Liz Baloutine — Happy in the Garden

Liz Baloutine, as a child visited her dad regularly, and he always wanted to show her the new goings on in his garden. He would go on and on about this new dwarf pomegranate and the one fruit he got from it or the banana tree and how they only got bananas that one year because there was no freeze. Liz had little interest at the time. Dad she would say, “What’s a pomegranate anyways? And why are those bananas so little? Couldn’t you grow normal size bananas?”

In a quest to find herself and what made her happy in January 2009 Liz declared that she was going to do anything her heart desired and stop making excuses for why she shouldn’t. Feeling liberated by her new resolution she formed a bicycle gang by the end of the month.

In February Liz heard a public service announcement for The Green Corn Project on KUT 90.5 FM (the flagship station for Field & Feast) and declared that she was going to start a vegetable gardening business. Never mind the fact that she was about as unsuccessful at her few attempts to grow anything edible as a person could get. Liz made it her mission to read everything she could think of on the subject. She heard about the Sunshine Community Gardens plant sale and went with the sole purpose of finding someone who knew a thing or two to school her.

That summer Liz was hired to garden for a landscaping company and quickly became the gardening crew manager. On the weekends she gardened for the chefs at Olivia and volunteered time with more experienced gardeners at Sunshine Community Gardens. Liz honed her craft devouring gardening books and experimenting in her home garden, quickly becoming an expert and equal with veteran gardeners. Now her dad was coming to her for garden advice.

Liz runs her company Seedlings Gardening prioritizing the values of conservation and experimentation. Now that she has spent the last three years living, breathing and sweating in the garden she is teaching beginner gardeners what she’s learned. The classes teach participants how to build, plant and maintain a 4′ x 8′ vegetable garden incorporating the Seedlings’ values.

Interested in taking Liz’s October The Gardener Within Class?

• There are three classes in the course: The Gardener Within will guide you step-by-step through the process of choosing a site, preparing a bed, planting and caring for your vegetable garden.
• Classes are hosted at the homes of participants.  When people sign up for the class they can volunteer to host a class.  The location of the class is sent out only to participants the Wednesday before the class.
• Classes are hosted at the homes of participants.  When people sign up for the class they can volunteer to host a class.  The location of the class is sent out only to participants the Wednesday before the class.
• Registration is $60 and includes private Gardener Within Facebook group, informational material, and all three classes.
• Participants may pay the Seedlings Gardening website with a credit card or through PayPal via the add to cart button.  The class will be available until sold out or Wednesday Oct 3 at 6p.
• Class participants should dress in something they don’t mind getting a little dirt on and wear closed toe shoes.  The second of the three classes is probably the dirtiest, the class is very hands on.
• It is rain or shine.
• Everyone should bring a notebook and their questions to class.
• There are no make up classes at this point, but arrangements can be made to attend a future class when scheduled.  All the information discussed in the class is also in the information packs.
• The classes are somewhat accessible for people with disabilities, but depends on the terrain of the hosting house. So check in advance if you have any mobility issues.
• I would say 14 is the youngest without a parent.  A children’s class has crossed my mind for future plans though.