Edible Gardens
Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your
own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!
Berkeley Parents Network >
Reviews >
House & Garden >
Edible Gardens
May 2010
We are looking for someone who can bring our garden back to
life but have no idea where to start! We've been diligently
clearing ivy that overtook the yard years ago and the new
and increasingly bald (!) landscape needs some serious
thought paid to drainage, irrigation and possibly terracing
before we plant. I've seen recommendations for designers on
BPN but am concerned we should get a landscape architect
rather than a designer to advise on the drainage and
irrigation design -- is this true?
In the backyard we have fruit and flowering trees that
we'd like to keep but would otherwise like to install native
and/or low-water plants and use sustainable practices like
greywater/rainwater, permaculture, etc. where possible and
avoid lawn. We like organic designs rather than anything too
stiff/classical and composed or sharply modern and
architectural but we do also value a functional garden space
where we can sit and our kids can play. We also love to
garden ourselves so would hate to have a garden that is too
pristine for us to touch!
Additionally, the front yard is a series of raised, terraced
beds once stuffed with ugly plants by a landscape stager and
now in need of serious love -- a blank canvas!
Is it true that landscape architects and designers create a
plan but then you have to search all over again for a
contractor you trust to install everything? Do
architects/designers take a cut (i.e. you pay more) if you
go with contractors they recommend? I'm totally lost and any
advice is appreciated! Does certification for landscape
designers and current licensing for trained landscape
architects matter?
Ready to plant!
Because of the work that I do I've gotten to know many
landscapers and gardeners and your post made me think of
Christopher Shein of Wild Heart Gardens who is also the
Permaculture Instructor up at Merritt's Landscape
Horticulture Dept. I think he's got everything you are
looking for - expert knowledge of native plants, edible
plants, kid-friendly, greywater, drainage and pretty much
every conceivable sustainability issue you can think of. He
will design and install and he's a really pleasant person to
work with. wildheartgardens.com
Roxanne Andersen, Handsown Nursery
Hi Ready to Plant,
Suzanne Arca Designs is a wonderful place to start as well
as Feyerabend and Madden Landscape Architects. Suzanne is
educated in landscape architecture and a licensed
landscape contractor. She will design and build her own
landscapes. Bobbi Feyerabend (pronounced Fire-ah-bend) is
an artist turned licensed landscape architect who will
design your landscape but does not have a crew to build
it. It is sometimes less expensive to go with a design-
builder like Suzanne Arca since they don't have to detail
their drawings as finely as they will be the ones building
the garden. I recommend calling both these amazing
designers and ask these questions for yourself. They are
both very accessible and fun to talk to about garden
design. It is their passion! Suzanne's office number is
(510) 558-0636 and her website is:
http://www.suzannearcadesign.com/. Feyerabend and Madden
is (510) 450-0803 and their website is:
http://www.fmlanddesign.com/. Best of luck and make sure
you enjoy the process!
Landscape and Plant Nerd
I highly recommend WRA in San Rafael. They do exactly the
type of work you described and have people who actually
specialize in rain water management and sustainable
building/design. Megan Stromberg is one of their senior
designers and is extremely knowledgable while easy to work
with.
Their info: www.wra-ca.com
2169 Francisco Boulevard East
San Rafael, CA 94901-5532
(415) 454-8868
yalda
You need a landscape architect and I'm recommending Sue Oda,
who did a great job on my landscaping. She's a Certified Bay
Friendly Landscape Professional, specializing in sustainable
gardens. Bay Friendly Certification is important to make
sure your landscape professional understands sustainable
practices, and is not just saying so. Sue teaches you a lot
of things because much of what will keep the garden
sustainable is the maintenance practices done by the you or
your hired landscape maintenance professionals.
She uses organic methods of weed control, pest control and
development of healthy plants. She has
contractors that she trusts, knows that they do good work,
that they will maintain the integrity of her designs, and
there is no ''kick-back'' involved.
She's gives free consultation, or did anyway. Call her at
510-648-8789 and view her website: sue@sueoda.com
kathleen
Wonderful landscape designer who helped us create a lovely cut/fragrance
garden as well as vegetable garden. Has long worked in Marin and has starting
taking on some east bay clients. She has a wonderful eye, deep knowledge of
flora, and helped us sort out what we really wanted and how best to create it.
