Justin Rohner began his gardening career beside his mother at the age of two. Being in the fresh air, sinking his hands into the soil and getting dirty, perhaps even the wonder of a sprout making an appearance, was the start of a long love affair. It runs in the family too, Justin's grandparents owned one of the last dairy farms in Tempe, so the ties to working the land were already there. Nevertheless, Justin is something of a pioneer. He is the CEO and founder of Agriscaping Technologies, a company that promotes the 'elegant and edible garden'.
Agriscaping Technologies seeks to blend the best of agriculture and landscape design. Justin says that many of us will spend a lot of time, money, and effort to create an aesthetically pleasing backyard but that it remains just that, something nice to look at. Yet, through his company, Justin says that you can have the best of both worlds. By swapping out your plants for those that are both beautiful and fruitful too, your garden actually works harder for you in yielding a healthy diet just steps from the kitchen. Justin insists that this creates a sustainable and self-reliant lifestyle that actually harkens to the roots of what Queen Creek has always been.
It was homesteaders that began to work and live off the land here. Today many of Queen Creek's farms continue to thrive, providing both entertainment and food. Justin, who moved to Queen Creek a year and a half ago with his wife and four children, loves this aspect of the town's 'culture of agriculture'. It is something he values with a 'sense of self-reliance' where the people still respect 'our freedoms and rights'. If anything, Justin wants that spirit of independence to grow. It can begin with your own garden and you don't need to have acres and acres of land to grow your own food either.
Since experiencing lockdowns and a supply chain crisis, that self-reliance has come into greater focus and relevancy. Still, many people might be intimidated by the prospect of keeping a garden rather than just heading into a local grocery store and buying what you need. Justin advises that it requires building the proper soil, infrastructure and set up, and then in Arizona you can pretty much grow things year round.
His company can also help you get started and even maintain and harvest the fruit and vegetables with weekly visits. If that wasn't enough, should you produce more than you can eat the extras can be sold and you can even make a profit. Justin argues that despite the seeming convenience of the supermarket, the food can travel around 1500 miles just to get to the shelves. In that time it has lost flavor, nutrients, and freshness. In the long run, having your own garden is cheaper too, tastes better, and is better for you.
One of the ways that Justin has helped grow a culture of self-sustainability is through his involvement with the Queen Creek Botanical Garden. He is Executive Director along with Land-developer, Lonnie McCleve, who began the project in order to bring more awareness to growing your own food and eating as fresh and local as you can. They met when Lonnie attended one of Justin's garden tours of his medicinal garden. He was intrigued by what he learned and asked if Justin could scale up his vision to 10 acres to which Justin replied, 'Let's talk.' So began the project which is temporarily closed as more amenities are being added. The first of which, Caldwell County BBQ, is set to open later this year.
Sharing his knowledge with others is a passion for Justin that is probably only second to his love for the garden. His company continues to grow, providing classes, certifications, and consultations. In fact, Agriscaping Technologies was the first ever to develop micro-climate technology that mapped and classified sub-optimal conditions. In addition, he has a Youtube channel where he posts several instructional videos to help guide you in the garden.
For so many of us more accustomed to holding a smartphone than a trowel in our hands, it might not be such a bad thing to discover the joys of fresh air and dirt under our fingernails. Even if you think yourself not so much the green thumb but a brown thumb instead, Justin's response is, 'Great, at least you know how to build soil, you just need to learn how to grow something.' agriscaping.com
'Justin is something of a pioneer...the CEO... of Agriscaping Technologies, a company which promotes the 'elegant and edible garden.'