What’s This Garden Consultation All About?
You may be wondering what all goes into a Garden Consultation and why you might need one. I have a lot of new folks joining in, so make sure to check out my blog where I talk about my background and gardening experience. Whether we do a virtual or in-person consultation, we cover the same core principles: you’ll learn what you can grow successfully in your space. And we do that by getting started with a conversation about your garden goals through a consultation.
Consult
My Garden Consultation is a 1-hour consult over Zoom or in-person locally in Flagstaff. I have a few questions for you to answer beforehand and then we do a deep dive into your garden space. We talk about your gardening goals, the space you’re working with, what you want to learn, and your priorities for growing your own food.
I really focus my consultations on taking the frustration out of gardening by breaking it down into steps based on your gardening experience. I always like to ask my clients how they rank themselves on gardening experience to 1) understand a baseline of gardening knowledge we’re working with and 2) to see how clients improve—and they always do! There is truly always something to learn in gardening, even with the most skilled gardeners who’ve been doing this for decades. And that’s really the beauty of gardening and growing your own food!
Cathy was one of my awesome clients in Albuquerque, NM. She’s still dealing with a lot of high-altitude gardening, but it’s a bit different than Flagstaff.
I’ve worked with beginner gardeners all the way to Master Gardeners and folks who have been digging in the dirt for over 40 years. I make sure to tailor both our Garden Consultation and your follow-up PDF to your specific level, budget, and goals.
Plan
Once we go over your garden goals, we’ll make a plan for you during your growing seasons. I’ll make recommendations on planting locations based on the amount of sun your space gets, access to the garden, and overall aesthetics. We’ll create a plan based on your time and garden locations, all while keeping your budget in mind.
Here’s exactly what you’ll get with the Garden Consultation:
1-hour virtual or in-person (Flagstaff, AZ only) consult
Existing garden site and set up analysis
Follow-up PDF with the following:
Summary of what was discussed during our 1-hour consult
Customized list of edible garden suggestions and resources
List of Seed Company Recommendations
Garden plan action steps
I like to try and get my follow-up consultation PDFs to clients within a couple of days, so they can do some garden prepping ASAP.
Design
Once we have your garden goals and plan established, I’ll work on your Garden Design. This includes a detailed planting plan with specific plants for your garden. I really like to focus on companion planting and using trap crops to help with pests and to create the healthiest growing environment for your plants.
Here are some examples of Garden Designs I’ve done for clients:
This Garden Design for Daniel & Kim focused on preexisting raised beds and an in-ground area in part shade to grow leafy greens.
This Herb Garden Design had Cindy’s goals of creating a tea and medicinal garden using lots of different varieties she wanted to try as the focal point.
Bart’s veggie Garden Design focused heavily on companion planting and trap crops for his large in-ground garden space.
What you’ll get with the Garden Consultation + Design:
Everything outlined in the Initial Consult, plus:
Customized Seasons & Climate Charts for your area
Garden Design including all edible garden recommendations
Additional recommendations for success in your garden
At the end of our Garden Consultation and Design, you’ll have all the tools you’ll need to create your very own DIY garden. I help my clients sift through all the confusing gardening information online and focus on achievable goals for their customized garden space.
Want to see if we’re a good fit? Fill out my contact form to get the conversation going, and let’s get growing! And right now until the end of April, I’m celebrating Earth Day by giving you 30% off my Garden Consultations!