When Amber Kemp-Gerstel moved from a Miami apartment with only a small balcony to a Maryland home with a backyard, she finally had the chance to chase a longtime dream: growing her own food.
Amber, who is a DIY expert, TV personality, mom of two, and founder of the popular craft blog Damask Love, expected plenty of trial and error after an underwhelming first season that produced just one lonely pole bean. Instead, her first full vegetable garden has exceeded every expectation, yielding tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and even pumpkins.
Ahead, Amber shares the biggest surprises of her first growing season, the gardening mistakes she’s learned to avoid, and why tending her garden has completely changed the way she thinks about the food on her family’s table.
Q. What inspired you to start your garden, and what are you growing?
A. Two years ago, we moved from downtown Miami, Florida, to the suburbs of Maryland. We went from having a small balcony space to an entire backyard! I knew I could use some of the space for a garden. It’s always been a dream of mine to have a garden. Once we had the space to do it, I was full speed ahead on making it a reality.
This year is my first year with a large garden. Last year, I dipped my toes into gardening with small containers scattered around our back patio. The container gardening experience taught me a lot about how different plants behave and what they need and what to expect in my Zone 7B.
I took what I learned last year and applied it to this year’s garden. This year, I planted most everything from seeds that I started indoors back in late February. I’ve since learned that I started those seeds way too early! Right now, my garden has five varieties of tomatoes, two varieties of squash, zucchini, two varieties of pumpkins, three different kinds of beans, lots of peppers, and jalapeños, herbs (basil, dill, rosemary, oregano, and chives), plus plenty of marigolds.
Q. If you could have asked an experienced gardener for advice before you planted your first seed, what would you want to know?
A. I did A LOT of reading and researching before planting anything. I also watched every gardening show I could find. My favorite show is Homegrown with Jamila Norman. I would love to visit her farm one day! If I could ask her anything before starting, it would be her tips on creating good soil for the garden.
Soil is super important, but I was really intimidated by the process of choosing the right one. I currently have four large Vego raised beds in my garden, and it’s expensive to purchase pre-bagged soil. Mixing my own soil was the most economical approach, but I was nervous to do it.
Q. What’s been the biggest surprise about gardening so far—good or bad?
A. I am shocked at how much the garden has flourished in such a short amount of time. Last year, when I had my container garden, I tried to grow pole beans; I literally grew one pole bean. Needless to say, my expectations for this year’s garden were low as a result of last year's failures. So, I’ve been beyond surprised to see lots of plants thriving and fruiting.
This year’s garden has been really successful. This also means a LOT of pruning and cleanup that I wasn’t ready for. I’ve spent hours trimming back overgrown leaves and stems. I’ve had to learn a lot about how to properly prune different plants to help them thrive.
Q. Which plants or flowers are you most excited about?
A. I’m definitely most excited about the Jarrahdale and Little Jack pumpkins. Something about growing a pumpkin feels really special! Last year, I visited a pumpkin patch with my kids and purchased a Jarrahdale pumpkin. We roasted it and it was so delicious. Since the Jarrahdale variety can be hard to come by, I decided to grow my own.
I’m still waiting to see if the plant produces any fruit. I’ll be very excited when and if it does. Also, if the Little Jack plant produces enough pumpkins, I told the neighborhood kids that they can all come by and cut their own pumpkin for decorating. I think that would be such a fun core memory for them!
Q. What gardening mistake are you most worried about making, and what have you learned to help avoid it?
A. PESTS! I am so worried that I am going to miss one or underestimate the damage they can do. I don’t have much familiarity with garden pests—which ones to look out for and what they look like. The biggest thing I’ve learned is to stay vigilant and do daily checks of the garden.
Even if there is nothing to harvest, I go out in the morning and the evening to check the areas that I’ve learned are susceptible to pests: Pole beans and basil are a favorite of Japanese beetles (learned this the hard way). Looper worms love the green beans. Hornworms are the biggest tomato plant enemy. Squash vine borers will take out a squash plant—I don’t even like to speak their name out loud!
I’ve learned to do plenty of reading and research before I put anything into the ground. This way, I’m prepared and slightly knowledgeable about what to do and expect. A few of my favorite gardening books:
I also love watching the Epic Gardening channel on Samsung TV.
Q. Has gardening changed the way you think about food, nature, or slowing down?
A. Absolutely! Mostly, I am amazed that there is any food at the grocery store! I’m over here struggling to grow one green bean, and there are tons of green beans at the store! HOW!?!? Gardening has made me appreciate the effort and time that goes into growing food. It also makes me question how food is grown and if pesticides and other chemicals are being used to increase plant productivity. Gardening has taught me—and my kids—how food is grown, the process of growing food.
Q. What’s the next gardening goal on your wish list?
A. So far, my gardening endeavors are exceeding my expectations. I’ve already started dreaming up what my next goal would be. I’d love to grow kale and collard greens this fall! Next spring, I’m planning to plant okra and a few other varieties of squash. I’d also love to learn how to can and preserve my spring and summer harvests. I already own a dehydrator. I need to do some research on the supplies and process for canning so that we can enjoy the harvest even after the summer season ends.
