Between Michelle Obama and Victory gardens, growing your own food has been all the rage this year.  However, for Christy Wilhelmi aka The Gardenerd this wonderful passion has been a part of her lifestyle for a very long time.  Christy never considered herself to be a person who kept ahead of the trends.  However when it comes to keeping your own vegetable garden, she has been trailblazing ahead of most of us for over 16 years when she launched her first small space container garden in her Los Angeles apartment.

Though no longer an apartment dweller, she has specialized in growing abundant amounts food in small spaces (usually around 100 sq ft), always with a focus on organic and heirloom varietals.  In fact through her own personal gardening efforts (in two plots) she’s able to produce and consume over $2000 of food each year, and hardly ever needs to purchases vegetables.

Her real passion however is sharing her garden knowledge and so she launched Gardenerd.com, the ultimate resource for gardeners of all levels of skill (and nerdiness).

On Gardenerd.com you can access resources for seeds and bulbs, Gardening supplies, ask a garden related question and connect with other gardeners on the Gardnerd blog. You can even sport your own Gardenerd tees and other gear from the Gardenerd store (We love the potted mug).   You can also sign up for the monthly Gardenerd Gazette (a free newsletter) and get a copy of Christy’s Top Five Organic Gardening Tips.

Outside of the website, Christy is also available for private food garden design, coaching/consulting in person or over voice over IP/video chat and teaches classes on the basics of organic gardening year round.

Her next class starts on Sunday, September 13^th and runs thru October 4^th at Santa Monica College.  Learn more about the class and sign up through SMC here.

She is also actively engaged within the local community. Christy is on the board of the Ocean View Farms Organic Community Garden in Mar Vista and with Gardenerd she has partnered with another YDT favorite—Woolly Pockets to work with School Nutrition Plus.  A program that brings Woolly Pockets onto school grounds and teaches kids how to grow and eat their own seasonal food.

With fall almost upon us it is the perfect time get some seeds and GIY.  To help inspire you, Christy has shared a delicious heirloom salad recipe that you’ll be able to easily make with the fruits of your gardening labor, click here to view the recipe.

For any and all gardening questions and concerns, doesn’t hesitate to contact Christy@gardenerd.com, visit www.gardenerd.com or call 310-391-3949.

Tags: community gardens, container gardening, DIY, Gardenerd, Grow It Yourself, michelle obama garden, organic vegetable gardening, smart gardening workshops, victory gardens