Lynne Steinsieck Designs
www.steinsieck.com
415-491-4260
Hana
I would like to recommend Andy Lenz of Sempervivum Garden
Design -- he not only designs landscapes, he is also a
complete installer and general contractor. He has the tools
- Bobcat, dump truck, reliable crew (!)- to do the entire
job. He knows plants - and loves natives and edibles. The
work he did for us was not as extensive as some of his other
gardens that I've seen, but I love his work. I've been
impressed with his blend of creativity and practicality. I
only wish we could use him some more. He's a great guy (and
a new dad) too! Contact him at 510-812-8954
or email enzand@gmail.com
Sharon
We had a great experience with Star Apple Edible Gardens based
in Oakland. Leslie and Sai came to our house and completely
redesigned our yard to be a little food ecosystem. We are now
growing 80% fruits and vegetables and are very productive
after one year. They were very professional, knowledgeable,
fun to work with, even within our limited budget.
http://starappleediblegardens.com/
510-922-1258
Amanda
Planting Justice helped us to convert our entire front
lawn into a mini-farm and a large part of our back yard
into fruit and herb and veggie gardens. I contacted them
based on a recommendation I saw on Berkeley Parents
Network, and I described my ''dream'' of making both our
yards into both beautiful and productive gardens. I wasn't
sure if my budget would allow me to cover everything that
I wanted to do, so I asked them to prioritize the back
yard. Gavin and two more designers came out for an
assessment, and I was thrilled to learn that they could do
it ALL within my budget! They did soil tests to make sure
our soil was safe, then the crews showed up. In one day,
they completely converted the back yard, and about a week
later they completely converted the front yard, also in
one day. Their group was jovial, hard-working, and overall
dedicated to their mission of helping others to grow
edible gardens. A month and a half later, our garden is
thriving, and we're already getting some meals out of it!
We have gotten lots of positive comments on it from
neighbors, friends, and passers by. We've also been
invited to be part of a ''Homestead Tour'' in the fall, so
we're meeting other people in the area who have this same
passion. If you've been thinking about trying to get a
garden started and just haven't had the right amount of
motivation or time to get it off the ground, I highly
recommend asking Planting Justice to help. In addition to
the enthusiastic and dedicated work you'll get during the
installation of the garden, Planting Justice also provides
detailed information on plant choices and plant care,
recommendations on resources for various aspects of garden
keeping, and personal follow-up. It's been a wonderful
experience for my family- the highlight of our year so far!
Feb 2010
Hello,
I am looking for someone to help me start an edible garden
in Montclair. I would like someone who has experience and
references.
Thanks
adrienne
See handsownnursery.com (the links page) for some names of
experienced people to design and/or install an edible
garden. I have a small edibles plant nursery selling veggie
seedlings in local farmers' markets and I often get that
question so put some names on my website. Hope that helps!
Roxanne Andersen,Handsown Nursery
Haleh and Gavin at Planting Justice
(www.PlantingJustice.org) are amazing.
Formerly known as The Backyard Food Project, they built
the organic edible garden at our non-profit school pro
bono.
I have since recommended them to a plethora of friends and
family, all of whom were very pleased with their work.
This is a great organization to support as the paid work
they do supports their probono projects for low income
communities and schools.
April 2009
We would like to do a veggie garden for the first time this year.
We're willing to invest some money in getting professional help
in choosing plants, their location, how much to water, that sort
of thing.
Looking for a neighbor who is a master gardener who can help, or
someone who actually does this for a living.
Willing to pay $25 per hour or so.
Location is Berkeley, Sacramento St near Allston. Thanks, everyone!
Do you have children? If so, I might know the perfect person for
you. My friend, UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden Program graduate and
former elementary school garden teacher Elizabeth Beak just
started a business called the Family Garden Patch. The Family
Garden Patch is a garden education and consulting practice
working with Bay area families to help them plan, design and care
for an organic garden patch, this season, in their own backyard.
A season subscription includes monthly lessons and garden
maintenance from April-November, a resource binder for the adults
of the family, a garden tool kit for the kids, and access to the
Patch Family Blog, where you can ask questions between visits and
network with other Patch families.
Having worked with Elizabeth, I know she's a gifted teacher and
all-around warm and wonderful person. She continually inspired
me, and I was just a co-worker!
If this sounds like a good fit for you, contact Elizabeth for
more details and a list of references. elizbeak@gmail.com or
beak@familygardenpatch.com. You're welcome to contact me as a
reference, as well.
