Why Smiling Gardener?

I called this website "Smiling Gardener" because I want to focus on the positive side of organic gardening.

A lot of people get into organic gardening upon learning of the environmental devastation we are inflicting upon our planet and it can get pretty overwhelming. I know I've spent my share of time being upset about it. But you eventually figure out that worrying is not very helpful (or fun).

And when you study organic home gardening, you begin to see that there are all kinds of awesome reasons to garden organically and all kinds of positive outcomes we can achieve.

So this website is for organic gardeners everywhere who are smiling because they are growing - or want to learn how to grow - amazing food and flowers in their gardens, and turn their organic soil into a vibrant, living community.

What Will You Learn Here?

But don't let the happy name fool you. The information on this site isn't fluff - it's for people who want to master the art of organic gardening.

I spend plenty of time covering the basics, but I also get into more advanced organic gardening techniques. I give you the essential knowledge and skills you don't find by reading most popular websites and books about organic gardening.

Most of them just repeat the same old things, much of which is really poor gardening advice. Some of them do give a great introduction to organic gardening, but they don't go into enough detail to make you more than an average organic gardener.

I go into that detail. Sometimes that involves getting a bit scientific, and sometimes that involves turning your views on gardening upside down. If you are a casual organic gardener, you will definitely learn a lot. If you are serious about organic gardening, you have found the website you need to go to the next level.

If you master the techniques I teach, you will be among a select group of gardeners. You will know more than most professional gardeners, college-level horticulture teachers, landscape architects and even most farmers about growing food, managing gardens and soil, and landscape design. You will produce incredible organic soil.

You will grow food that is healthier than any food you can find in a grocery store. This may seem like a lofty statement, but the fact is you can improve your soil to the point when you are getting way much more nutrition than is available in most food, even most organic food.

On this website, I share cutting-edge organic gardening tips you can put to use right now in your garden. While I really cover the A-to-Z of organic gardening, I focus on these 3 topics:

• How to grow your own chemical-free, nutrient-dense, impossibly-delicious nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables
• How to control insects, diseases and weeds forever without any chemicals
• How to make your soil and compost so healthy that you almost want to eat it!

Of course I get into indoor gardening, organic vegetable gardening and herb gardening, organic container gardening, organic fertilizer use, raised bed gardening, and so on.

Now that the book is written (and being published by Acres U.S.A. in early spring 2012), I'm working on a new project called the 'Smiling Gardener Academy' where I'm putting in a new food garden and recording the process on video from start to finish. I post some of the videos here and most of them will go into a private members area.

I hope you enjoy the free organic gardening lessons I've put together for you and the journey of becoming an organic gardener.

About Me

My name is Phil Nauta. I grew up working for my parents in their garden center. I maintained the nursery stock in the yard and eventually did a lot of the landscaping. I was also in charge of maintaining our little 9 hole, par 3 golf course.

I didn't know what 'organic' was until 2005, when I completed a Certificate in Organic Landscape Management from Gaia College. I can't remember now why I decided to take this course as I never thought I would stay in the horticultural industry after so many years of cutting grass and digging holes.

But I fell in love with gardening when I learned this organic way of doing it and became incredibly passionate about the methods I was learning.

Since then I have done all kinds of related things:

• Started an organic gardening business, now run by my sister
• Became a Certified Organic Land Care Professional through The Society For Organic Urban Land Care (SOUL)
• Received my Permaculture Design Certificate
• Completed a Certificate in Sustainable Building and Design from Yestermorrow
• Started a business selling high quality organic fertilizers called The Organic Gardener's Pantry, now run by my friend Christina
• Taught courses for Gaia College and helped put together their cutting edge online learning environment
• Spent 3 years on the board of directors of SOUL
• Have a book being published by Acres USA in the coming months

I still have lots to learn about gardening myself and my passion is continuing to do so, but I'm most excited about passing what I've learned on to you. I also help my wife with her passion over at Healthy Eating Starts Here.

Consulting

My main area of expertise is in organic soil management. I consult with people who are interested in improving their soil to an unparalleled level of health, in order to start growing vegetables and fruits of an unparalleled quality. This service is mostly useful for people growing food for sale, although home organic gardeners who grow a lot of food find this worthwhile, too.

My fee is $90/hour plus travel and incidental expenses. The process generally takes 4-6 hours for a small property. The best way to get hold of me is by email.