Bountiful Gardens and Edible Landscapes – A Franklin Family Business Bringing Beauty and Good Taste to Your Backyard
Article by Christina Madrid
Photography by Provided
Originally published in Franklin Lifestyle
Marin Prociw (pronounced pro-see) started her gardening service as a side business in 2019, initially planting seasonal flowers in containers and creating holiday garland, cut greens, wreaths and mailbox swag. The business has since blossomed to now include designing and installing small to extensive gardens as well as edible landscapes. “Kitchen garden installs can include, for instance, adding nectarine trees, or blueberry and raspberry bushes within your landscape for you to harvest and enjoy.”
Alongside her husband Kevin, a freelance copy editor and driving force behind offering edible landscaping services, Marin consults, designs and installs gardens to make back and front yards both visually pleasing as well as useful. “Kevin’s passion is using the landscape to produce food,” Marin says. “He is the kitchen garden guru.” As a former teacher, Marin pairs her gardening know-how with teaching clients how to manage and maintain their landscapes for years to come. “Gardening doesn’t have to be overwhelming,” Marin says. “We want to help set everyone up for success. There is something so special about planting a seed and pulling out a carrot, for example, a few months later.”
Marin and Kevin work within a budget set by the client and advise on what to grow and where based on the environment. No matter how large or small, all projects begin with high-quality soil, which serves as the foundation for ensuring a long-lasting healthy garden. Marin also recommends clients compost old produce to continue to provide the garden with nutrient-rich soil.
Depending on the project size, a typical garden installation can take three days to one week. The landscaping duo return one month after each installation to see how the garden is growing. Marin admits she enjoys following up, seeing how the garden is coming along, and answering any questions clients might have.
Eventually, the couple would like to start a garden and edible landscaping blog to help troubleshoot tricky gardening issues, such as how to prevent certain critters from eating the bounty before it can be harvested.
Marin and Kevin want everyone to see the value of growing their own food. ”The best part of the job,” says Marin genuinely, “is looking through the pictures and videos people send to us showing their home grown produce. We love helping others realize what they can do, and seeing the excitement and joy from their creation.” FranklinFlowersTN.com
Marin’s fall/winter gardening tips:
1) Plant bulbs by the first week of October. Frost tends to hit Tennessee the last week of October.
2) Know what plants you have and when/if to prune them. Some hydrangeas for instance, should be pruned in the fall, but other types, such as climbing hydrangeas, may not need pruning at all.
3) Use a frost cloth, never plastic, to cover large plants or shrubs. Old sheets can also work in a pinch.
