01x03 - Renewal

[bunniefuu]

[mid-tempo music playing]

[woman] Spring is a season
of starting fresh

It's an opportunity for renewal

And I think the process of
growing is a lot more magical

when it comes from a seed

To put this tiny thing
in the earth,

under the soil in the darkness,

and then see it sprout,
form its leaves, get bigger,

and it's so rewarding

I love the farm in springtime

It just signals a new beginning,

an opportunity for renewal, to
create something more on the farm

And it's just the beginning
of the season

My name is Jamila Norman and I'm
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 a greater need
in my community as well

After 10 years as an engineer,

I left the corporate world
to farm full-time

Connecting with the land and
sharing it with my community

is my greatest passion

[woman] Yeah! Ooh!

[Jamila] All the good
stuff this week

We got red okra and green okra

[woman] Ooh, yum

- Appreciate you. Bye
- Thank you. 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
for 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 tastes a little better

when it's homegrown

I'm heading north of Atlanta
to my latest project

I'm meeting up
with Paul and Simone,

their two teenagers, Maceo and
Kila, and Simone's mom, Jennifer

They're a really cool
multigenerational family

Just like my family,
they're from the Caribbean

Paul is from Trinidad,
and Simone's from Jamaica

I'm really excited
about showing them

how they can grow
some of the herbs and spices

from their home here in
Georgia 'cause it works really well

But they are gonna be
very hard to source,

so we're gonna be showing them
how to start it from seed

Right now, the problem is we have
these pretty large trees in the backyard

and that gives a lot of shade,

causes a lot of moss
in that area

And one of the things
we talked about with

even just trying to grow
things in the backyard

is it just doesn't have
enough sun

There's no great focal point
on that hill

It's just moss and some trees

So I am really excited that we're
going to beautify this garden space

and being able to grow things
that you can't get in a supermarket

We love being outside

and the idea of being able
to cultivate the garden

that will pull us even
further outside,

be able to use our entire yard,

that's really what
I'm looking forward to

So I like the idea
of planting seeds,

and I started actually
to buy seeds

Some germinated and some didn't

And now it's taken up
the space in the kitchen

So I'd be happy
to have a shed out there

to put my vegetables
and my herbs

Growing your own food is
something that I can really get into

in terms of developing
another interest - Not cooking?

- I wouldn't say cooking
- [laughter]

I never said cooking

[Jamila] Hey, good morning!

- [Simone] Good morning!
- [Jamila] How you doing?

Right now, we've
got a lot of trees

that are creating a lot of shade

And then of course
we've got all these roots,

so that's gonna have
to come out too

We don't want to grow trees

We don't want to grow grass

We don't want to grow moss

We're gonna grow veggies

But once we get
all that cleared out,

it'll be a really great base
for a garden

You guys ready
for the final design?

- [Jennifer] Yes!
- [Simone] We are

- [Jamila] All right
- [Simone] This is great

[Jamila] My design is going
to open up your backyard

and give this space
a fresh start

We'll begin by removing these big
trees and roots in the middle of the yard

This will bring renewal
to the space

with more sun for your six
raised garden beds,

where we'll plant spring veggies

and some special Caribbean
plants that I know you'll love

Paul wants okra
for his hummingbirds

[Jamila] You got a lot
of hummingbirds, right

Think we have enough
hummingbirds

[Jamila] Hummingbirds
are magical to me

And also I know you're
Trinidadian, so we love okra

To control the water that's running
down the hill every time it rains,

we'll add a retaining wall
and drainage throughout,

and above the wall we'll create a
nice space for your family to relax

[Simone] We talked
about fruit trees

So where are you seeing
the fruit trees?

[Jamila] We'll plant plum and
apple trees on the side of the yard

and blueberry and blackberry
bushes by the garden boxes

Then, to give your seedlings
their own home,

we're building a mini hothouse

that will be warm enough
for growing year-round

Plus, on the other side
there will be space for storage

And finally, we'll layer in plants
and flowers around the entire border

for a lush feel

- It's gonna be so exciting
- [Simone] Yeah, I know

We get to use the whole
yard now - [Jennifer] Yes

So, next thing that's happening,

the crew's coming today and we're
gonna be taking these trees down,

and so that'll be the first
step to this beautiful garden

[Jennifer] So here
I have my babies

[Jamila] Wow! This is amazing

Jennifer's growing some
seedlings indoors under a grow light,

and I'm really excited
to check 'em out

'cause I'm hoping
that they'll be big enough

to plant outside in the garden
when we're ready

I'm going to be so happy when they
get to a point that I can put them outside

[Jamila]
We're building you a shed

with a greenhouse area
first and foremost

so that you can be doing this in a
greenhouse and not taking up your house

'Cause as you can see,
you got lots of plants

Right now they're reaching
for this light, right?

