THE WOVEN GARDEN

John is wonderful, charming, knowledgeable and professional He comes weekly to tend to our full garden. He has great suggestions and can pick up and plant whatever I request or offer alternatives. He has great foresight to where the garden can go over the changing of the seasons and helping it to evolve in the most holistic manner. He even makes his own fertilizer. We love him.

I first met John when I took his organic vegetable gardening class a few years ago at Hands on Third. I was electrified by his passion for the subject and his wealth of practical knowledge, and based on what I learned in his class, I've been growing a bountiful in-ground kitchen garden both in summer and winter. When we adopted a large dog this past year, I decided to make the transition to raised beds, and I knew John was the person to go to. Over the course of a morning, he installed the sturdy wooden beds and then applied his incredible expertise about soil, adding in a mixture of compost, horse manure, hay, worm castings, coffee grinds, you name it. He gave me some tips on deep watering and maintenance, and since the middle of the summer, we've been happily eating the harvest. John says that you can always email him with questions, and he really means it -- any time I've had a question (what's eating my eggplant leaves? what are those spots on my roma tomatoes?) he replies almost immediately with advice and links to helpful information. And on top of all this, he is just a joy to be around -- warm, witty, and interested in so many things. A conversation about compost can easily turn into a conversation about John Cheever! And he might even drop off a big bag of oranges on your porch, picked from his orange trees.

John was very punctual and worked every day until the job was complete. He kept me advised as what would be taking place on a given day and kept to his schedule. He has exceptional knowledge as to plant and soil knowledge and also incredible knowledge with regards to organic pest control.

He talked about ideas for what to do with the property. I was impressed with him. He was very informative. He gave me a lot of ideas. He gave me an incremental plan for financing it.

I decided to rip out my backyard lawn and plant an edible garden and was insistent on it being done organically. John is expertly guiding me through the entire process from removing the lawn, amending the soil, designing the new garden, irrigation, plant selection and planting. He is also advising me on the correct ways to composting and vermicompost. We aren't quite done yet, but working with John has been a pleasure. He has a true love and knowledge for his work. I can't wait for it to be done.