Welcome To My Blackyard
Being based in NYC, I was born into concrete and metal, breathing in murky, polluted air and braving harsh winters. Despite the upbringing in the nitty gritty as a kid, I loved fresh fruit, knowing the source of foods and getting my hands dirty so it’s no wonder I took gardening seriously.
Now I have my Blackyard: my place for solace. A place where I mainly garden but also entertain, it’s a breath of fresh air from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it’s a place for peace of mind and good times.
Transforming my coarse garden bed into something sustainable and fertile was rocky in the beginning. The soil I initially started with had trouble retaining moisture, was lacking in plant nutrients and was inhospitable for microorganisms and worms. I was determined nonetheless. After much trial and error and years of composting and tilling, I pride myself in having established an abundance of biodiversity in the once barren space.
Aspiring to have a professional career with food as the center piece of that dream since high school, I’ve always wanted to work with fresh ingredients. Though I struggled early on to grow vegetables and herbs, my experiments have yielded a variety of produce such as peppers, tomatoes, kale, mint, basil and flowers.
Stay up to date with my Blackyard on Youtube channel, We In The Blackyard where you’ll find videos like the ones below!
The Gaia Initiative
The Gaia Initiative is my self-appointed duty of reintroducing natural ways into our daily lifestyle.
The end goal is everyone enjoying a greener life, where having a green thumb is not just a hobby, it’s an ingrained way of life that you grow into organically.
The end goal me inviting people to my backyard and showing them how the garden environment works and what a healthy environment looks like. It is me giving plants that I grew to people so they have a friendly introduction to what its like taking care of plants. It is showing people how to use plants in a multitude of different ways so they can live a healthier lifestyle… or maybe just a fresher and tastier one. It is a hands-on approach that uses sweat equity, to make a change.
This end goal is to grant a little more exposure to the variety of setups we come across in our travels.
For those needing assistance, the Gaia Initiative is for you.
