Hi there, and welcome to Kitsap Food Forest! I’m so glad you’re here. I’d love to share a little about myself, my passion for plants, and what you can expect from working with me. Whether you’re a plant enthusiast, a small business owner, or someone looking to explore gardening, I hope my story inspires and empowers you to grow—both literally and figuratively.
Back in 2019, I had no prior experience with gardening. Yet, something about planting really resonated with me. After visiting Heronswood and Vista Gardens my very first attempt was ornamental gardening, which included rhododendrons & edgeworthias, as well as specimen trees like, magnolias, stewartias, and Japanese maples. I couldn’t resist the urge to have “just one of each.” John Albers from Vista Gardens even jokes with me about my obsession with specimen trees! There are also a ton of natives that have been planted on the property from KCCD, BILT and Woodbrook Native Plant Nursury.
Soon after, I had a realization—what if I could grow food, too? I started small by adding three raised beds and two fruit trees to my backyard. This quickly became a rabbit hole of exploration as I avidly consumed information about pruning techniques and discovered the art of keeping “little fruit trees” manageable in smaller spaces and other high density planting techniques.
Fast forward to today, and my backyard in Kitsap County, Washington, has completely transformed. On less than 3,000 square feet, I’ve cultivated what I like to call a mini food forest featuring:
I’ve also had a lot of success with grafting. I have top worked cultivars onto my existing fruit trees. I also grafted most of my apple trees from material I picked up at the Peninsula (Kitsap) Fruit Club (PFC) annual grafting show. My favorite apple variety? Karmijn de Sonnaville, which thrives beautifully in our local climate!
My food forest was initially just a hobby—something I truly enjoyed and poured my heart into. But when the real estate market shifted, I realized I needed to explore alternative income avenues.
By trade, I’m a software engineer and for the last 15 years ran a SAAS (Software as a Service) company that caters to real estate agents, particularly sellers’ agents. If you’re familiar with the real estate industry, you know the selling market has softened over the past few years, leaving fewer opportunities.
This change in the market forced me to think outside the box. Enter Kitsap Food Forest.
Realizing my software and marketing background could marry beautifully with my passion for plants, I took a leap of faith. I decided to create this website—not just to share my food forest journey, but to help others grow their gardens and businesses. With my eye for efficiency and creativity, I also saw a perfect opportunity to support nurseries with their digital marketing efforts.
1. Insight Into Small-Space Gardening:
Gardening isn’t just for sprawling estates! My experience shows how you can create a thriving garden in even the most modest spaces. From fruit trees to tropical plants, I’ll help you understand how to maximize your backyard to its fullest potential.
2. Accessible and Practical Advice:
I’ve been through the trials and errors of pruning, planting, and optimizing growth in a small space. I aim to translate my personal lessons into clear, actionable steps that work for you.
3. Expert Guidance for Nurseries:
If you own a nursery or related business, I can help you enhance your online presence. My software engineering and marketing expertise allow me to create impactful strategies that engage your audience and grow your business.
4. A Passionate Community:
Through Kitsap Food Forest, I strive to build connections among like-minded individuals who love plants and care about sustainable practices. Expect resources, real-life examples, and ongoing support to keep your passion for gardening alive.
This venture combines two areas I’m incredibly passionate about—plants and business. On one side, I thrive on the joy of helping people create vibrant spaces with knowledge, tools, and support. On the other, I love the challenge of improving business outcomes for small nurseries and independent gardening centers.
Kitsap Food Forest is where these worlds collide, and my ultimate goal is to bring value to both gardeners and nursery owners alike.
If you’re a plant enthusiast eager to refine your gardening skills or a business owner looking to attract more customers, Kitsap Food Forest has something for you.
Whether you want to learn how to cultivate fruit trees in tight spaces, optimize your greenhouse for tropical plants, or grow your nursery’s online visibility, I’m here to guide you every step of the way.
Feel free to explore the resources available here or reach out to me directly—I’d love to connect.
Here’s to cultivating something extraordinary together.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
