01x06 - Rejuvenation

[bunniefuu]

[Jamila Norman] You came to
the farm and did strawberry picking

Yes, I did, I thought you had
such an abundance - Mmm-hmm

[water running]

You know, I spent all this time
and energy, like, growing all this food

and then we get so excited about,
like, "Oh, let's go out to the garden

- Grab some stuff and make something delicious."
- Grab some more of it

Transform those things
into beautiful meals

Get one of these cleansed

[crunches]

Mmm

- That's pretty good
- You do good work

- [both laughing]
- Yeah, you know...

It's hot out there on the
farm, it's hard work, it is...

- Takes a lot out of you
- Takes a lot out of me

And so, like, these moments of
us just being able to get together

and kind of just like
check out a little bit

I mean, it's healthy
to take time for yourself

and enjoy the fruits
of your labor

And then you can just, like,
come back renewed, you know?

- Refreshed
- Um... Yeah. You're like, ah

My name is Jamila Norman

and I am an urban farmer
in the city of Atlanta

I farm on 1.2 acres
in the middle of the city

where I grow and harvest
organic fruits, vegetables and herbs

I love potatoes They're like
jewels under the earth for me

I started farming to grow
fresh food for my sons

but saw greater need
in my community as well

After ten years as an engineer,

I left the corporate world
to farm full time

Connecting with the land
and sharing with my community

is my greatest passion

Yes. Yeah. All the good stuff
this week

You got red ocra and green ocra

- Oh, yum. Thank you. Bye
- Appreciate it. Bye

Hearing the stories from
my mom growing up in Jamaica

on my great grandparents farm
really planted a seed deep inside of me

I started this journey from my
family and I love to help others

discover the joys of farming and
start their own gardens for their family

It's everything that
I've ever dreamed of

[Jamila] After all everything taste
a little better when it's Homegrown

I am on the way to
Sheinkop's house, this morning

It's little rainy outside

I'm really excited to show them

the final plan
for their backyard

[indistinct chatter]

[Judith] What do you think?
[Eric] I think it is nice

[Jamila] The Sheinkops are
a really cool family

Eric is very hands on
and loves to do

a lot of DIY projects

He's got an amazing wife Judith

So there is a giant piece
like this. All right?

[Jamila] And they have
two daughters

Mila who loves to hang out
in the backyard with her dad

And Kaya who is
an amazing artist

[giggling]

Their backyard is kinda
like this big semi-circle that

wraps from the side,
goes around the back,

around a big pool

and comes back around
on the other side of the house

It's very disjointed

but it's in a really
cool location

It's next to this old
quarry lake that's spring fed

[birds chirping]

They definitely attempted
a garden

Eric put in a lot of work,

and cleared a little bit of
space and put in this garden

but it is on a really steep hill

And, you know, it's just not
working that well right now

and I'm just looking forward
to showing him

how to do it in a way that is
gonna create a lot more success

We love living here,
we have a wonderful property

but, um,
it's not utilized enough

because it's not just
set up properly

And we tried last year,

but when the garden
is unsuccessful

it's a little demotivating

We really need Jamila's help
because I need to learn

how to plant on that slope

And I explored everywhere,
planting strawberries and cucumbers

The problem is it didn't
taste very good

We could really use Jamila's help
to make the vegetables taste better

[both chuckle]

You know, so for us,

we really want to create that
feeling of being able to take a break

from the day, in our backyard

So we don't have to travel
on a plane to do that

But we can actually find a space

where we can take
a moment just to relax

and just to take a breath And we can't
wait to see what Jamila comes up with

Nice jobs ladies

Morning, Sheinkops
How you guys doing?

- [both] Hi, Jamila
- What you guys working on?

We're working on a
dining table -Really? Okay

- Guess what I have?
- Depends on what you have

- Yes, the final design
- Very exciting

- Yeah, we'd love to go see it
- All right, come on, let's go

They have a pool, they have
really beautiful elements

and it doesn't create

a sense of wanting
to be out there and relax

It's not very relaxing

I know you tried to do
something grow in there, not ideal

[Eric] That was our
first attempt

That was the first attempt,
absolutely

I mean, I really love
Eric's DIY spirit

He's built a fence
around his garden area

and even an axe throwing station

I mean, who thinks about that?