When they're outside, they're
getting the light all around

So you want to bring 'em out, let
them experience the air blowing,

and you would also start

- watering them a little bit less...
- Less?

...so they get used
to not being babied

Oh, okay - You
know, it's like your kids

You got to send them off
into the world now

Okay - And then once they
go outdoors, you'll see how

they just sort of, like,
toughen up

So the hothouse gives them better
light and it prepares them for the outdoors

We still need the callaloo

I know where you can
get callaloo seeds - Oh, good

'Cause that's an important
Caribbean green that we need - Definitely

But everything else
looks amazing. I'm so proud

The crew's here

- Oh, great!
- So let's go... I know, right?

Exciting, right?
So let's go out

and see them cut
down these trees - All right

So awesome

Kicking off the project
is always exciting,

and I'm excited
for these trees to come down

'cause it's gonna be a
fresh start to this backyard

Whoo!

Timber!

The crew is going
to grind down the stumps

and go down as far as we can

because we want to prevent the
trees from regrowing into our garden

We want to make sure
to save the wood chips

because we want
to repurpose it as mulch

and use it as a base layer
in the garden beds

It's coming together
It's looking great

I'm super excited
for an awesome day one

[mid-tempo music playing]

The project is looking great
So much progress has happened

The retaining wall is in They're
in progress with the garden beds

[Simone] From here you
get the whole view - [Paul] Right

[Jamila] They've already
rerouted all of the drainage

to keep the water from flowing
down the hill into the garden

And the foundation for the
hothouse/shed has already been put in

I have something really fun
planned for the family today

I'm bringing in a
really good friend of mine,

Haylene Green, The Garden Queen,

and she actually is from Jamaica

She makes tea, she sells tea,

and I know the family
really loves tea

It's part of the culture
of Jamaica,

and so I thought it would be
really fun for Haylene to come in

and show them
how they're gonna use

those Caribbean herbs
and spices in their tea

and just have a really fun time

- Hey, Jennifer. How are you?
- Hello

I am fine, thanks

This is Haylene Green,

- The Garden Queen
- Yes, I should curtsy

Okay

[laughter]

[Jamila] I thought it would be
a great idea to do a tea party

since we're gonna do
a tea garden

What kind of fresh herbs
are we using?

Yeah, we're gonna
be using fresh mint leaves

I'll pick a few fresh
mint leaves - Yes

Yes - This is what
you're gonna be doing

Yes, uh-huh

Gonna go to the garden -
We're just adding a little more flavor

- [Jamila] Yum
- [Jennifer] Yum, yum, yum

Yes. Then some hibiscus

Dried hibiscus

It is normally a holiday drink
for the island people

Right. Right

Now, we're not in the season
for hibiscus - [Haylene] That's right

And it's not something
you would buy in the store

- This came from the garden...
- [Jamila] Mmm-hmm

...dehydrated over the
winter - [Jamila] Mmm-hmm

The sorrel part is
on the outside - Right

- And then you open it up
- And the seeds are inside

Yeah, and the seed are inside

- Pay attention
- Right

[Jamila] You would start the
seeds indoors in a warm place

Then you will transplant it
outside into the garden

after the last frost

And then it will grow
through the spring, summer,

and then you'll harvest
in late fall

[Haylene] Yes. Yes - What
other herbs are we putting in there?

[Haylene] Okay - [Jamila] So
you're gonna snip some lemongrass

[Haylene] Some lemongrass

I'll put it in here

- Got some fresh hot water
- Mmm-hmm

And you need your water

- freshly boiled hot
- Fresh

Not lukewarm

- Right. Mmm-hmm
- Not sitting for five minutes

Right - All right, so
we'll put this over here

and let that steep - We're
getting the oils out of these

So, how long does it
have to steep for?

