Course Participant Testimonials

Dana from North Vancouver

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I learned about the course from the trailer on the Local Harvest website. I knew right away that I wanted in. 

Having never grown before, the idea of gardening intimidated me.  I held a packet of seeds in my hand as I stood in my newly built greenhouse, afraid of making a misstep.  But with Dan and Andrew and the rest of this wonderful Local Harvest Gardening community cheering me on, I started.

Things grew.  I harvested my own little crop of cucumbers, kale and much more. Sunflowers reached for the sky in my backyard.

I learned about the incredibly intricate soil food web and the benefits of all the little microbes, worms, bugs and fungi that work harmoniously to create beautiful fertility in my soil. I’ve learned about composting and succession planting.

My most prized treasure from this course this year though have been the people I have met. Like layered puzzle pieces, all at different stages in our food growing journey, we fit together to create a tapestry of community that supports, cheers and learns together. 

I recommend this course to everyone; whether you’ve got a small balcony with pots or acres to experiment with. There truly is something for everyone, not just practically for today but to build on for your dreams in the future.

Dana

Vanessa at May Blooms Acreage

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Vanessa at May Blooms Acreage, a must see farm nestled away in beautiful Yarrow, BC, is breeding heritage breeds of poultry and pastured chicken. She also provides fresh eggs for her community and inspirational & educational content via her Instagram account @may_blooms_acreage  ||  https://maybloomsacreage.com

I had a course for this year in mind for my own farm, my own space, but I never imagined the vision that would be added to that after I met you Andrew, and then you Dan together with Andrew later on the property here. I want to tell you how deeply that fellowship meant to me and how impactful it was.

I had two people who I greatly respected as growers and educators, here at my land, encouraging me to grow alongside them. It was in the flesh mentorship. In the flesh connection and kindness. Encouragement and enlightenment. You saw the vision that I did not yet. You saw all of the rich land to grow in, and learn from. Seeing you all digging away at the land and marvelling at the piles, it sparkled connections. A huge one being pride.

You’ve showcased to me that to do this work you need to take pride. Deep pride. Life changing pride in your work. You showed me how to carry forth that pride of my work into my soil building, my composting needs, my gardening needs. You inspired me to dream of feeding my family, my friends and my small community.

And with your farm, you feed and nourish us while we grow. Day by day, I know the food needed to nourish my family will come from lands and farmers who take great pride and great care of the land they work.

You taught me to seek community, and showed me what real guidance looks like, real mentorship. This is and has never been about money for you all. It’s evident.

Looking forward to growing alongside you.

A dedicated and loyal customer and friend.

Vanessa

Michelle at Green Acres Family Farm

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My name is Michelle. I am a Kindergarten teacher, market gardener and organic garlic farmer at Green Acres Family Farm in Greendale. I have taken the Local Harvest Gardening course twice, and plan to take it again.

It has met me at every aspect of my growing journey, from beginning with zero knowledge putting seeds into the ground with synthetic fertilizers, to now becoming a certified organic grower embracing all the diversity that nature provides.

This course and the community of people within it have ignited in me a passion for regenerative farming that provides food security for my community.

It has not only taught me that we need to leave the land better than we found it, but also how to do that by mimicking nature as nature intended.

Follow our journey on Instagram @green_acres_farm_ca  ||  https://greatgarlic.ca

Elysse from Chilliwack

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Andrew Couzens is a software engineer turned soil scientist.

A life long sufferer with inflammatory bowel disease, he was motivated to enter the agricultural space in an effort to “be the change” he believed was necessary to heal his own body.

Healthy plants come from healthy soil, and healthy soil comes from working with nature, not against it.

Leveraging his knowledge and experience in software engineering, he started Terra Flora Organics with a goal of helping conventional growers move from unsustainable practices that destroy soil and negatively affect the health of people and the planet, to regenerative practices that allow intensive farming whilst building soil and healing our minds and our bodies.

Andrew Couzens