There was a point when I thought gardening was just about growing plants.
You put something in the ground, water it, maybe add some fertilizer, and hope for the best. And sometimes it worked… but a lot of times it didn’t. I’d get frustrated with pests, tired of watering constantly, and confused about why some things thrived while others struggled.
It wasn’t until my husband started teaching me about microbes, including mycelium, mushrooms, and other beneficial microorganisms that things changed for me.
I realized I wasn’t just growing plants. I was stepping into a living, breathing ecosystem.
And once I started working with that instead of against it, gardening became not only easier… but a whole lot more meaningful.
Gardening, for me, is so much more than growing plants, it’s about building a relationship with the land and creating something that gives back.
Gardening in Missoula has shaped how I think about all of this. We’re at 3,200 feet with a short growing season, alkaline soils in many parts of the valley, and dry summers that can stress plants quickly if the soil isn’t in good shape. Those constraints pushed me to pay closer attention to what was happening below ground, not just above it. When you can’t rely on a long warm season to bail you out, you learn fast that healthy soil is the difference between a garden that thrives and one that limps along.
At the core of everything I do are a few principles I believe in deeply:
Soil Health Comes First
Healthy soil is everything. When we focus on feeding the soil instead of just the plant, everything changes. Rich, living soil grows stronger plants, holds water better, and naturally supports a thriving garden ecosystem.
I believe in building soil through compost, organic matter, and minimal disturbance. When the soil is alive, your garden is too.
In practice, this means I rarely till. I add compost to the surface and let it work its way down. I mulch to protect soil structure and keep moisture in. I pay attention to what the soil feels like and what it’s growing, because the plants tell you a lot about what’s happening underneath them. Montana soils tend to be alkaline and can be low in organic matter, so building that organic layer is something I work on continuously in my own garden and with clients.
Regenerative & Organic Practices
I aim to garden in a way that restores rather than depletes. That means avoiding synthetic chemicals and leaning into organic, regenerative practices that work with nature, not against it.
Every season is an opportunity to leave the soil better than we found it.
Regenerative gardening isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about making choices that move the garden in the right direction over time. Planting cover crops in the fall, adding compost in the spring, choosing disease resistant varieties that don’t need chemical support, keeping the soil covered so it doesn’t erode or crust over in the sun. These things add up across seasons in ways that become very visible after a few years.
Working With Nature, Not Against It
A healthy garden isn’t sterile, it’s alive. I focus on creating a diverse ecosystem that attracts beneficial insects, pollinators, and natural predators.
Instead of fighting pests, I try to create balance. When your garden has diversity, it becomes more resilient and self-regulating.
This looks different in every garden, but some of the most useful things I’ve found are letting some plants go to flower for pollinators, planting companion plants that confuse or deter pests, and leaving a little wildness at the edges where beneficial insects can shelter. Ground beetles, parasitic wasps, and lacewings do a lot of pest control work for free if you give them somewhere to live. In Missoula, we’re lucky to have a lot of native pollinators, and a diverse garden gives them something to work with all season long.
Water Conservation Matters
Water is precious, and I believe in using it wisely. Through practices like mulching, improving soil structure, and thoughtful plant placement, we can work to reduce water waste while keeping plants healthy.
A well-designed garden should thrive with less, not more.
Missoula summers can be dry and hot, and water bills add up fast if you’re trying to keep a poorly structured garden alive. Good soil holds moisture much longer than compacted or sandy soil does, which is one more reason soil health comes first. A thick layer of mulch, two to three inches over the soil surface, can cut watering frequency in half in the height of summer. I also pay attention to where I plant things so that plants with similar water needs are grouped together rather than fighting over resources.
Composting Is a Game Changer
Composting is one of the simplest and most powerful things you can do as a gardener. It turns waste into life, closes the loop, and feeds your soil naturally.
Nothing is wasted, everything has a purpose.
I compost kitchen scraps, garden trimmings, spent plants, and cardboard. What comes out of the pile a few months later is some of the best soil amendment you can put in a garden. It improves drainage in heavy soil, improves water retention in sandy soil, feeds the microbial life that makes nutrients available to plants, and adds organic matter that builds structure over time. If I could give one piece of advice to a new gardener, starting a compost pile would be it.
My Mission
More than anything, I want to help you gain confidence in your garden. Whether you need a plan from scratch or just want someone to troubleshoot what isn’t working, vegetable garden consulting is a good place to start.
You don’t need to do everything perfectly. You just need to start. When you focus on working with nature, not against it, gardening becomes simpler, more rewarding, and a whole lot more fun.
A lot of what I do in consulting sessions is just help people see what’s already working in their garden and figure out why what isn’t working is struggling. Most of the time, the answers are in the soil. Once you understand what your soil needs and how to read what your plants are telling you, gardening stops feeling like guesswork and starts feeling like a real skill you’re building.
Let’s get you growing. The Missoula Vegetable Growing Guide is a free resource I put together for local gardeners, it covers what to grow, when to plant it, and what to watch out for.