We are very excited to have Plant Grow Eat as a part of our Virtual Holiday Market! We love the idea behind her garden kits and we want you to get to know her better.

Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:

Whitney: Plant Grow Eat

My name is Whitney Wade, and I’m the owner of Plant Grow Eat.  I started by building, installing and maintaining home, organic food gardens in the Los Angeles area. I also teach organic gardening at 3 local elementary schools, and I’m excited to get even more people growing with our garden kits and more at plantgroweat.com, which is what I’m currently promoting with Jackalope!  I worked in the entertainment industry for years, but I finally broke away and started Plant Grow Eat 5 years ago. I’ve loved growing food since I was a kid, as an apartment dweller with a community plot in my own yard, and volunteering at my kids’ school.  It was a natural and joyful transition.  I love getting people growing, teaching kids, and helping everyone to know that growing organic food is something that anyone can do, whether you have a yard of your own, a balcony or even a sunny window.

Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?

Plant Grow Eat was originally the tagline to the business’ initial name — Frontyard Feast.  The intention was, and still is, to promote the community of growing food.  I started my own home garden in my front yard, and I’ve never met so many neighbors and taken the opportunity to share harvests and recipes and prepared dishes.  I’ll admit though, that “Frontyard Feast” limited peoples’ understanding of growing food anywhere, so I simplified to Plant Grow Eat, highlighting the cycle and intention of growing and eating food. 

What makes your business unique to the industry? 

I learned early on to allow for my initial business vision to evolve.  I’ve found various needs that weren’t part of what I’d originally planned, and I’ve been thrilled to focus on teaching kids and families, as well as well as promoting the message that anyone can grow, which is healthy for mind, body AND the planet.  It also provides a connection between people and the Earth that is so important right now.  Once you’re a part of the Plant Grow Eat community, I make it my personal goal for you to be a success at growing organic food.  I’ve found that there’s a “plant and leave” aspect that is prevalent with other garden services, and I’m available via multiple platforms to answer questions and provide advice whenever you need.

What is your favorite part of what you do?

As I mentioned earlier, connecting with people but then also connecting people to each other, to growing food and to the larger planet have provided more reward than I could have imagined.  I especially love working with kids, teaching them to plant food, then take care of it as it grows, then the ultimate reward of kids taking pride in what they’ve grown, spurring their curiosity to taste and realizing that they like vegetables…  It’s the best.  The adult version of this is teaching people that they don’t have black thumbs and to not be afraid of growing food, maybe even failing but then trying again, helping them to find and feel success.  Again, I’m here for you!

How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation? 

Something that I was planning just before we all shut down was providing video garden lesson subscriptions.  But with people feeling a bigger need to grow their own food, I’ve actually started utilizing social media to answer questions and give free garden lessons in my “Weekends in the Garden” series on Instagram Live, Saturday mornings.  I’m also putting together a bigger community hub on plantgroweat.com, that I’m excited to launch at the end of November, where there will be a community Q&A area, access to video lessons, recipes and more.  My goal is to bring people together, even if it can’t be in-person.  I’m also excited to provide garden kits and supplies, available in my online shop, that, again, come with me as your guide.  Thinking in this way vs. how I can monetize everything has actually been a silver lining to the pandemic that has been a happy evolution and very fulfilling as a fellow human.  Let’s get growing!  Because we’re in this together!

Learn more about Plant Grow Eat:

Website: https://www.plantgroweat.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantgroweat/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantgroweatfood

Photo by: Stella Kelinina

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
he concept of outdoor living is a major inspiration for me. We are so lucky in Los Angeles to be able to spend most of the year outside and have some connection to nature, even if that's just a little backyard.  Enjoying time on my patio, whether entertaining friends or just lazing about with my husband and our dogs always brings me joy.  Hedge is a way for me to provide a little bit of that lifestyle to anyone, no matter what climate they live in or whether or not they have any outdoor space. 

I also draw a lot of inspiration from craftspeople and the process of making. Growing up the daughter of a carpenter and seamstress, I saw from an early age the problem solving involved to take an idea or design and make it a reality. Now, I love to visit crafts people in their shops or studios and see them in action. A lot of my design ideas are generated  by observing how they manipulate materials. I also love to see the hand of the craftsperson in my designs. There's always some small imperfections that say this was not cranked out by a machine.  

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
" You never never know when you're done, but you always know when you've done too much!" was a quote from my artist Grandfather. I think as creatives, we have a tendency to second guess when a piece is ready to meet the world. 

Photo by: Stella Kelinina

What is your creative process like?
My creative process is very fluid. Sometimes, a concept or sketch is the beginning of something new. Other times, I am inspired by an interesting material and I work out ideas that are influenced by that materials capabilities. Either way, I never commit to what the design really is until I start making the prototypes. I like to live with the prototype for a while and make changes based on how it really functions. The Beatrix and Gertrude Hedge Planters went through so many variations before I was satisfied. Many of the early prototypes are still hanging in my garden, as a constant reminder of that progression.