also connecting people to each other, to growing food and to the larger planet have provided more reward than I could have imagined. I especially love working with kids, teaching them to plant food, then take care of it as it grows, then the ultimate reward of kids taking pride in what they’ve grown, spurring their curiosity to taste and realizing that they like vegetables… It’s the best. The adult version of this is teaching people that they don’t have black thumbs and to not be afraid of growing food, maybe even failing but then trying again, helping them to find and feel success. Again, I’m here for you!

How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?

Something that I was planning just before we all shut down was providing video garden lesson subscriptions. But with people feeling a bigger need to grow their own food, I’ve actually started utilizing social media to answer questions and give free garden lessons in my “Weekends in the Garden” series on Instagram Live, Saturday mornings. I’m also putting together a bigger community hub on plantgroweat.com, that I’m excited to launch at the end of November, where there will be a community Q&A area, access to video lessons, recipes and more. My goal is to bring people together, even if it can’t be in-person. I’m also excited to provide garden kits and supplies, available in my online shop, that, again, come with me as your guide. Thinking in this way vs. how I can monetize everything has actually been a silver lining to the pandemic that has been a happy evolution and very fulfilling as a fellow human. Let’s get growing! Because we’re in this together!