A Passion for Growing Greener
What we do and who we are
My Nordic Garden is on a mission to make our world a little bit greener by bringing kitchen gardens back into everybody's life.
We have all been there - helpless, sad, desperate about the state of our environment and the feeling like we can't change it. But, in fact, everybody can do something! By setting up your own kitchen garden you reduce your carbon footprint and support biodiversity while eating your homegrown organic vegetables. Everything is possible, we just need to do it! My Nordic Garden is here to help you to succeed in your goal to green up your life.
Now you might ask yourself: What is a kitchen garden?
A kitchen garden is a herb, vegetable and fruit garden, that is usually not bigger than 200 square feet. Our kitchen gardens are generally raised beds to make tending easier. It will be the center of your garden that provides you with fresh greens for your daily meals. But a kitchen garden is also a place to relax, enjoy nature and connect with friends and family.
Who is behind My Nordic Garden?
That's us! We are Ines and Eric. Parents to two wonderful little boys in our mid 30’s with a passion for gardening and our environment. We are located in the Hawkesbury/Champlain region right in the middle between Montréal and Ottawa.
Ines: I am a garden coach who just recently started a new garden in planting zone 4b (bordering 5a) in 2020 in Eastern Ontario. I grew up surrounded by gardens. My family surely lay the seeds for my passion for nature and gardening. I studied biology and geography in Germany and worked as a teacher for three years. But that was not what I wanted to do. I quit and worked as a gardener on two different farms in Germany and Ireland, where I learned so much by doing what I loved most.
At the beginning of October 2020 I learned about NICOLE BURKE, who set up GARDENARY, and her movement to bring the kitchen garden back into everybody's home (check it out: www.gardenary.com). Almost instantly I knew, that's it! That's exactly what I want to do! All of a sudden my dream job had a name: garden consultant and meanwhile I became a certified Gardenary Garden Consultant. The most important job as a garden consultant is, to take all the worries about how to start and maintain a kitchen garden off your shoulders. I’ll take you by the hand and lead you step by step through setting up the kitchen garden of your dreams. Together we will choose the ideal spot for your kitchen garden, you will learn how to grow the herbs, lettuces and vegetables you want to enrich your daily meals with and I am there for you throughout the year to make the most of the seasons. Our winters here are long enough, so we have to make the most of our growing season, right?!
Garden design definitely became a heartfelt passion of mine. I am extending my knowledge about general garden design and maintenance right now, because I'd love to offer our clients a full garden design package soon. Edible landscapes, food forests and pollinator gardens are a perfect addition to our kitchen gardens. I'm looking forward to launching this new offer in 2023!
I hope by sharing our own garden journey in the blog posts I encourage you to get your own project going. You can reach out to me at any stage of your garden development and I will support you and the individual needs of your garden.
2022 is going to be the Canada's 'Year of the Garden'. Almost as soon I got aware of this initiative, I had to learn more and signed up to be a 'Year of the Garden 2022' ambassador. The official launch will be in March, but I can tell you already that there will be lots of fun garden activities.
Eric: I am a welder and fitter with experience in the trade for over 10 years working in Ireland, Germany and Canada. I took a break from welding to meet my future wife in Finland (I know, our story is a bit confusing). After traveling Europe we settled in Ireland for a while, where I worked on a dairy farm taking care of the cows and maintaining the equipment. This change of lifestyle broadened my horizon and still influences me to this day. When I moved back to Canada I went back to my trade. I am extremely proud of my wife for pursuing her life's passion and I am excited to help and support her in any way possible.
I love to build and create with both metal and wood. For the first four years of my career I worked for a fencing company, where I learned how to measure out, build, line up and install all types of fencing. I spent the next four years refining my stainless steel TIG welding skills in the water works sector. After working various jobs and going to school to learn culinary arts, I was then fortunate enough to meet my lovely wife and travel through Europe. The rest is history. I will be the builder here at My Nordic Garden building the raised beds, trellises and boarders. I can beautify your kitchen garden with customized trellises, gates and fences. For our own garden I have come up with a cold frame bracket (patent pending) essentially turning your cold frame into a mini greenhouse without any wasted space, to make the most of the season. I'd be very happy to show you all of these possibilities.
At this point we invite you to join our mailing list. With our regular newsletter you'll never miss a new blog post, special offers or extra downloads.
And if you have any questions regarding kitchen gardens, please don't hesitate get in touch with us.
Happy gardening and thank you for joining My Nordic Garden!