- Five to ten minutes?
- Yeah, Mmm-hmm

All right - Do you want to
run it through the strainer?

It's a nice color

Yes

Mmm-hmm

I smell the mint

[Haylene] Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm

- Ooh, this is really good
- Yes, uh-huh

[laughing] - I think the family
really enjoyed themselves

I can see them totally
incorporating this in a garden

and this really becoming
part of their everyday practice

This has been wonderful

I mean, the teas were amazing

Mmm-hmm - And I really
would like to get some of the sorrel

so that we can replicate this

- That's right
- Yeah

I have a friend that's
growing hibiscus sorrel

- We will put it...
- Mmm-hmm

...in the garden

All right, to our future
tea parties

- Yes!
- And to the tea garden

If I may say so myself,
I love this

- [laughter]
- Uh-huh

Mmm-hmm

Mmm-hmm

I'm taking off these
low tunnels,

uncovering the strawberries
and onions

because spring is here
and it is warm

That's, like, better-looking

And I'm gonna go meet
my friend Joe at his farm,

Love is Love Farms,

to pick up some
hibiscus sorrel seedlings

And Jennifer is going
to meet me there

to learn more
about planting seeds

- Oh, Jennifer!
- Hello

- How are you?
- I am finally here

This is paradise

[Jamila] Jennifer has done really
well with the plants that she started,

but there's a lot more you
can learn about planting seeds

These are called Winstrip trays

You'll see that there's
actually not a bottom to this tray

[Jennifer] Right, I see that

- When the plants are growing...
- [Jennifer] Mmm-hmm

They're basically growing with
air all around the root system

[Jennifer] Oh - Which
make it a little bit healthier

The roots don't get encircled
Have you ever...

[Jennifer] Yes - Have you
ever pulled out a potted plant

and you just saw that it had
been growing forever?

And that's because the root
system thought it could grow infinitely

[Jamila] Okay,
so Joe's gonna show us

[Joe] So what I really love to do is
just heap it all up on top of the tray

[Jamila] And it's a little bit
moist already?

[Joe] Yep. The soil would...
might fall out otherwise

Pack it down just a little bit

And we'll brush off
the excess dirt

And there we go

[Jamila] All right,
so what's the next step?

Got to go get the seeds -
[Jamila] Let's go gets the seeds

[Jennifer] So, we have
a saying in Jamaica

that Paul is going to be
in hog heaven

because we are planting
some okra seeds

He loves okra. I like okra The
rest of the family not so much

So, as you can see, the okra
seed is just a nice round seed

And we start by making little
divots with our fingers,

about an inch

So if you want to go ahead
and seed this first row

If you want to know, like,
how deep to plant a seed,

you know, you want to go
somewhere between

two to three times
the diameter of the seed

If you have, like, a really,
really tiny seed,

you want it more towards
the surface

If the seed is bigger,
you'll go a little bit deeper

So I need my measuring tape

No, I'm just kidding

[laughing]

[Jamila] I'm just really excited
to get back to the project

Between the vegetables that
Jennifer has already started

that are ready to go
in the ground

and the ones that we just did
today that we still have to nurture,

they're just totally set up
for success

- Yeah. See? You did good
- Yeah

[Jennifer]
The best part of this visit

is that I'm going to be taking
home the okra that I just planted

and also a tray of sorrel

By Christmas,
I will have my Christmas tree

It really was a very nice day
on the farm

[shovel thudding]

I'm at Paul and Simone's today

The crew has gotten a lot
of work done

They're working
on the shed hothouse

and putting in
the plastic panels

They're going to let in lots of
sunlight, which will heat up the space

so Jennifer can start her
seedlings in there year-round

I'm working on planting
these hydrangeas

Southern staple,
beautiful flowers

Their color is determined
by the acidity in the soil

ranging from blue to pink
to lavender

These will bloom in the
summer and fill in this area

The six garden boxes
are already in

Planting these hydrangeas,

what you want to do
is dig a hole

about twice the width
of the container

They actually do really well in the
Southern region, so they can handle the clay

But I'm adding some compost

just to add some organic matter

Gives them some nutrients

And then after that,
when it's all done,

I'm gonna mulch
over the whole thing,

and they'll be good and secure,

and they will bloom
for many years to come

It's a busy day here today

We're getting a lot of work done

The acrylic panels are up
on the hothouse,

and it's feeling like a real
greenhouse in there

Hey, wow This is looking great

It's just really amazing to see
the vision starting to come to life

- [Jennifer] Hello
- [Jamila] Oh! Hey!

