A deep dive into Jessi Young's Growing experience
Jessi Young's journey from a seasoned chef to a dedicated horticulturist is a testament to the power of passion and sustainable practices. As a key Green Hills Farm team member, Jessi has been cultivating a diverse range of edible produce for over two years. Her work nourishes Kristy and Neil’s family and supplies fresh, seasonal ingredients to renowned local restaurants like Messmate Dining and Hogget Kitchen.
Jessi shares her 6 top tips for creating a sustainable and profitable garden with Creative Harvest.
Creating a Profitable and Sustainable Gardening
Hello, I’m Jessi 👋 nice to meet you! My approach to gardening is rooted in sustainability and innovation. By focusing on open-pollinated varieties and heirloom seeds, I cultivate unique and uncommon produce that adds a touch of culinary creativity to the dishes of local chefs. This means committing to a weekly harvest, ensuring that the restaurants we supply receive the freshest ingredients possible.
To maintain the health and productivity of the garden, here are my top 6 practices I use to create a productive, sustainable and profitable garden. I will also be hosting a guiding tour of Green Hills Farm during the Creative Harvest 2025 Weekend - make sure you say hello!
Daily Planning: A well-structured daily plan is essential for efficient gardening. By prioritising tasks and allocating time for different activities, I ensure that no aspect of the garden is neglected.
Detailed Growing Maps: Creating detailed growing maps provides a visual representation of the garden layout, including crop rotation, plant spacing, and succession planting. This helps in optimising space utilisation and maximising yield.
Seasonal and Succession Planting: Maximising bed potential by strategically planning crop rotations and planting times.
Soil Health Focus: Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden. Soil health is a top priority at Green Hills Farm and I achieve this by incorporating organic matter, such as our own compost and planting cover crops. This improves soil structure, nutrient content, and water retention.
Seed Saving and Closed-Loop Systems: By saving seeds from the best-performing plants, you contribute to genetic diversity and reduce reliance on commercial seed suppliers. A closed-loop system, where plant waste is recycled back into the soil, further enhances sustainability.
Compost and Worm Farm Care: Regular feeding of compost and worm farms ensures a continuous supply of nutrient-rich organic matter. This helps to maintain soil fertility and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
Jessi will be conducting a personal 30 minute free-guided tour of Green Hills Farm at Creative Harvest 2025 on both Saturday and Sunday at 10.45am.
Join her for a guided tour of the Green Hills Farm kitchen garden, where you'll learn about her sustainable gardening practices in more detail and how she works to create a profitable working veggie garden. No bookings are required and all ages welcome.
