Ellaberry Gardens is gratefully owned and operated by me, Jenny Thompson, in Tulsa, Oklahoma with much support from my husband of 20 years and my 4 kiddos. I am a native Tulsan and love living and gardening here...even in August!
There's so many exciting things about urban homesteading that I want to share with you! I want to spread the word about urban homesteading and how we can all be so much more self-sufficient in urban areas than we ever thought possible! We're trying our hand at it on a little less than 1/5 of an acre right in the middle of an average neighborhood and you can too!
Our family has been building up our urban homestead since 2003. We have turned much of our own yard into food production (fruits, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers.) We keep laying hens and a few quail for eggs. I also grow native flowers, perennial flowers for birds and butterlifes and honeybees, and a few annuals that I just think are pretty and/or are edible.We work hard to live as sustainably as possible while still living a "normal" life.
Growing, harvesting and preserving foods are some of my favorite ways to pass time. Some of the best experiences are harvesting a bowl of breakfast blackberries in your pajamas and picking a luscious salad twenty minutes before dinner. Pulling last summer's pesto out of the freezer in January is marvelous. Throwing your own dried veggies in a soup pot on a cool March evening is fabulous. Popping open a jar of your own salsa anytime of the year is pretty darn nifty.
I am most definitely an autodidact but truly couldn't have gotten where I am without loads of help from the library, the extension office and a few gardeners I've met. I have read dozens of library books, taken numerous classes and workshops, and picked the brains of nearly every gardener I know! References are available if you require that sort of thing. Or maybe you can just take a trip on over here. Drop me an email and we'll schedule a time!
I'd like to help others tap into the joy of truly local food. I don't garden because I have to or because I'm scared of the grocery store or because I can't afford organic produce. I garden because I have found nothing---outside of birthing my babies---to be more magical, fulfilling, beautiful or sustaining. Join me.
I very much look forward to working with others in the community and getting to know all ya'll!
Jenny
We joyfully accept donations in whatever denomination you'd like to share to help us cover class fees for those who can't afford them and for "seed money" for new projects and community outreach. We thank you kindly!