- Jennifer, how are you?
- I am fine

[Jamila] Come on in

- [Jennifer] Yes!
- [Jamila] It's warm in here

- Check it out - [Jennifer]
This is absolutely fabulous

- [Jamila] Isn't that awesome?
- Yeah

- [Jamila] See? It's already, like, hot in here...
- Mmm-hmm

[Jamila]
...and cool over here

This is going to be great
for the plants

Yeah, it's gonna be
great for the plants

And you can bring
all your seedlings in here...

[Jennifer] Okay - ...and,
you know, grow 'em out bigger

[Jennifer] Right - And then
you can even start them in here

now that it's warm

so it's not taking up
all the space in your house

I thought this was
really cool...

- [Jennifer] Oh!
- ...because in the summer, it will get really hot,

so they created this really
cool trapdoor up there

So pull that lever

[Jennifer] Okay,
I'm working my triceps

[Jamila] You are working
your triceps - And release

[Jamila] And you see,
that opens it up

and it lets the hot air out,

so this doesn't get too hot
in the summertime

We opened up the window
and just had a moment

I'm working in the garden

Get me some lemonade - Or I
can start selling my vegetables

You can sell
your veggies right here

She really just was lit up and
excited about it, so it was super cute

It looks really good and I
think that's gonna work for you

- for a long time
- [Jennifer] Yes

Today's planting day The beds
are done, and they're filled with soil

The sod is down
and looking gorgeous

And I can't wait to get
all the plants in the ground

We've already layered in camellias,
hostas, gardenias, and lilacs

on the perimeter of the yard

to attract bees and
butterflies for the garden

and to create seasonal color
and beauty

One of the really exciting and
special things about this project

and working with Jennifer
is that she started the seeds

before we even started
the garden

- Hey, Jennifer! Good morning
- Good morning

[Jamila] Look at you
using the hothouse I love it

[Jennifer] Yeah
Caught me working

Jennifer's already so excited

She got some of her plants out of
her kitchen and already in the hothouse

I hope the okra plants
are doing well

and that she took really
good care of the hibiscus

'cause I can't wait to
put that in the tea garden

It stays very hot,
so that is good

[Jamila] Yeah - You see
how the plants are doing well

[Jamila] They are doing well

This is all the hibiscus

- you got from Joe's farm
- Yeah

[Jamila] Okay, these are some
of the okras

that came up - Yes
You know, what I learned

is that soil
is very, very important

- because once I transferred it into the compost...
- Yep

- ...it did so much better
- Did so much better

'Cause they're green and thick,

and this is gonna be great

It's gonna transplant
really well

You always want to start
with really good compost

or, like, really good
quality potting mix

Kind of like how Joe had
at his garden - Right. Yes

And that gives them
the best chance for success

All right, well, let's get
some of these plants out

Pass me some of the vegetables

and things we're gonna put
in the garden

So we're gonna put the
hibiscus sorrel in the garden

- That looks really good
- Absolutely

[Jamila] Oh, you got
some of the peppers

- over here too
- Yes

And really, with peppers,
you only need one of each

You don't need too much So
we got the Trinidad pimento

- [Jennifer] Right
- Right

[Jamila] The Scotch bonnet
Okay, good

Mint, we will not put mint
in your beds because then...

[Jennifer] Right, exactly -
...you'll only be growing mint

It will take over

So we want that
in a pot by itself - Yes

[Jamila] And you can use
that for tea

but not in the garden beds

All right, well, we got all these
set aside for the garden beds

But first, I think I want to go
ahead and plant the fruit trees,

so you want to grab Paul?

Sure - And we'll
get started on that

- [Jennifer] Sounds good
- All right

I'm really excited to work with
Jennifer and Paul this morning

because we're gonna be
planting an apple tree

and a plum tree

You want to bury it at the level
where you would be in the container,

so maybe about an inch
or two above the root ball

They're gonna start off small
but in about two years,

they'll definitely start
producing fruit for the family

And, Paul, you scoop around
and I'll just

use my hands to layer in
compost while you add in the dirt

The really cool thing about this
project is nothing goes to waste

So the trees that we took
down, we saved that mulch

and we're using that
to mulch the new tree

It's all coming full circle

Mulch does a couple of things

It keeps the soil moist
and it'll break down over time

and feed the plants
with organic matter

[Paul] I think it's kind of
nice that we're replacing

some of the trees that we
took down - [Jamila] Mmm-hmm

It's like you took down
old trees

to create your garden
and those old trees are now...