But, you know, we just want
a place where they can come

and just enjoy nature

- Here's what I'm gonna do
- [Eric] Oh

[Jamila] My design will connect
the two main areas of your yard

The backyard pool area
and your slop garden

To create a rejuvenating space
for your family

that incorporates vegetables
and herbs throughout

We'll start by removing
the brush and overgrowths

that surrounds the pool

And moving some of these mature
trees to the front yard to be resourceful

In order to create
a relaxing tropical field

we'll build an outdoor
living space by the pool

that includes
a multi-level deck,

surrounded by tropical trees
and plants

By the fence, we'll define a
place for an outdoor kitchen

And because I always
want spaces to grow,

we'll build three recessed
boxes into the deck

and plant aroma therapy herbs
for ultimate relaxation

[Eric] At our wedding
ceremony... [Jamila] mmm

...our vow was to make sure
that we always make time

to stop and smell the herbs

And that was a part of
the ceremony,

- so this is to us
- Yeah

[Jamila] Oh,
that's just so sweet

Yeah, just bring in herbs
and veggies everywhere

And then, of course, the big
garden is going on the slope

We'll have a four level terrace
garden with stairs going up the middle

and walkway so you can easily
and safely access it

The deep terrace beds
will give you plenty of room

for good soil to plant in

and will keep water and
nutrients from running down the hill

I am excited
Ready for the change?

- [all exclaiming]
- I know. Ready for the change

So let's talk about this
garden that you built yourself

What worked?
What were some challenges?

The big success was just
an emotional success - Right

Actually building it
That box did really well

[Judith] That box
did really well

These three did not -
What kind of soil did you use?

- The cheapest they had
- [all laughing]

- The $1 a bag
- The $1 a bag

- Which I think is, like, what, top soil?
- Yeah

Yeah, so definitely when we're
doing raised garden boxes,

we wanna make sure that
we are using compost

which is lot more nutrient dense

- This is a really steep slope. Right?
- Yeah

So, the other thing that's
gonna happen is, as it rains,

- because you're on the slope and we didn't terrace it...
- Yeah

...all the nutrients that
are in the soil literally

is actually
washing off underneath

So even if you, like,
fertilize, it's washing off

and just draining off
and it's going just...

- It's going all down the hill
- [Judith] Mmm-hmm

So then the plants don't have
that to draw from

You know? All right Well, axe
throwing is going -[Eric groans]

All right? So let's go throw
one last axe. All right - Let's do it

Oh, there we go

Hit! What?

Am I stepping with the right?

- You step with the left
- Okay. Step with the left

[Jamila laughing]

Over at the Sheinkop's,
we've cleared away the brush

We've transplanted the big
trees to front to the house

And the crew's getting started
in building the deck

Before we break ground
on the slope,

I really want to get Eric
excited about his backyard

So I am taking him to this
field trip to meet Brandy

She built out a terrace garden
in the backyard

So I am gonna have Eric
and Judith meet me over there

I think it will help Eric envision
what his backyard will look like

and the benefits of planting
on the terrace

instead of putting his
garden boxes on the slope

- Wow, this is amazing
- Yeah, thanks

[Jamila] The terrace garden
is such an efficient

and functional use of space

It's much easier to access
and it prevents erosion on the hill

Yeah, I think the Sheinkop's
will love this...

Yeah - ...'cause
they have pretty much

the same grade in terms of
the slope, it's pretty steep

[Judith] Hey, guys

[Jamila] Hey
[Brandy] Hey. Welcome

- How are you doing?
- How are you?

Oh, my God. You found
your way all right?

- Wow. Yes
- Yes. Okay. What do you think?

What's your first impression
of this terrace garden?

Gorgeous. Absolutely love it

Yeah - So this is what
we are going for, right?

This is what exactly
what we were going for

Multi-level, safe access

[Eric] Mmm-hmm

[Jamila] On the back they
have, like, you see the fence?

