Our Chief Shoveler And What Gardens of Eatin' Is All About: Part 1

At Gardens of Eatin', we specialize in holistic ecosystem design and functional gardening. We've planned micro homesteads and landscapes for a wide variety of clients. We all love nature, plants, and creating beautiful, functional growing systems. In today's post, we're going to focus on our chief shoveler, Anna Timmerman. So, read on to learn more about this ecological superstar and what she brings to the Gardens of Eatin' table.

An Ecological Designer With Roots In Western North Carolina

It's no question that Asheville is a transplant's haven. If you check out this graphic, you can see where the majority of residents come from. You won't find many natives in Asheville. The majority of people in this city came from other counties in NC, California, and Florida. Anna, on the other hand, went to school a few hours away and felt something pulling her back to her roots in the Asheville area.

Her agricultural experience started in farming. She ran a farm for a while but realized it wasn't for her. Anna has always loved growing, but farming seemed to "take the joy out of it." Her passion is rooted in producing beautiful and productive gardens and homesteads. The sole purpose of a farm is to produce—that's it. As a result, Anna scaled her farm back to a homestead to provide for her family and home. When she started her own homestead, she realized it was exactly what she wanted to do for a living. She wanted to share her joy, knowledge, successes, failures, and everything in between with others. To create a way to do this on a more residential scale was her dream. That's how Gardens of Eatin' was born.

What Does Gardens of Eatin' Do?

Anna is a permaculture designer and ecological landscape installer. The team focuses on designing micro homesteads that can provide for families and communities on a small to medium scale. The team focuses on homesteading, edible landscaping, and native pollinator gardens. An overarching theme that defines Gardens of Eatin' is the idea of designing and building ecological spaces that essentially mimic nature and the environment.

The first step in any Gardens of Eatin' project is to plan and design. Every client receives a design, and that's one of the most common services they provide. Following design, clients have an endless amount of options as far as the next steps go. They can have the team install whatever the plan includes, or they can install it themselves. The beauty in each plan is the flexibility that it provides. Anna truly enjoys the collaboration and learning process that each project requires. She often jokes that she always has two clients per project. The first, of course, is the customer, and the second is the land. To execute a project properly, the team needs to learn about the land they're working with and make the best choices possible.

What Sets Gardens of Eatin' Apart From The Competition?

The majority of landscaping is simply aesthetic. When you invest your hard-earned money into a landscape's design, wouldn't you like to receive something in return? Anna believes in providing something "utilitarian" that works for you. The main thing that sets Gardens of Eatin' apart is the focus on vision, strength of design, and food security. How many landscaping companies provide all three of those?

The future of Gardens of Eatin' is bright. Anna has a goal of branching the company out into the commercial space. Residential clients are wonderful and have provided the team with amazing opportunities. Although, the team is looking to pursue business with restaurants, breweries, and other businesses throughout the area. Anna thinks it would be amazing to work alongside Asheville breweries and restaurants to create edible and beautiful outdoor spaces. Restaurants could grow some of their own food and have permaculture spaces for customers to enjoy.

If you want to plan a micro homestead, garden, or anything else, give the ecological experts a call.