Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where are you located? Where do you offer your services?
A: We’re headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, 20 miles north of downtown Chicago. Many of our clients are located in the surrounding North Shore suburbs, and we focus primarily within the Chicagoland area. Our reach extends throughout the Midwest region in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
Q: How much will my garden cost?
A: After our initial visit to your garden site, we will prepare a proposal detailing the scope of work and cost of the project.
Q: If I want to grow vegetables this year, when do I need to get started?
A: Our team meets with prospective clients and design gardens year round. We build gardens from March through December (weather permitting). New gardens can have their first planting from April through September. Feel free to contact us at any time of the year to get started – give us a call at (847) 830-0093 or send us an email at info@theorganicgardener.net.
Q: What types of fruits and vegetables can I grow?
A: We offer over 90 different varieties of edibles on our crop list ranging from varietal kales to heirloom tomatoes, each carefully chosen for the best texture, flavor, and reliability. In larger gardens, we also plant perennials, including asparagus, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. We like to incorporate a mix of vegetables, fruit, herbs, and edible and cut flowers within each space.
Q: Do you include flowers in your gardens?
A: Yes, we do! We love to plant flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes, including edible flowers and flowering vines. Planting flowers not only adds beauty to the garden but also provides food for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators. Flowers can be cut and harvested for enjoyment within your home.
Q: Can you take care of my lawn or ornamental gardens for me?
A: Our training and expertise is specific to organic fruit and vegetable gardening. We generally decline requests to tend lawns or ornamental gardens, though we do design and tend beds of cutting flowers within vegetable gardens. We can also provide master site planning to ensure compatibility of the garden and incorporate edibles into your landscaping.
Q: What do you do in the winter?
A: A lot! We stay busy even when the ground is covered with snow. Our Midwest winters provide us the time to strategize, hire additional team members, and improve on systems for the season to come – from deciding which new varieties of plants to grow to getting a head start on building compost bins, gates, and more. For many of our clients, we also tend heated greenhouses and coldframes to keep the harvest going year round.
Q: Where do you get your seeds and plants?
The plants we bring to your garden are either started in our on-site greenhouse or sourced from local organic farmers. All of our seed is non-GMO.