Our inaugural season of A Year in the Urban Garden Master Class was a success beyond what we could have imagined. Students from Canada, the United States, and Europe joined us on the Journey from Seed to Plate to learn, get inspired and grow.

If you haven’t already had a chance to peruse our Master Class page, we encourage you to take a look. We are extremely proud of the program that we put together for beginner and intermediate gardeners and can’t wait to grow with you all!

In this post, we will showcase some of our 2021 students and give you a glimpse into their gardens and successes.

Patrick A., Toronto, Canada

Our gardens mean so much to us. They are an escape from the hustle and bustle of every day life. They are our sanctuaries. And in the last couple of years, they have kept us sane, healthy and active. Patrick built an urban oasis in the heart of the city. When we visited him in August 2021, we were in awe. A small space transformed into a beautiful urban garden with a variety of crops growing in containers and in the ground.

“I tried my hand at gardens in the past, with mixed results… This year I was really looking to up my garden game and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to follow along and learn from the pros… I’d say this year is the best garden I’ve ever had. The yields are incredible…”

We reviewed Patrick’s garden plan in the winter of 2021 (garden plan reviews are included with enrollment in A Year in the Urban Garden). He had a lot of questions which of course we were more than happy to answer. We focused on high yield crops that not only produce delicious, nutritious food but are also aesthetically pleasing. In a small urban space meant for rest and relaxation, Patrick’s urban jungle was beautiful and productive.

We encourage you to watch his testimonial video here:

Adrianna M., Woodbridge, Canada

We visited Adrianna in the summer of 2021 to record a testimonial video about her experience in A Year in the Urban Garden and we just hit it off. She’s a wonderful person and a wonderful gardener. Adrianna shared with us her cancer survival story. Her story is powerful and inspiring and we are so honored to be part of her healing journey.

"I feel it’s important to have healthy food as part of your diet. When you know what’s in your food, you feel more confident and trust what you’re eating… It’s a really fun course to take. There’s so much support if you need it. I was shy, but they are there… It’s really interactive and you feel proud of your garden.”

Adrianna’s garden is laid out like a traditional plot with paths allowing for easy access of crops. She grew tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, kale, pumpkins and a multitude of herbs. When reviewing her garden plan, we recommended adding pathways for better accessibility. Garden paths are important to help prevent soil compaction (which occurs when you step on the soil).

Please take a moment and watch her video! Her Husky Kahlua steals the show!

Callie H, Beamsville, Canada

Callie lives on a beautiful homestead in the Niagara Region of Canada, surrounded by wineries and the incomparable lake Ontario. We visited her back in June 2021. Not only does she have a beautiful garden but she also has an orchard, grape vines and small family of animals including chickens, goats and potbelly pig!

“I had been following both of you [Luay and Melissa] for a full growing season. When you shared that you were going to do the course, I already knew that you both had a deep wealth of knowledge and I wanted to learn from that.”

“It’s important for me to grow my own food because it is important for me to know what is in my food. I want to know the lineage, how it’s being grown, what is being used to fertilize it”

“The biggest thing coming out of this course for me is confidence. I have confidence to try things.”

Katrien V, Antwerp, Belgium

Katrien was our very first Master Class student and enrolled into the program for the 2021 season. She is a wonderful gardener and cook. She is a sourdough aficionado and shares her wonderful culinary creations on her Instagram account @ketreenvd. It wouldn’t be a longshot to say that we have most certainly become long distance friends!

For obvious reasons we were unable to travel and record a testimonial video, however Katrien was kind enough to share some of her thoughts on the program.

Here’s what she has to say about her experience with A Year in the Urban Garden:

“We bought our house with a small garden in the summer of ’19, so I had my first shot at a veggie garden in the spring of 2020. I didn’t know where to start or how to go about it, so I ended up with an unorganized urban jungle with plants smothering each other and crawling all over the place. I also found out the soil in my garden isn’t deep enough to grow most plants. After this first test run, the course came at exactly the right time for me. I knew that to get the most out of the little space I had, I needed a good plan and lots of guidance. What better way to go about it than with the support of experts and peers? We had so much fun in a year that was hard on everyone.”

“What surprised me most is how much you can do with so little space. Careful planning at the start of the season makes for a beautiful, abundant garden. And also, that even I can do it! I’ve always had a hard time keeping any kind of plant alive, so the idea of growing food such as beautiful tomatoes from seeds was a bit daunting. With Luay and Melissa’s guidance, I managed to grow so many different kinds of veggies from scratch. It’s unbelievable how many plants I could fit into my tiny garden, and they all thrived.”

“Using the right sized containers and the best soil mix, everything worked out perfectly.”

“There’s nothing as satisfying as watching your food grow in your own backyard, checking how it’s doing every morning, seeing daily progress, harvesting and then cooking delicious dishes with it. My Instagram page is completely food focused, and I love to be inspired by what’s happening in my garden through the seasons. And something that you’ve grown yourself tastes so, so, so much better!”

Thank you, Katrien, for sharing your story with us!

We hope to bring you more inspiring stories like these in 2022. If you have any questions about our programs or classes, please feel free to contact us, or book a free 15-minute discovery call.

Master Class 2021 Student Profiles