01x02 - Discovery

[bunniefuu]

[birds chirping]

[Jamila] There is always
something to discover

at the farm

And for me with farming,

especially like in the city,

the idea of discovery
is just being able

to look at the same thing
that someone else

might be looking at
and see that differently

[dramatic music playing]

[Jamila] That's what I love
about what I do

There's a lot
that I have discovered

in terms of, like,
different vegetables

in conversations with customers

from, like, different countries

and different cultures

and chefs who are looking
for something specific

and I'm, like, "Okay, yeah,

I'm open to, you know,
trying that."

And how can I turn up,
so definitely one of those

I mean, it's definitely
not something

I grew up eating,

but it's really sweet

and it grows really well
in Georgia

So, you know, I started
growing it and I love it

And finding new ways to farm
and new varieties to grow

really keeps farming
exciting for me

Chefs gonna love this

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

I saw 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

Yes Whoo

All the good stuff this week

We got red okra and green okra

- Oh, yum
- [woman] Appreciate you

- Thank you
- Bye

[Jamila] 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

[birds chirping]

[Jamila] Today, I'm here
to meet the Brandenburgs,

they're vegetarian family
of five

and they really want
to be able to harvest

from their garden every day
for their family meals

I'm really excited
to just help them

discover the property

and what it is
that they actually have

and to fall in love
with their space

because it's a really
beautiful site

The Brandenburgs live
in Buckhead,

which is a big finance

and shopping district
in Atlanta,

even though they're only
a few miles

from skyscrapers

Atlanta is the city of trees

So there's lots of green spaces

throughout the neighborhoods

And the Brandenburgs are lucky

because they have a whole acre

in the middle of it all

Right now, they see
a lot of the space

is unusable because, like,
half of it is shaded,

a lot of trees,

but I'm really excited
about showing them

how they can extend their garden

through their whole site

[woman] All right, guys

[Amanda]
We're really excited to learn

something new with our kids

We're all starting
as beginner farmers

and we're all going to learn
at the same pace

- along the way
- [Mark] We have tried to, uh,

do a little gardening
in the back

It started out well
but it's kind of flopped

Why don't we get anything
in here?

That didn't grow anything

- Yucky
- Nothing

[Mark] We're also concerned
because we feel like

we're planting at the end
of the summer season,

it's all right now
and we want our harvest

to extend to the next season

[Amanda] We really need
to figure out

where to have the garden,
so it'll thrive

Finally just connecting
the rear portion

of our property to the rest
of our yard

and making it something
that's purposeful

and enjoyable for us

[dramatic music playing]

- [Amanda] Look at that
- [Mark] Yeah

I noticed that

[Jamila]
Hey, how are you guys doing?