- You see the vine on the fence?
- [Eric] Yeah

So they have some kiwi
vining on the fence

Is that kiwi? That's cool -Right
Okay These are vine of that

That's like the kiwi that you
would buy in the store

Those full size kiwi
or is this different?

It's a hearty kiwi so it's little bit
more compact but just as delicious

This is a French
sorrel right here - Yeah

[Jamila] Look at that Oregano

They have this thing where

they talk about, like,
in their wedding

They stop to smell the herbs,
you know, and so just

being able to touch, taste
and smell all the different herbs

- [Eric] That is chive or is this decorative?
- It's called ice plant

[Eric] Gonna taste it [Jamila]
I don't think that's edible

[Judith laughs] Oh,
he's trying to eat everything

Here's your Chive,
you can munch on that

- Yeah
- Here's your chive. [laughs]

I love Eric's personality
and his energy because

he's really, like, inquisitive

What is this? Oh, wow - This
is star jasmine and that growing

[Jamila] He just wants to know
why something is the way it is

- and how it works
- Mmm-hmm

Yeah, so I mean, I think,
you know, standing up here

at this, at top part of the design, you
can see, like, if water is rushing down

How it will be captured
in the beds - [Eric] Yeah

And soak into the ground
So I think this is really

gonna help with
the erosion on the slope

and allow the water
to infiltrate in the beds,

the nutrients and everything
will be right below the surface

Of course, beautiful,
safe steps - Yeah

[laughs] So we are not
sliding down

[all laughing]

This is nice. I think one
of the things that was great

coming in to the spaces
is all the senses

Oh

So we've got the sound of the
water. We've got the aroma therapy

from the... All the plants

It just looks beautiful

The whole thing is,
is so rejuvenating

And I think
that's what's exciting about

what we're gonna
bring into our space

This one's smells fabulous

- That's fennel
- Yeah

[Eric] It is super exciting
to see somebody else

has done it successfully
and that we'll be able to learn

and do our own version of it

[Jamila] So, you know,
now that we've seen this

and we know the Sheinkops
are 100% on board

and they know exactly
what it's gonna look like

Next step's
at their property is gonna be

to break ground on the slope

and build a beautiful
terrace garden

[birds chirping]

It's a new day on the project

We're getting ready
to take down this old garden

and I cannot wait
to dig into the slope

I can definitely tell you,
you spent a lot of work

We're just gonna screen

a clean slate and just start new

Yeah

[Jamila] Well, we definitely

don't wanna get rid
of all your hard work

And this gate
is actually really beautiful

So, we're gonna re-use this gate

- [Eric] Okay
- Okay?

[Eric] This is, uh, this is,

the evolution of this area

It's less emotional

than I thought
it would be, honestly

It's actually gratifying,
isn't it?

[Eric] It is, it is

Cool

- [Eric grunts]
- [Jamila] Woo

- No more garden
- Oh

It's gonna be a
better garden - Yeah

[quacking]

[Jamila] This garden is going
to have four planting boxes

that are 12 feet long
and four feet wide

We'll start at the bottom
cutting into the slope,

keeping everything level
along the way

We're using heavy-duty
landscape timbers

and anchoring them
with metal spikes

because these boxes
are on such a steep slope

and I want this garden
to last for years

[Jamila] Being out here
on the farm,

spreading this hay,

preparing for spring
is so rejuvenating for me

Rejuvenation doesn't have
to involve anything major

Like, you don't have
to go off to exotic places

or take a vacation

You know, it's just like
these moments within the day

You just have to stop

and really enjoy the moments

You know, it's the greatest
gift you can give yourself

The 2,000 square foot deck
around the pool is down

The guys are framing out
the spaces

for the aromatherapy
herb boxes next

Plus, Eric and his daughters
are building a cool table

for their new
outdoor dining space

The progress on the slope

is really bringing
my vision to life

The terrace is looking gorgeous

We have two levels in already

and I wanna take Eric
through the plans

that we have
for the rest of the terraces

Wow, these steps look amazing

[Eric] Yeah
[Jamila] Nice and safe

[Eric] Yeah, much better
[Jamila] Solid

[Jamila] Much more accessible

So, we're standing on really

just your first layer
of your terrace, right?

