Community Spotlight: Amy Ho

We recently caught up with urban farmer and chef extraordinaire Amy Ho for a chat about her experience with the World’s Smallest Garden. Once you’re done with her story below, be sure to check her out on Instagram (@chefzouseries) for some cooking inspiration!

How much experience have you had with growing plants? 

Successfully?  Sadly none, although I am getting trained as a community teaching garden volunteer, starting with weeding, etc.

What’s the biggest mistake that you ever made gardening?

All of my past plants died because I didn’t water them properly.  I travel for work, so plants that need to be watered multiple times a week definitely didn’t/won’t work.

What got you interested in growing plants at home? 

Plants add life to my small apartment.  On a sunny weekend, I could sit there and watch my bottles of basil and mint take in the sun and the water level slowly go down… Having herbs at home also encourages me to go out, get more fresh produce, and cook more often at home.

**Side note: This is a really interesting point Amy is making here. Research actually shows that people who cook and/or garden are far more likely to steer toward healthy eating choices. Read about this and more in 5 Reasons Why Gardening Should Be Your #1 New Years Resolution

What do you like to do with the plants you’ve grown? 

I love making infused water with the basil and mint we grow with Urban Leaf, and my partner loves making a caprese salad, which we ate before remembering to take a picture.

What’s your favorite dish to make that includes plants?

Zoodles, hands down, preferable with Urban Leaf pesto of course