[Amanda] Hi

[Jamila]
Right now, they have four

not-so-great garden boxes
scattered in the yard

I'm gonna bring them together
in the sun

where everything can thrive

Here to about here

But the first area
we're going to tackle

is this unruly back half

[Amanda] This space
has been such a pain

[Mark] That's right

[Amanda] It just feels
entirely unusable

[Jamila] This does feel
pretty intimidating back here

But here's what I'm going to do

- [Mark] Okay
- [Amanda] Okay

[Jamila] We're going to start
in the back

Right now, it's overgrown,
making the area unusable

We'll clean it up to give
the kids lots of space

to explore and add a fire pit,

so the whole family
can enjoy nature

- on cooler nights
- [Mark] Wow

[Amanda]
That's beautiful

[Jamila] On the other side
of the fence,

the garden and play areas

are scattered around the yard,

making the space not functional

We'll create designated
spaces for each

by moving the swing set
to the new kids' area,

which opens up a sunny space
for the garden

We want the design to be
an English country garden,

so we're going to make sure
there's symmetry

in the garden
with a low rectangular wall

defining the space

We'll build
four new planter boxes

that will be bigger
than your old ones,

so you can grow in abundance
for your large family

And don't worry about starting

a little later in the season

We're going to build low tunnels

over your raised beds

to keep your plants
warm and happy,

so you can extend
your harvest into winter

We're also going to create paths

connecting the various areas
because an English garden

should always be a place
for an easy stroll

And we'll add a garden shed
that has the look

of a tiny cottage
as a focal point

So we're gonna have
a bridge right here

- [Amanda] Yeah. Okay
- [Jamila] And finally,

we'll add something edible
that only grows

in the shade
to tie the garden together

I think I have a solution

for how we can clean up
this area

It's a natural way
to clear land,

see what you have,
and then it sparks

all the possibilities
for what could be done

- Something called goatscaping
- [Amanda] Okay

- Okay
- [Amanda] Bring goats in

[Jamila] Yeah. So you can rent
a herd of goats

and they will come back here
and clear this overgrowth

[Amanda] Yeah,
a goat sounds like a blast

and I'm sure the kids
would love watching the goats

The kids are gonna lose it

I might lose it with the kids

- So...
- [laughter]

[Jamila] Amanda is on board
with goatscaping,

so we're gonna
bring them out tomorrow

and clear the space

[dramatic music playing]

[goats bleating]

[dramatic music playing]

[Jamila] It's day two
at the Brandenburgs

and the goats are here

Oh, my God I'm so excited

Here they come

They are so cute

Aw

[Jamila] Hi

Hi, guys

Oh, my God

Wow

Look at 'em

How popular is this work?

Really popular
for a lot of reasons,

one, it's entertaining to watch

Yes

[Chris] There's no pesticides,
herbicides,

anything like that,
and the rough terrain

doesn't matter the goat

[Jamila] Yeah, yeah,
because they can

get into tight spaces
that maybe machinery

- can't get in
- [Chris] Yes

And they'll eat nonstop,

goats are like 16-year-old boys

There's no full

- Their favorite foods are...
- Kudzu

[Chris] Kudzu is number one
They love kudzu

Privet is another one
and it's here

[Jamila] Which is what...
We have a lot out here

[Chris] Kudzu and privet
are both invasive

and poison ivy is the third one

[Jamila] Okay

[Chris]
So Georgia is a buffet

- [Jamila] Buffet
- Can we go inside?

- [Amanda] Yeah
- [Jamila] Hey, goats

- [Amanda] Wow
- [Jamila] Yeah

I think they're running away
from me

[girl] Oh, they're so cute
[indistinct]

The black, Mom, look,
that one is on the tree

It is

- [girl] They're so furry
- [Jamila] Hey, look at that

They're just eating and eating

Just eating away

With how fast they're eating,
this whole area

will be cleared out
in about three days

[Jamila] The backyard here
at the Brandenburgs

is really starting
to come together

The crew has been working
hard on the front part

and the goats have been working

really hard on the back

[dramatic music playing]

[goats bleating]

The goats are still working

With all they had to clear,

they need another day or so

In the meantime,

we're working on this top area

So far, we've got
the garden wall built,

the swing set moved
and the shed is up

And the garden boxes are done
and we're gonna move them

into place today

You got the backward side, huh?

Mmm-hmm

- Always in the back corner?
- Yup

The pea gravel is perfect here

It's great for water drainage

and it fits
the English garden field

that I want to create for Amanda

I have one request

- [Rod] Okay
- They need to be deeper

- [Rod] Deeper
- Right?

We're putting in cabbages,
and kale, and collards,

- and they are going deeper
- Okay

You know, they need more
root space

[Rod] The root...
The root system? Okay

Yeah. So we want to go ahead
and set the plants up

- for success
- [Rod] Right

I want more soil
to kind of, like,

mixing with the virgin soil,
and for those earthworms

to kind of do their work

We can add another
six inches to it,

- make it a full 12-inch box
- Yeah

And let the earthworms
go to work

Okay

[dramatic music playing]

- [man] Got 'em?
- Yup. We're good

I'm having the family
come out and help me

fill these garden boxes
with potting soil

Add in soil and you just
rake it flat and...

[Amanda] Okay

[Jamila] We're using
a 50-50 soil mix

for your yard, which is a blend

- of topsoil and compost
- [Amanda] Okay

[Jamila] And I want to keep it
nice and loose

to supply air and nutrients
so your plants can thrive

[Amanda] Right

We got one down
and three more to go

[laughter]

[Jamila] There you go You got it

[boy] How many dirt
we have to put in?

A lot

You know what we could do?

Tip the wheelbarrow
a little over

[Mark] That's sounds pretty fine

Okay I'm gonna do that

And Dad, do you want
to help just like...

