“I thought, “Gardening requires so much attentiveness that I will feel put out if I do this.” I literally spend 10 minutes a day… It’s become 10 minutes of ME.”
My guest this week is Karen Walrond a professional speaker, writer, and photographer. You may know her from her site Chookoolonks, where she pairs her photo work with essays about the extraordinary found within the ordinary. You’ll notice that unlike my other guests, Karen’s introduction does not include the word “gardener.” That’s because until just 9 weeks ago Karen was not a gardener and never thought she would be. Now, to her great surprise, Karen’s got crops.
During this interview Karen and I discussed crops she can grow that would serve as a good homage to her West Indian heritage. I suggested lemongrass and sorrel aka roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa). However, shortly after recording this interview, Karen posted a photo of ginger on her Instagram account and I realized that it too would be a great crop for her to try. Here’s some ginger growing tips, Karen. I know you can do it!
Episode #3: Karen Walrond | Beginner Gardener
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About My Guest
Karen Walrond, a former engineer and attorney, is the author of Chookooloonks, the award-winning website which pairs striking imagery and inspiring words to provide evidence that the ordinary is, in fact, extraordinary. Karen is originally from Trinidad & Tobago, but currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband Marcus, daughter Alex, and a small assortment of body-snatcher-esque crops.
Karen Walrond’s raised bed vegetable garden in Houston, Texas.
Photos courtesy of Karen Walrond.
Further Resources
- Growing Beans – Includes a photo of me in St. Lucia next to a massive Bodi aka asparagus bean aka yard-long bean plant.
- Ron Finley’s Ted Talk
- Karen’s Genesis story.
This was so much fun, Gayla. I’m so honoured to be a part of your very awesome podcast (and I’ll be combing through all your episodes, because Lord knows I need the help!).
Thanks again,
K.
Coming to you from Karen’s site and I think I’ll stay awhile! Great podcast and I’m so tickled to go back and listen to your other podcasts …
I just loved this episode! The two of you are so funny and clever. And it’s a lot of fun to hear the joy in Karen’s voice describing her first garden. Very relatable.
Enjoy, have faith, and be surprised.
I love when my favorite bloggers connect…I totally fan girl you both!
My favorite quote from the podcast was Karen saying, “I was surprised when it actually tasted like a tomato!” I can relate to that, not really with tomatoes, but other unfamiliar things I have tried over the years or previous failures—like the pride I felt when my lettuce actually tasted like lettuce instead of some nasty bitter thing.
Great interview. I love the sense of wonder and excitement that radiates from a new gardener having, to them, unexpected success. It is good to tap into that and be reminded of the early joys in our gardening lives. I hear the sad “I kill everything” all the time and take enormous pleasure in steering the person to a plant they will love and succeed with and then seeing them come back for more!