"You do not have to be a farmer. If you are willing, I can make you a successful gardener."
Erin Thompson is the founder of Growin' South—a suburban vegetable garden installer that presents a feasible approach to gardening. The company's name emphasizes its mission of sharing how to grow herbs and vegetables. It is a play on words that mimic the phrase goin' south—a nod to Southern linguistics.
Through her research and a few seasons of trial and error, Thompson obtained her garden consulting certification and began helping others discover their intrinsic ability to be growers. There are so many nuances of people that gardening attracts—not just someone who wants a pretty garden. "My most important job is to uncover the why behind a client's desire to own a garden and then figure out how to fulfill that specific need. Each client is unique, and each garden should reflect that uniqueness."
Thompson takes pride in working alongside her clients at different stages of the gardening process. She can either create a design they can run with and do as they please or engineer the whole thing from soup to nuts.
Erin Thompson conceptualizes the modern-day kitchen garden and provides pointers for suburban gardeners.
Explain the kitchen garden.
A custom-built garden that extends the same quality of people's homes into their yards by being aesthetically pleasing and accessible.
Does it require a large space?
No. Big or small, we assist with envisioning a space where people can grow sustainable food staples.
How do you bypass the Georgia red clay?
We build raised garden beds with beautiful soil so people do not dig in the ground or pull weeds that appear overnight.
Sun, water and location are key components when planning a garden. What is a close runner-up?
Success lies in your soil. Super-Sod carries a tremendous product called Soil3, a rich humus compost full of organic nutrients. The price might be shocking, but it makes the process effortless, especially for someone new to gardening.
Share something gardeners should know.
Gardening in Georgia (classified zone 7) is done year-round due to moderate temperatures. You can start a garden in October and grow lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and many other herbs and vegetables from now until early spring.