So, this is a walkway

These are two beds

So, then we're gonna go up
to another walkway,

- another set of beds
- [Eric] Awesome

That's a lot of food
Are you ready?

That's great

We're gonna go over here

And the first thing
we're gonna do is,

we're gonna line the sides

with a really thick plastic

You know...

- The chemicals don't go
- Yeah

[Jamila] So whatever
treatment they use

in the pressure treated wood

won't leach into the bed

We're gonna blow away
All right, let's continue

Because we're near a quarry
there's more rock up here

so we want to add
organic materials

to the bottom of the bed

What is organic matt... What
do you mean when you say that?

So, organic matter is like...

...kind of like
broken down leaves

and anything that is food

for, like, um, worms
and things like that

They can eat organic matter

They...

Don't eat, like, rock

- Right?
- [Eric] Gotcha

[Jamila] I think a lot
what you have is rocks

So the mulch is gonna create
that organic matter layer

and then we'll put
the soil on top of that

so you kind of create,
like, a little lasagna layer

Oh, cool

- Get it, Mila, get it
- [Mila laughs]

[Eric] Feels good

[Jamila] All right. Great job

We are done

Oh, my God. Can you believe
next time I see you

it's gonna be planting day?

The 2,000 square foot deck
around the pool is complete

and the pergola is up
and ready for outdoor dining

And our deck boxes
for the herbs are awesome

Today's planting day

and we get to really
reveal all the hard work

that we've been putting in,

getting this garden ready

Hi, Eric. Hi, Judith
How you guys doing?

Hi, Jamila. How are you?

[Jamila] Oh, this is the
dining table you were making

It looks amazing

[Eric] Yeah, it came together

Okay, you guys ready to plant?

- Oh, yes
- Yes

Let's go get
the aromatherapy garden going

[Judith] Yes

[Jamila] Get our hands dirty

[Eric] Yeah

[Jamila] The plants
aren't even in yet

but all of the work
that we've done,

it's already feeling
really rejuvenating

So, let's get some soil in here

[Eric] Okay

[Jamila] And we wanna use
just a nice...

...loose, rich compost

instead of it being clay
and compact

All right
This looks nice and full

- [Judith] Yeah
- Yeah

[Jamila] Yep, okay

So, we got lemon balm,

we got basil, catnip,

citronella

Citronella, naturally
repels mosquitoes

So you rub it

on your skin or whatever

and it's gonna help
keep the mosquitoes away

The catnip is really good

Like, if you wanna sleep,

like, you can mix it
with lavender

as well as lemon balm

Lemon balm is great for, um,

if you have like a, a tummy
ache or anything like that

- All right
- Yes

- Oh, it smells wonderful
- Just, like, smell lemony

Uh, the only thing
that you'll have to replant

will be the basil

[Eric] Nice

But the citronella,

the lemon balm and the catnip
will come back every year

Aromatherapy
is a really good practice

to have in your garden
because planting these herbs

they have more than just
culinary benefits

Just smelling the herbs
are really good, therapeutic

It can help them calm down,
you know, and relax

The thing that, you know,

I always want to make sure
people understand

with aromatherapy is that,

for it to work,
you have to interact with it

You have to come and, you know,

- touch the plant...
- [Judith] Yes

...release those scents
and actually smell it

- Yeah
- [Jamila] It doesn't just...

Because it's here it works

- You know
- [Judith] Right

[Jamila] It's an interactive,
like, you know, plant therapy

You're just gonna enhance

the rejuvenation that you guys
are creating out here

[birds chirping]

[Jamila] I'll do
cilantro here, dill, chives

- [Tito] Yeah
- Flower, flower

[Jamila] The terrace garden
is in

It looks amazing

And the fence is up
so the garden

is well protected from deer

We've got beautiful stone steps

It turned out way better

than I could have ever imagined

The trellises are going here?

