Master Class 2022 Student Profiles
Our second season of A Year in the Urban Garden Master Class has been a resounding success. With students joining us from all over the globe (Canada, USA, Belgium, UK, and Japan), we are so honored and proud of the work they have accomplished. This was also the first year we offered a scholarship to 4 deserving candidates.
We are thrilled to open registration for our 3rd season of this unique and comprehensive seed-to-plate program, but first, let’s show you some of the awesome students we worked with in 2022.
Anny D., Brampton, Canada - Zone 5
Anny is a paramedic working long shifts as a front-line health worker in Toronto, Canada. She believes that growing your own food is important for overall health and in her testimonial video below, she mentions how that has helped her family. She joined our Master Class to level up and receive direct support from Luay and Melissa. She is community driven and gives back in so many ways. We’re so honored to have worked with her this year.
“I would like to tell all gardeners, whether you're new or you're experienced that this is such a great opportunity because there's always going to be new things that you learn, there's going to be new pests, there's going to be new weather changes and there's so much you can learn from this course beyond what you already know.”
Anny took advantage of the Garden Plan Review included in the program, and with our guidance and help, crafted an intensive garden plan that was beautiful and productive.
We encourage you to watch her testimonial video here:
Daniela R., Wrightwood, California - Zone 7B
When the pandemic hit, Daniela ditched the city and moved to a tiny mountain town, 1 hour away from Los Angeles, California. She went went from living in a condo, to a house with land. She wanted her girls to spend as much time outside as possible. A garden takes years to grow, and she wanted to save some time by making fewer mistakes. The information in this course has given her that jumpstart she needed. She is also running a garden business (a nature school), and is also selling products she is making using harvests from her garden. What an inspiring story!
“I'm also raising two daughters, and I want them to be allies, sisters with nature. I know they'll be stronger with nature on their side. I not only grow fruits and vegetables, but medicinal plants. And we make small batch plant medicine with them that we use at home and share with others on our website. This is wisdom I want my daughters to grow up with and what better way than putting it to practice.
As we notice our senses sharpening to nature around us –– and as we experience the awe of it all –– we have found deeper happiness. We see how that connection can make a difference in people's lives. And so our vision has also expanded into a little Nature School. Here in the garden we host classes for children and adults in topics related to herbalism, gardening, cooking and living a balanced life in connection with the rhythms of nature.”
Shwetha P., Austin, Texas - Zone 8
Shwetha wanted to educate herself on various aspects of gardening like seed starting, soil prep, and organic pest control so that she could get better at growing a variety of plants and have big yields, year over year. She says, “This course covered all that and more and also came with the constant support of teachers. I am grateful for Luay and Melissa's help throughout and their prompt responses to (so many!) of my garden questions.”
“I love the idea of a garden that is seed to table. I love knowing all the food I harvest from my yard is organic and fresh! Every year, it's the process of watching a seed go through many phases to produce fruits, which I can harvest, is what keeps me coming back to edible gardening. Growing food is rewarding in more than one ways.”
Alexa H., San Diego, California - Zone 10
Alexa is a novice gardener who has been primarily learning through social media, YouTube and books. She felt that there was conflicting information out there. This is a common concern among new gardeners. The amount of information (and misinformation) can be quite overwhelming. She says, “I wanted to learn from 2 seasoned gardeners, each with their own approach and point of view. Luay and Melissa are very down to earth people with real life experience, and that was a big draw for me to join.”
“ In a discipline that is incredibly nuanced, Luay and Melissa pierce through the ambiguity and provide concrete advice, while also encouraging flexibility and experimentation. Having the “how to” nailed down allowed me to focus more on connecting with my hobby; learning to partner with nature instead of trying to control it, being flexible with unexpected changes, appreciating the wins and the losses. I didn’t expect to get that from an instructional course.”
Although she doesn’t necessarily grow to be self-sufficient, she loves to cook and preserve all the things she grows. She says, “Growing my own food has also given me a greater appreciation for food in general, as well as the family farms in the surrounding area and their ability to provide food for communities at scale.”
Alexa truly immersed herself in the program. She put in the work, asked questions, submitted a garden plan for review and participated in the group calls. In fact, her mood board was so inspiring we shared it on our Instagram page.
Julia M., Sechelt, British Columbia - Zone 8
Julia is passionate about growing and preserving her own food. We’ll let you read what she has to say, in her own words:
“I SO appreciate all the modules, educational material and social media posts. My garden is incredible - we have more produce (garlic, tomatoes, kale, chard the size of my torso and lots of other goodies!) than we can eat! I'm currently dehydrating my second large batch of cherry tomatoes because we ate the first round as delicious savoury snacks. I'll turn this second batch into tomato powder to get through the winter months. We had to buy a second deep freezer to store all the bounty, including frozen produce, pesto, applesauce and chutney!
My first full season in our new home and property - I've learned a ton about the land and am already planning for more next season.”
Jordan O., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Zone 6B
Jordan received the course as a gift from his mom, who wanted to help him up his garden game. His passion is culinary creativity and he has used a more strategic approach to the garden this year to achieve greater abundance.
“My passion is in culinary creativity, and it can be really difficult these days to find unique and specific flavors/ingredients at the grocery store. We’re fortunate to live in an area where enormous supermarkets are plentiful, but they all have the same, mass-produced, flavorless, mono-crop produce. Growing our own food is our way of learning what grows seasonally, and stewarding our land to its greatest potential.”
Kaitlyn C., Port Credit, Ontario - Zone 6A
A first-time gardener, Kaitlyn has been so diligent in following Melissa and Luay's guidance on how to start a garden using the best soil. Kaitlyn really values growing using organic principles and is so thrilled with how full of life the garden is.
Mimi T., Toronto, Ontario - Zone 6
An urban gardener growing uniquely in containers, Mimi has used the knowledge from the master class to grow her garden almost exclusively from seed. She was an active participant in the course and is proactive in seeking Luay and Melissa's help over email to address any concerns that arise in her garden.
And that’s a wrap on the 2022 season of A Year in the Urban Garden Master Class. We are so proud of the progress our course participants have shown. Onwards and upwards!
Looking for more testimonials and student profiles? Check out our Student Spotlights page and the 2021 Student Profile blog post!
