Get support growing the garden of your dreams.
Are you interested in spending more time with plants and:
eating organic vegetables from your garden for the majority of the year?
gaining confidence in your growing abilities?
decorating your home with your own cut flowers and exploring floral design?
taking control of what you eat and having easier access to healthy foods?
building upon your self-care practice while learning a new skill?
using plants as a creative practice, such as natural dyeing, floral arranging, pressing flowers, and SO much more?
Keep reading to learn more, or
No matter what your gardening goals are, I’m here to tell you that any of those dreams can become a reality.
Because I, too, had big garden dreams. And I found a way to make growing food and flowers my life’s work.
Although I now have over a decade of experience growing plants and sharing my skills with others, my gardening journey didn’t exactly start out smoothly.
My first attempt was buying a 4’ diameter round plastic tub, filling it with 6 inches of soil, putting it on my front porch, packing it with all sorts of different seeds, and hoping for the best.
And it was a total failure.
But it was the motivation I needed to actually devote time to learning how to grow my own food—so I could become more self-sufficient, improve my healthy eating habits, and live more sustainably.
I wanted to share meals with friends and family, that I prepared with ingredients I gathered in my backyard.
I wanted to take control of what I was putting in my body, and become less reliant on the arbitrary labels of “naturally-grown” that were popping up in grocery stores.
I had dreams of eating only my own produce all year round. Of canning and preserving everything so I had a beautiful stock pile of jars to choose from in any season.
So when I landed my dream job working at an urban agriculture non-profit in Detroit, I soaked up every last bit of information I could to make my gardening goals become my reality.
Now, I grow my own food and flowers every year that feed my body, soul, and spirit.
I preserve tomatoes, beans, relishes, and pickles.
I have fresh flowers scattered throughout my home all spring, summer, and fall.
I know exactly what I’m putting in my body.
You might not have such big goals for your gardening journey. At least not yet ;)
But we all have to start somewhere!
I certainly wouldn’t be here without generous minds sharing their experience and expertise with me.
And I’d love nothing more than to continue that legacy by giving you all the skills, confidence, and resources you need to grow your best garden.
Gina C.
Indianapolis, IN
“Carrie was crucial for helping start my garden beds this year. As an amateur gardener I didn’t know where to start and it felt very overwhelming. Carrie helped me by looking at my particular zone and figuring out what vegetables and flowers would thrive here. Then she helped by drawing a detailed diagram to show where each should be planted and how I could even add a trellis for particular plants. This gave me a great starting place to hopefully have a successful garden and I am so thankful. ”
For your health
In my personal opinion, growing and tending for plants is the BEST thing you can do for both your physical and mental health.
Think:
more time spent outside
eating the best meals because the produce is hyper-fresh
the biggest boost in self-confidence knowing that you FED YOURSELF from plants growing in your backyard
more opportunities for creative exploration—plants aren’t just for eating, they are materials for art and beauty
While it does require an upfront investment, the money you save at the grocery store, and the time you get back from not needing to run out to the store for that one herb makes it worth it.
On top of all of these other reasons:
You’re in control–no sneaky chemicals or sprays in your garden.
It’s a meditative practice. A garden is a great place to get lost in the present moment and focus on what’s right in front of you.
Bees and other pollinators will love you. And your plants.
It’s a generational skill that can be passed down to your kids and shared with others.
It’s self-improvement! Who doesn’t want another tool in their self-sufficiency toolbox?!
I know all of these things sound very nice and idyllic. But gardening can also be full of challenges.
The timing. The spacing. The bed preparation. The infinite amount of conflicting information on the internet.
Maybe you wanted to grow things but found yourself too overwhelmed to even begin. Or you bought a few tomato plants at the market, but they got out of control and overgrown so you ignored them all season and just hoped they would disappear.
Whatever has been holding you back– it’s valid. Learning a new skill or taking on a new project can be a lot.
But with a little help, your garden goals are totally attainable! You can manage all of life’s responsibilities and still have a thriving garden.
And I want to help you make that happen.
Even after growing for over 10 years, I can assure you I’m still learning.
Every. Single. Day.
But I certainly have gained enough knowledge and experience that I’m ready (and excited!) to share this wealth of information with you.