[Paul] Yeah - ...helping to
make your new garden flourish

- Right?
- Right

So trees feeding trees

All right, so you guys
did such a great job

We're gonna plant
the apple tree next

Today's the last day,
and it's always bittersweet

but it's really nice to
just come to the finish line

The rest of it is gonna
go in this bed

That's the tea garden!

We had a great tea party
and the family was so inspired

that we decided to do
a tea garden

We're gonna add some
lemongrass, got some chamomile,

some lemon verbena,

obviously the sorrel
that we started

And I know we wanted to plant
the okra and hibiscus together

just because
they are in the same family

and they're great
for the hummingbirds

We're definitely planting
the okra for Paul

because that was
his special request,

and he loves them also
because of the hummingbirds

They really love to get
the nectar out of the flowers

The hibiscus
should be ready in time

for a nice little holiday
drink around Christmastime

That's about how long it takes
before you can start harvesting from it

Lemon verbena is lemon-scented so
you can bruise the leaf and smell them

Oh, yeah

Yeah, that's really... It's like strong,
strong lemon scent. Right, exactly

So it's more lemony,
whereas lemongrass

is, like, more lemon and kind
of herby, herbaceous a little bit

You can use the leaves
and the flowers

- of the lemon verbena
- [Simone] Okay

[Jamila] In the wintertime,
we're gonna mulch all the beds...

- [Simone] Yes
- ...and protect the soil

in order to just keep 'em
from being frozen,

and they'll actually come back

And can we use the same
wood-chip mulch from the trees?

Yeah, absolutely
You just put it right on top

- [Simone] I like that
- Mmm-hmm

[Simone] Reusing what we have

All right, so we've got this
planted The tea garden is done

- Mmm-hmm. Okay - All right?
So we're gonna lay out the rest

of what Jennifer started...

- [Simone] Okay
- ...and the rest of the beds

and we'll plan out the
rest of the garden - Okay

[Jamila] Let me show you guys
what we're gonna do

You're gonna dig a hole,
put the soil to the side,

and then flip it over

Perfect

One of the specialty crops
that we wanted to also source

was callaloo, which is a
big green in the Caribbean

So last thing, we're gonna
plant the callaloo seed

And I'm gonna show you all these
seeds 'cause they're really, really tiny

- [Paul] Wow
- [Simone] Oh, yeah

That's really tiny - They almost
look like little pieces of metal

[Simone] So how are you gonna
plant them in?

One by one to make sure
that they're spaced out?

- So, because these are so tiny...
- Right

...you just, like,
sprinkle them

[Simone] I feel like
I'm sprinkling fairy dust

And then all we do
is just kind of, like...

- [Simone] Oh, just gently
- [Jamila] Yeah, 'cause...

I mean, they're so tiny,

they don't really need
to be, like, buried

All right, that's it
Guys, we're done

- Oh, man
- All right. Wow

- How does it feel?
- Great

This yard turned out so
amazing It is gorgeous

It is beautiful. I'm amazed

When we came to this backyard,

it was just a space
that had no purpose

There was a really
big crop of trees

in the middle
that was blocking the sun

And so this transformation

definitely just gave
the yard a lot of purpose

and gave the family
a lot of space

to where they can come out
and enjoy

And then your sorrel and ginger

and anything with your tea

And it just turned out
so beautiful

We had in our mind
what we wanted,

but what has been realized

is even better than
what we had pictured

[Paul] We wanted to plant
some things from the Caribbean

and really try and have
that focus

but I was just really surprised

that she was able to get
all of those things planted

It's absolutely beautiful

My plants have
a happy place to grow,

and I'm looking forward
to seeing how they blossom

It's renewal at its best

[Jamila] They've got
space to relax and gather

They've got space
for their garden

And I can just see the spark
in all of their eyes

about being involved
and really hands-on,

so think it transformed from
Jennifer's love to the family's love