Determined to bloom where she is planted, Bailey focuses on kitchen gardening and cut flowers, showcasing how you can grow in any amount of space with a limited amount of time.

She gardens with her three young children beside her, believing that living seasonally and staying grounded to the natural world is vitally important to creating a meaningful life no matter where you are.

Read on to discover more on Baileys impressive career and creative mindset.

About You:

Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and what sparked your passion for the gardening industry?

I grew up on a little hobby farm, in a small agricultural community where gardening was so ordinary. I had no interest in it whatsoever. Of course, as I got older and once I had my first child, it unlocked something in me - this desire to return to my roots and raise my babies in the country. Gardening felt like the most accessible way to create nature in our suburban Southern California life.

I started with two raised beds and fell in love with growing veggies. We shared everything we grew with the neighbors and it became a passion (more like obsession) to involve my kids, see how much I could grow in a small space, and on and on.

How has your background shaped your current career? 

It was really the character of the people I grew up with that made me want to explore how nature would impact our lives more.

We went from very modern busy people rarely going into nature to growing 70% of our own produce and living by the seasons. The garden really became a priority and a cornerstone in our lives. Seeing that example growing up of living tied to the earth and in alignment with the seasons and weather was baked into me at a young age, whether I like it at the time or not. As I got older I realized the slowing down, the appreciation for a fresh-off-the-vine blackberry, the life rooted in revelry and creation is what gives the most fulfillment.

This all mixed with a background in marketing and actually art (I took lessons for years as a hobby) created a bizarre and wonderful perfect environment for garden design and writing. 

What brought your focus onto Kitchen Garden and what’s your favourite thing about growing in the garden?

The return on investment of a vegetable garden is so appealing. You work at it, and you get food - how practical! But the art of planning out the garden, pairing plants, and making the veg garden beautiful - that really struck me. I love to grow things that are unusual and also delicious. Cheddar Cauliflower is my favorite - it’s orange and gorgeous, buttery and nutty in flavor and unlike any cauliflower you’ve bought at the store. 

Garden Inspiration

What are some unconventional vegetables or herbs that are surprisingly easy and rewarding to grow in a kitchen garden?

Nasturtium is an edible flower that works as great pest control and is entirely edible. Hands down my favorite plant. She likes to be sown in cooler weather. Spinach is so easy to grow and tastes entirely different and better when homegrown - it’s a must. Lemon cucumbers are a fun one to grow and quite prolific - they add a delicate flavor to dishes that I really love and is a touch unique. Purple podded peas are a fun one as well - they grow well and are gorgeous.

What structures would you suggest are best to combined into a kitchen garden?

All the trellises! I love them all. I use obelisks for beans and peas, and arch trellises for cucumbers, squash, flowers, and even tomatoes.

I find cages to be wonderfully useful and considered garden insurance. A solid A-frame trellis is so multi-use. Great for runner beans or favas, even tomatoes. While I like to have an obelisk as a focal point in the center of a bed, they are also a great treat along the borders to add interest. More is more with structure in the garden as the plants will soon take over and create a gorgeous dimension, while providing much-needed airflow and support.

What are some of the most rewarding aspects of having a kitchen garden, beyond just fresh produce?

The garden completely quiets my mind, and it’s not unique to me. Doctors are even prescribing gardening because the science behind it is so powerful. The primary gift of the garden is that it gives people an increased perception of joy (and we all know perception is reality). It’s also in part due to the actual soil microbes that create serotonin in our brains (the happy hormone). 

It’s a true respite and so satisfying to create with your own hands. Additionally, my children have a place to dually be helpful and have fun. They have fantastic palates now and eat most veggies.

Gardening Advice:

Where would you advise aspiring gardeners to go for inspiration on design and planting?

Actually, I feel very passionate about this: any book published before the 2000s, before the internet and algorithms (other than my book, of course!) is such a great resource. Libraries are full of design books and permaculture books - true gardening books that are all by personal experience. I love to use Pinterest with design clients because it’s accessible to everyone, but true genius is waiting for us all in the old ways of gardening and design.

What are some beginner-friendly vegetables, herbs, and fruits that thrive in July?

July is a great time actually to start thinking about the autumn garden and get some seeds going again for plants that will enjoy a cool-down like broccoli and spinach. You can get an additional crop of some warm-season veggies too like bush beans, cucumbers and squash (look for fast growers).

How can I involve children in the kitchen gardening process to foster a love of nature and healthy eating?

My children have been helping me in the garden since before they were walking. They start out simply being with you, then around age two can help transplant, by age three they’re sowing seeds. The trick is to break everything down into tiny jobs. Just poking a hole in the soil, just watering one plant, just harvesting one lettuce leaf. Once they master that, they get more excited to do more jobs. I always go into the garden with the philosophy that it’s their space too. They will mess things up, pull things out, make a mess, and stomp on seedlings. A healthy non attachment to outcomes allows you to be more easygoing and them to have more fun. I always always allow them to taste everything and never plant anything toxic in the kitchen garden so that they can explore in a self-guided way and sample the goodies growing.

Available now: Kitchen Garden Living
Bailey website: www.baileyvantassel.com