Gold Medals to Golden Beets

The Gardening Journey of Gold Medal Canadian Olympian Andrea Proske

We here at the gardenologie are pleased to announce that we have partnered with West Coast Seeds to support Canadian rowing athlete and Olympic gold medalist Andrea Proske on her gardening journey.

We wanted to share her story in her own words.

Question: Tell us about yourself

Andrea: Even Olympic dreams begin with a seed. Imagine quitting a promising corporate career to train for an Olympic sport you’d never tried, at an age when most athletes retire. That was the ‘moonshot' I took when, at 27, I was invited to join Rowing Canada’s talent development program. Only eight years later, I had blossomed into a two-time World Cup medallist and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion, winning Canada’s first gold in Women’s Coxed Eight in a quarter century.

My journey was in no small part supported by my parents. “You never want to wonder what if,” my father said. My mother, ever the practical woman of action, immediately started expanding the vegetable plot to fuel my 4000 kcal/day diet.
Now retired, I spend my time giving back. I speak in classrooms across Canada on the lessons of sport that go beyond the field of play, am a volunteer Rowing Coach, and Vice President of AthletesCAN, Canada's largest athlete advocacy NPO. But I am most excited about my next “podium”- my garden.

Question: Tell us about your gardening journey

Andrea: Growing up, food was the cornerstone of our family. My mother treated gardening as an experiment, trying new seed types and planting methods and finding new ways of using and storing produce. Her flower beds were full of gifts of remembrance from gardening friends.

As an athlete, I had a productive potted veggie garden. However, my poor plants had to fend for themselves as I competed overseas for weeks at a time. I was ecstatic when we purchased our home in 2022. Before we had even considered the furniture we’d need, I was already in the front yard moving plants, digging sod, and replacing impractical tropical palms for locally grown flowers and herbs that could attract pollinators.

Last year was spent learning about my garden. But in 2023, my focus shifts to the re-imagination of my backyard as a produce-rich garden with an emphasis on sustainability. Like my dreams of Olympic gold, I have endless ambition, however, I need the guidance and tools to help me realize them.

As a beginning gardener, I know any Olympic journey is a process. Every setback taught me a lesson, my failures becoming the fertilizer for success.

Question: Tell us more about your garden

Andrea: With the majority of my time dedicated to pro-bono work, growing a productive garden is a financial priority (1.5 h/day min). I have the hard work and determination, but I could really use some help determining a master gardening plan.

My fenced backyard’s soil is hard-packed clay riddled with roots from trees that the former owner decided to cut down. The area for the garden is approximately 34 x 36 ft, east-facing. On the south side is a pond and garden shed; the adjacent area doesn’t drain well. I’ve been tracking the sun and frost pockets, and intend to build raised beds. I want to install rain barrels, cold frames, irrigation drip lines, and vertical growing supports. I have indoor grow lights, a small pop-up greenhouse, and dreams of a future 8 x 12’ greenhouse. I have a rotating dual-bin composter, but I could use some advice about how to utilize it. My front, west-facing flower garden is 24 x 34 ft, and I intend on intercropping vegetables among the perennials.

We look forward to working with you!

About the gardenologie

The vision of two garden professionals, Melissa Cameron of The Good Seed and Luay Ghafari of Urban Farm and Kitchen, gardenologie is a garden lifestyle brand that offers garden education, coaching, design and planning. Gardens have the ability to transform not only our outdoor landscapes but our health and communities, with more urban and suburban dwellers than ever embracing their outdoor spaces and connecting with nature. We expertly guide, curate and deliver beautiful garden content online and in person. We are also big fans and supporters of West Coast Seeds.