My guest this week is Renee Garner, an artist who draws inspiration from her garden in North Carolina. She is also a mom to two young children and in this episode we chat about how she engages the kids with the garden – what works and what doesn’t work. We also discuss her own personal connection with the garden: how that informs her artwork and how her art, in turn, allows her to see and experience the garden from a different perspective. Renee is also a chicken keeper, which leads to a discussion about how she manages a flock through pregnancy and while raising small kids.

Please Note: Renee’s baby began to cry towards the end so you may notice a few stark jumps where I made cuts.

I will be taking a break from the podcast for the month of August and will return with episode 10 in September.

Episode #09: Renee Garner | Gardening with Kids / Art Inspired by the Garden / Chickens / Growing Figs

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About My Guest

Renee Garner digs, draws, and plays with her family and critters in Matthews, NC, USA.

Renee’s garden serves many purposes as a play space for her two young children and a play space for her. It also features an area for her dogs to run around and another that houses her chickens.

The native plant garden and pond.

Some of Renee’s gorgeous artwork. I have the tomato print in the hallway outside my kitchen!

Renee has several fruit and nut trees in her garden including paw paw, pecan, and figs.

Renee grows edible perennials such as rhubarb and sorrel (Rumex acetosa) [seen here] alongside flowers and other plants that are native to her region.

This bed is in the shape of a keyhole and features a tripod in the centre that is covered in beans. She built it as a play bed for her oldest child.