- Mmm-hmm
- Rake it in there

Are you going to be able
to do this by yourself

- after I'm gone?
- [boy] Maybe

Maybe with the help
of your parents, huh?

[Mark] Jamila, it's gonna
start getting cold soon

and we want to be able
to harvest our vegetables

and fruits in the winter

What are our options?

In Georgia, it does get cold,
so to grow year round here,

you just need the right gear

One great technique
is to create a long tunnel

over your bed

And so you will create
these hoops

and you'll cover them
with a fabric

that's going to raise
the temperature of the soil

and kind of create
like a greenhouse effect

So the plants
can continue to grow

I really want to show
the Brandenburg family

a low tunnel in action,

so they can see how to do it,

see the materials
and just get a sense of it

So I've planned a field trip

out to my friend's farm
in the middle of the city

[dramatic music playing]

[Jamila] We're here today
with the Brandenburgs

to show them how to set up
a low tunnel

to extend their harvest
and a few other surprises

And be careful
when you come through here,

single file

[Mark]
I can smell the vegetables

[Hyatt] They're too...
Smells good

[Mark] Yeah Oh, that's fragrant

[Hyatt] Smells so good

Okay. So they, farmer Brent,
is gonna show us

how to make low tunnels,

so that we can protect
our vegetables

and grow all season long

So does anybody know this plant?

Do we know
what we're looking at?

- [girl] It's dinosaur kale
- [Hyatt] Dinosaur kale

- [Jamila] It's dinosaur kale
- [Brent] Yeah

So things like dinosaur kale,

if we weren't to protect them
through the winter,

these might get
kind of like frostbite

And then the other thing is,
you know, being able

to keep them covered
and give them some heat,

it'll keep them growing
a little bit faster

So you can harvest

a little bit more continuously

[Brent] So the way we do it,
we have these

- fiberglass hoops
- Mmm-hmm

[Brent] Basically just
stick them in the ground

about a foot or so,
fold them over...

- Okay [indistinct]
- [Brent] ...and...

- There you go
- [Jamila] Yeah

- Yeah
- [Amanda] You got this one?

Get right there
and straight across

[Jamila] So everybody grab
three clips

- You guys ready?
- [Brent] Ready

[Jamila] Let's go

Mommy and Hyatt,
you guys are at the end

[Brent] Like making a bed

[Jamila] Ayomi,
you are in the middle

Remy, where are your hands?

On the cloth

All right Put one on the top

and then one down at the bottom

And that'll kind of seal
the heat in

- Woo-hoo
- [Mark] We are

- You are?
- Yeah

[Jamila] It's really exciting
to see all of the kids

just have that connection
to their food

and then they can get
their hands dirty

is just going to, like,
you know, ignite that spark

- [gasps] Ooh
- [Amanda] Wow

[Jamila] I've got
one more thing to show

the Brandenburgs
and it's perfect

for the back half of the yard
because it only grows

in the shade

You guys know at your house

we're setting up
a garden for you

And we wanted to be able
to extend that,

you know, garden
and, like, having fresh food

into some shady areas

and mushrooms
are a great option for shade

Definitely. Mushrooms are one
of the very few things

that will grow in full shade

They actually prefer full shade

- [Jamila] Mmm-hmm
- So, uh, we've got

a few mushroom logs here
that are fruiting

Um, these are all shiitake logs

[Amanda] I love mushrooms
It's exciting

[Jamila]
That is exciting, right?

[Brent] Yeah
And uh, so much like

how we plant seeds in the soil

and they come up
and produce fruit

Uh, same thing, we're actually
taking some of this material,

which is like our seed

This is inoculated sawdust

This has kind of like
mushroom seed in it

and we're taking this
and we're going to be

injecting it into the logs

And another thing that we do
is we seal them up with wax,

that helps to keep other types
of spores from getting in

Okay Let's inoculate a log

- Safety first
- Safety first

[machine whirring]

[Brent] This is kind of like
a little syringe,

push it down in and, yeah,
just kind of pack it in,

stick it right there
and jam that top

There it is, the technique

So now we have to cover
our holes with wax

I just have this little pot

We don't do anything else
in this

I don't make any chili in this,

it's just for wax

Just got these little dabbers,
dip it in

and just dab it on

So another really,
really cool thing

about the mushrooms,
is they grow super fast

It takes only about
two to three days

for them to go from this stage,

which is called pinning
to that stage

where they're ready to eat

Super fast

[Amanda] The mushroom log idea
that Jamila and Brent had,

I think is incredible

You guys ready to take one home?