Yeah, the trellis
will be in the middle,

the cucumber will be half
the bed on the trellis,

and then, remember,
these snap beans

Oh, and bush beans
along the back - [Jamila] Yeah

We've got four uniform beds
on two different levels

Okay, let's get this next one in

On the two front beds

we're gonna be trellising
the cucumbers,

the peas and the tomatoes

So, cute

Trellises help support
vine plants

like cucumbers and beans

so they can climb upwards

instead of growing
on the ground in the boxes

We're planting bulbs,

spring things
and some early summer stuff

So, we're still doing,
like, leafy greens,

like, lettuce and kale and chard

Perfect

And then we're also
gonna be planting

some fruits

So, I'm really excited
to work with the family

to get this terrace garden
planted out

[Eric] All right [Tito] Hello!

[Jamila] Hey

- Welcome to your garden
- This looks awesome

It's incredible
What do we have in here?

So much

[Mila] It's so cool now

So, we got a lot
of planting to do

So, I'm gonna put
you all right to work

Won't you guys go help out Tito

- [Judith] Okay
- Plant some basils and things

Dad and Mila,

you guys can help me over here

Look at you
getting all up in there

I love it

Planting marigolds,

will bring
your beautiful butterflies,

and it'll be a great pollinator

for all these vegetables

[Judith] This is very satisfying

[Jamila] We're planting
the cucumber

Since these are so tall, I
like to kinda try to bury it some

or else it'll be really floppy

- Oh
- You know

And then, as the cucumber
grows on the top

it'll actually find the trellis

and then wrap around it

And then you can just harvest
cucumbers off the trellis

instead it sprawling
all over your bed

[Eric] Perfect. Mila's
favorite thing is pickles

So, the fact that, you know,
this is what makes pickles

- The cucumber and the dill
- [Mila] I did not know that

Okay, see I thought,
this is gonna sound stupid,

I thought pickles
were its own plant

[Jamila] Yeah, I know
A lot of kids think

They're like,
"I wanna grow pickles."

[Mila laughs]

[Jamila] And once you're done
harvesting these cucumbers

you can plant summer squash here

- Great
- All right

I didn't know you could do that

Yeah. So, we're gonna do
these beans now

- So, these are bush beans
- [Eric] Really?

[Jamila] Which are a variety of
green beans that are easier to grow

because they only get
to be about two feet tall

And these bean seeds,

we do, like, two seeds in a hole

and we're gonna, kind of like,

alternate it four inches apart

[Eric] How long
do these take to...

- To grow?
- [Jamila] Yeah, so from seed,

to when you can start
picking beans

it'll be a month and a half

[Eric] Oh. That's fast
[Jamila] Yep

[Jamila] They actually grow,
bush beans grow really fast

That's the other
great thing about them

[Eric] How deep are we going?

[Jamila] Planting it
an inch deep is fine

- So, Eric, last thing
- Yes

- Thank you for saving it
- We said we're gonna save it

I know. I think it's actually,

- really special
- It is

It turned out really good

We're just gonna use it

as the frame of the trellis
for the kiwis

- Yeah, it's wonderful
- [Jamila] Yeah

And this'll work

great for the kiwis to just
kinda wrap around

- That's awesome
- [Jamila] Yeah

Planting is done

It looks amazing, right?

[Eric] I love it, I love it
I'm very happy

[Jamila] Like,
this is the best view

- Yeah
- It's incredible, isn't it?

Yeah. It looks like
we're in some tropical resort

[Jamila] It does
[Mila] Like the Bahamas

[Eric] It is
and this is everything

[Jamila] Yeah, it's everything

And then way off,
over by the fence,

you've got
the aromatherapy garden

I mean, it's just awesome

Okay, so let's go check out
the rest of the garden

[Eric] From the very start,

we were unsure
if anything was possible

to even be done
to enjoy this whole area

And Jamila, you know,

just giving us a whole different

understanding of what
we can do back here

and then how to do it
and how to maintain it

It's been a fantastic experience

[Judith] Her passion
for this is infectious

I'm so excited now

I didn't know
how much I didn't know...

[Judith laughs]

...about gardening

Eric has definitely come
so far from where we started

which was like, you know

It was a pretty honest attempt

on a slope garden on a hill

And now it's really
put in beautifully

It's terraced properly
The plants are gonna do great

From the food that they're
gonna be harvesting and cooking

to the aromatherapy plants

All of those elements
coming together

to create
this rejuvenating space

It's all the things
that they ever wanted