To help you grow the garden of your dreams.
If you want to be a gardener, we’ll make you a gardener.
Like with any new skill, you just need to have the willingness to learn, and the motivation to take the next step forward.
With my a la cart consulting options, you can find the exact level of support you need to start or expand your gardening journey.
Printable Resources
For the beginner or intermediate vegetable grower.
Get started immediately with these instant-download PDF garden plans, or my garden planner to keep you organized and on-schedule.
Custom Garden Planting Plans
A more in-depth, made-just-for-you option.
Feel like you need a more personalized approach?
If my instant-download options don’t feel like a good fit, no worries.
I can create a custom planting plan just for you.
Maybe it’s not a vegetable garden you’re seeking. Or your planting area is too unique to use a standardized 4x8’ layout as your starting point.
Whatever the reason—let’s talk!
How it works:
You’ll purchase my custom planting plan in the shop. When you’re checking out, a questionnaire will pop up that will ask you a few questions such as:
The type of garden you want to plant. Options include vegetable, cut flower, pollinator, natural dye, or other.
The size of your garden.
Your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone. If you don’t know what this is, I’ll help you figure it out!
We’ll then schedule a call to go over details and next steps.
What’s included:
A phone call with me so I can learn more about your garden dreams, goals, and skill-level.
A personalized digital planting layout, so you know exactly where to place each plant to optimize growing space and plant health.
Growing information on each plant - whether to start from seed or transplant, and when to plant.
A digital garden timeline, to help you visualize the seasons of your garden and general harvest windows for your specific crops.
A garden maintenance plan to keep everything tidy, organized, and thriving.
Things to know:
This service is ideal for someone who:
Is a beginner gardener who needs just a bit more help than the printable resources, but has a garden area ready to go (or plans for one).
Wants personalized help making garden decisions rather than sorting through the chaos of the internet.
Has struggled to get spacing and timing right and they just need more specific information.
This option is includes plans for up to 200 square feet of planting space. The cost is determined by the size of your garden.
Lauren W.
Monroe, MI
“Carrie is amazingly knowledgeable and an expert at what she does! She helped me plan out my large raised bed garden. As a fairly new gardener, I felt overwhelmed with what to plant, when, how much spacing I needed, and what plants worked best together. Carrie was able to easily draw out a garden plan for me with my preferred plants and provided all the information I would need to help my garden flourish. I am still reaping the benefits of her garden plan and continue to refer back to it. I absolutely would recommend Carrie to anyone looking to advance their garden knowledge and save time and money by starting out their garden on a successful path.”
And there’s more!
View my available add-ons for even more garden support.
Want even
more help?
If you are truly starting from scratch, full-service implementation assistance and coaching might just what you need.
No, I don’t do physical installations.
But I can help you create a plan to go from grass to thriving! I can help with:
Garden site selection + planning
Growing method selection
Material sourcing
Bed construction + preparation
Planting plans
Harvest and maintenance guides
Pest management
Composting
To learn more, purchase the Let’s Thrive option below or in the Shop. This is essentially a deposit to get started. From there, we’ll schedule a phone call to see if my services and your goals are aligned. There’s no commitment to move forward after our call, but I guarantee you’ll get valuable information from our chat.
Have questions?
Explore Frequently Asked Questions
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We might have missed the opportunity for a fully personalized planting plan, but phone support, a maintenance plan, or harvest support could still be very useful and relevant for future growing seasons.
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First off—congrats! That’s amazing. I’d be happy to talk with you about how I can help! Get in touch!
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Anytime from September to May is a great time. Ordering seeds in the fall gives you the best selection. And it doesn’t hurt to start planning when everything is fresh in your mind from the previous season.
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Because there are many variables that impact the growing season, like weather, level of upkeep, your unique geography, etc, I cannot offer a guarantee that you will have perfect produce. But I do promise to share as much knowledge as I have to help you grow the best plants, and to give you as many tools as possible to set you up for success.
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I am a more specialized consultant—my experience is in vegetable and flower production, pollinator gardens, and SE Michigan native plants. So if your landscaping involves these categories, I can certainly help. But I am not an expert in more traditional landscape design.