Good luck!
Daria
I know a fabulous garden designer who has a strong interest in
home food production and urban farming. He provides plans,
consultations, and/or on-going support. His name is Porter
Poirier, Poirier Garden Design, 3901 Brown Avenue, Oakland. His
office phone is (510) 531-6930; cell (510) 788-0978.
Have fun and Enjoy!
Dana
Hi
I LOVE Doreen Frost, she has helped us with our home garden,
designing and planting our veg garden and maintenance.
She charges 25.00 hour and is a delightful person.
Doreen's number is 510-206-3802
Anon
Feb 2008
I'm seeking recommendations for a landscaper who incorporates
edible plants into landscape plans. We have small front and
backyard decorative gardens, and would like to fill some spaces
with edibles (herbs, berries, veggies) but in a way that
doesn't disrupt the visual harmony of the space. We're looking
to mix edible and decorative plants together in a way that is
aesthetically pleasing and practical (a functional kitchen
garden)--and organic only, please!
Plant Eater
I have an excellent recommendation for you: Sharon Silverman
from Dans Le Jardin L.L.C. She is a landscape designer who does
garden design, installation (irrigation too), maintenance and
garden coaching. She is a consummate professional and
absolutely full-service. You must come to visit her
demonstration garden at her home in Kensington to see that she
is a perfect match for your needs. She has two little boys 5
and 8 and incorporates the important concept of organic, edible
landscaping into her demonstration garden in unique and
beautiful ways to teach her kids about the importance
of ''green'' food and how to grow it. She is a genius at using
space wisely. Her garden contains espaliered boysenberry
vines, raspberry vines, a multitude of espaliered antique apple
and pear tress and some raised vegetables beds that she plants
from organic seed a couple times a year. I know she is in high
demand, but I know she will accommodate your needs if at all
possible. The only caveat is that her expertise is not
inexpensive, but of excellent value. You can contact her by
phone at 510-851-2203 or by email at sharon at danslejardin.com.
ncook
Feb 2008
I am looking for someone with lots of experience in edible
gardening to help me establish a vegetable garden at my home in
El Cerrito. I get a lot of fog and the soil has been amended
over the past 5 years but is still basically clay. What can I
grow, how to best amend the soil, raised bed or not? Help!
susan
I am responding to the 'native plants garden design consultant
needed' question and the 'need to help plant a vegetable garden
question.'
I would highly recommend Christopher Shein from Wildheart gardens
for both questions. He has been planting and teaching about
native and edible gardens for greater than 15 years and also
teaches about the subjects through his permaculture design class
at Merrit College landscape horticulture department. He converted
my lawn into a prolific and beautiful native and edible garden
that is partly on a greywater system. He works efficiently and
with integrity, and I found him to be very knowledgeable about
natives and sustainable landscaping. He can be reached at
510-368-2811. He also has a website at wildheartgardens.com
Runa
Susan, You need to look no further than Sharon Silverman from
Dans Le Jardin L.L.C. I hired her as my garden coach (although
is fully capable of providing the entire range of landscaping
services), by the hour, to assist me with making maximum use of
the limited garden vegetable space I have in my garden.
Because she has been growing her own organic vegetables in the
foggy hills of Kensington for 10 years now, she has excellent
advice on how to design, seed and grow the vegetable garden of
your dreams. And, your clay soil is not a problem, as it's very
nutrient-rich soil. Moreover, she writes excellent, clear,
personalized advice emails on how to follow up on all her
instructions and exactly where to purchase all the materials
she recommends to be successful at your endeavors. She
believes that there is no better way to treat yourself and your
guests than to sit down to a table with a salad that is
completely grown and just picked from your own garden. She
provides tremendous value and unbeatable, quality service.
Sharonms phone is 510-851-2203 and email is
Sharon at danslejardin.com.
Tehiyah Parent
There was a wonderful landscape designer that I met at the
Shades of Green Home and Garden Tour & Green Design Expo last
Fall in Crocker Highlands, Mae Clark, whose company, Plenty
Productive Landscapes, specializes in Edible Landscape Design &
Maintenance. Her website explains a lot, and she is just a
really nice person, too! You can reach her at:
website: www.growplenty.com
maezing at growplenty.com 510-237-3276
Dalya
this page was last updated: Nov 13, 2010
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2012 Berkeley Parents Network