- Yeah
- Yeah

[Jamila]
That'd be really good

It'll be beautiful
in our fire pit area

[Amanda] Yeah

This has been a great day

I'm so glad that Jamila
brought us here

and the kids are clearly
so excited,

out there gathering vegetables

and working with farmer Brent
and Jamila

I think that was really
impactful for them

[dramatic music playing]

[goats bleating]

[Amanda] I'm so excited
about seeing

the goats' progress

and what they've accomplished,

that space
will now have a purpose

It'll just be a continuation
of our garden

[birds chirping]

[Jamila] So it's 12...

- [Tito] So it'll be six
- [Jamila] Yeah

No, no, no
It'll be, um, eight and 12

[Tito] Eight this way
and 12 this way?

- [Jamila] Yeah
- [Tito] Okay

[Jamila] It'll be like
that grid,

but we're going to fill
in the whole bed,

but we're gonna get a couple
of different varieties

Tito's helping me
put together the final plans

for the Brandenburgs,
and then she's gonna help me

get all the plants in the ground

I'm really excited

I just want to make sure
that we kind of like

get together, uh,
a plan for how much

- it's going to go in each bed
- Okay

So that they're always like
having something to harvest

So it'd be the two varieties
of kale

So it'd be like the curly kale

- and then maybe like lacinato
- The lacinato

- Yes. Boom
- Gotta have lacinato

- Yeah
- Okay

- Some root vegetables here?
- Okay

- So root vegetables...
- Like turnips?

Oh, yeah Because we'll have...

How could I turn...
Transplant from my farm,

which I just found out

is actually Hyatt's
favorite vegetable

- Ooh, nice
- And radish seeds

- and carrot seeds
- [Tito] Awesome

And they'll be able
to harvest the turnips,

then radish, and like carrots
at the end

Carrots will be the last thing
to come in

and actually might not come
until the spring...

- Yeah
- They take a long time

I mean, I think we got
a good plan

- How you feel about it?
- [Tito] I am jealous

Yeah, I know, right?
Yeah. They'll be happy

Yeah I'll be happy

I can't wait to get
these plants in

[dramatic music playing]

[singer vocalizing]

[Jamila] So it's the last day
at the Brandenburgs,

the goats are gone

I can't wait to explore it
back there

[singer humming]

[Tito]
Jamila, these are so cool

- Where did you get these?
- Oh, yeah

We had an awesome field trip
that we took the family on

because I thought
it would be great idea

to introduce mushrooms
to the garden back here

I think the kids will love it

It'll be something
to kind of like

watch grow and explore
and, uh...

And it's super unique

[Jamila] So these are
shiitake mushroom logs

These right here
are newer mushrooms

You can tell,
they're like softer,

lighter color,
just coming in and firm

These guys, they're actually
over a week old,

so they can just pull these off

And the logs are good for about

two to three years out here

And it'll be something
for the kids to like explore

and come and check
on their mushroom logs

- They can come foraging
- Yeah

They can come foraging

Foraging for mushrooms back here

is just the start

There's going to be
so much good food for them

to discover in their yard,

especially in these garden boxes

that Tito and I have planned out

They're going to have
some of the family's

favorite fruits and vegetables

growing in them

Because you, you know,
you're a family of five

We want to make sure
that we plant multiples

- of things, so you have...
- Right

...you know, enough

We have, um, of lacinato kale,
it's an Italian variety

It's also the most
nutrient-dense of all kales

because it's very,
very dark green,

- lots of chlorophyll
- Okay

[Jamila] And then we have
your standard

- curly green kale
- [Amanda] Uh-huh

[Jamila] Kind of open up
those roots,

so that they know
when they get in the ground,

- they can spread out...
- [Amanda] They can go

...and become their best
little kale selves

So besides beautiful color,

did you know pansies
were edible now?

- No
- Yeah. So that's...

