Ann and Nick

The Life of a Gardener

By Ann and Nick

Ann and Nick are from Streator, Illinois, where they garden at AnNick’s Organics, a new combined effort for the teens.

They plan to focus their blog in such a way as to show people that anyone can garden and learn how to improve their gardening skills. “We want to enlighten people to the joy of gardening and the peace of mind it brings.”

The teens, when asked what prompted them to garden, replied, “We loved the thought of having good food that we know the origin of growing in our backyards. It is cheaper altogether, and we love cooking and baking, so it’s nice to have produce that is at the peak of its freshness.”

Currently planted in their garden are pumpkins, Early Girl and Brandywine tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon, sweet peppers, cucumbers, and yellow snap beans.

Top on their to-do list is to add a small compost bin to the plot.

As for pets, Ann claims Corky, the Jack Russell terrier, and Coal, a Shitzu-Pomeranian mix. Nick answers to two cats, Onyx and Whiskers.

Both have “country” skills: Ann freezes fruits and veggies, gardens, cooks, bakes and sews. Nick cans produce, gardens, does home repairs, cooks, bakes and occasionally turns his hand to carpentry.

The dynamic duo define a homesteader as one “who is devoted to living a more natural way and looks for more ways to leave less of a carbon footprint on the earth.” And their philosophy on country life?

“Size of a farm doesn’t matter. What matters is what you make of the size of your farm. Country life is good for the soul and your health. It gives you better peace of mind and helps you find joy in your life without worrying about the ‘coolest’ new technology.”