A Greener Life - East Hill Edible Gardening

If you go to Palafox Market on a Saturday, you might see a booth overflowing with beautiful vegetables, fruits, and more. The selections always vary, but there is more variety in those plants than there is in your closet.

That's East Hill Edible Gardening.

East Hill Edible Gardening at Palafox Market in 2017

They grow hundreds of species of primarily edible plants, some of which can't be found in a conventional grocery store. Think bananas can only come from the tropics? Think again. Vegetables are too hard to grow? Say that to every single vegetable they have in their garden. You'll be there all day. Practically anything you can think of, they've probably got it. They have stuff you've probably never heard of before, like amaranth and water chestnuts. They've got it all.

A beautiful assortment of peppers from East Hill Edible Gardening

East Hill Edible Gardening even has honey bees and chickens. Practically everything they need to live is right there in their backyard.

Perry with just a few of the many vegetables that she grows

Started in 2014 by Renee Perry and Tom Garner, East Hill Edible Gardening was created to feed their passion for gardening and teach the community how to live a greener life.

Garner holding an assortment of melons that East Hill Edible Gardening grew

According to Perry, this has been a huge benefit to her health and environmental impact. Think about when you buy vegetables from the grocery store. Those vegetables had to be coated in pesticides and grown with heavy machinery. Then they had to be transported to the store and kept cool. Then you had to drive to the store to buy the food and bring it home. All of that CO2 just for some potatoes. Kinda ruins your fries.

Growing their own vegetables has allowed Perry and Garner to be more appreciative of the Earth and their health. There's nothing more satisfying than growing what you eat and knowing what you put in your body. East Hill Edible Gardening shares that feeling every time they can sell their plants to another person.

Honey, basil, squash, potatoes, sage, eggs, eggplant, bitter melon, cucumber, red onion, and green beans all from East Hill Edible Gardening!

But they're not just at Palafox Market! East Hill Edible Gardening teaches techniques to local gardeners struggling with the Gulf Coast's climate and soils. Since 2014, Perry and Garner have taught multiple classes, such as how to grow a weed-free garden or choose the best vegetables, to over 600 students. And they're nothing to scoff at. Most of the techniques they teach had to be refined for years before they were effective. East Hill Edible Gardening can teach it to you in one day.

Head to their website to check out their classes, blog posts, and locations. They can teach you how to grow a garden even if you've never touched the dirt in your life.

East Hill Edible Gardening also does private consultations for local gardeners who are struggling or wish to improve their harvests. Make sure you call 850-292-8155 for more information!

East Hill Edible Gardening will be at the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival from November 1st to 3rd. Check the Heritage Arts section of the festival for a chance to buy their plants and get more information about their services!

Live Green everybody!

Photos taken with permission from East Hill Edible Gardening's Facebook.