I have never eaten a p*nsy

The flower petals are edible

Some things people do
is like candy the pedals

- [Amanda] Uh-huh. Okay
- Like put it on cupcakes

and then also people
will put it in like ice cubes

and have like
really fun ice cubes

- for garden parties
- Okay

It just keeps it fun
and exciting

Right here,
I have cutting celery

and this was in your garden
and it was doing so good

I wanted to definitely
bring that over

[Amanda] I thought that
was cilantro

That's funny
They actually all kind of look

the same when they're growing

Did you start it from seed or...

[Amanda] Yes
And I didn't mark it, so...

Oh That's actually amazing

- And you didn't mark it...
- ...so lesson learned

So cutting celery
is, um, different

from regular celery in that
it's never going to grow

that really,
really big celery head...

- Okay
- ...but you'll have

great celery flavor
and it has like thinner stock

And so literally,
you can just cut it

and it'll just keep growing
and you can use the leaves

and the stems

Put that in the middle,

we're gonna have markers
so you could know

what everything is

[Amanda] So when can I harvest
this cutting celery?

So you...
This is big enough

You can actually
start harvesting it now

- Okay
- Um, you can just kinda

come in and harvest,
um, you know,

a couple of stems or whatever

And you'll be using
the whole stem and the leaves,

like, the flavors
are really intense

[Amanda]
So good for soups or...

Yeah. Good for soups,
you know

- [Amanda] ...flavoring
- A little Bloody Mary,

if you need to get away
from the kids, you know

Hey, there we go

[laughter]

[Jamila] We're planting
some salad greens,

and radishes, and strawberries,

and Hakurei turnips

I love these turnips

I'm planting them here
because Hyatt

had a turnip tasting at school

When I found out
he really loved it

I was, like, oh perfect

I'm going to definitely
bring you some from the farm

So, like, some of them
already have

the little turnips starting

[Tito]
Yeah. Little fold, yeah

[Jamila] Yeah
And that's what's gonna

just fill out

[dramatic music playing]

[Jamila] And to make sure
these plants thrive

and the family gets to enjoy
the fruits of their labor,

the last step is going to be

practicing putting on
this little tunnel

So they are ready
for their first frost

All right And who has the clips?

- [Mark] I do
- Bring it all together

Great work
Teamwork. I like it

You guys can use this
year after year

And of course we tagged
the plants

And then the collard greens
are actually

on this end right here, that row

- [girl] In here?
- [Jamila] Yup

Come harvest time,
we don't want them

putting celery in an enchilada

or cilantro in a Bloody Mary

We got this from your old garden

because it was doing so good
and we put it in the center

[Hyatt] Are these the turnips?

[Jamila] Oh, wait a minute

No, the turnips are over there,

your favorite turnips

- Come on
- In the bottom?

Yeah

And they're small right now
but this whole bed right here,

this is all turnips right here

I feel really strongly
that the Brandenburgs

and the kids especially, I mean,

they were so involved
and had so many, you know,

opinions along the way
of what they wanted

and how they wanted it

And, um, I know
that they're gonna be

super successful

- This is amazing
- Yeah

[Amanda] Shiitake mushrooms
growing on a log, you guys

[Jamila] Right next
to your fire pit

[Amanda] This was such
an eyesore,

um, when we started this project

and it just seemed like
a giant mud pit

that was completely unusable
and didn't feel like

anything would grow back here

And now, it is
absolutely gorgeous

and we're so excited
to come back here

and discover all the little
pockets that exist here

with our family
and have our own garden

- [Jamila] Ready?
- Wonderful

- [Jamila] It is
- It's really lovely

Thank you guys
for giving me this opportunity

to help you create this

[Mark] You're invited
to come back anytime

[laughs]

As we started working
on the project,

a lot of the space
revealed itself

and, you know, we got to see

the opportunities that existed,

for it to be more functional,
and to be more usable,

and to really incorporate
all of the space

that they actually have

- [Amanda] After you
- [Mark] Thank you

[Jamila] Being a farmer
is more than just

putting plants in a garden box,

it's just like maintaining,

like, curiosity and openness

In farming, I'm always
learning from chefs

They're challenging me
to grow new vegetables

and to discover new varieties

If you allow yourself
to do that,

to be ready to learn
from all around you,

it can be a really fun adventure

[dramatic music playing]