Kitchen Garden Design & Coaching in Virginia-Highland
Three things that shape every Virginia-Highland garden
Virginia-Highland's bungalows and cottages sit on compact, tree-shaded lots. That's a big part of the neighborhood's charm, and it's what a good garden plan has to answer to.
Start with the canopy. Virginia-Highland's streets are lined with old oaks, and they're a big reason people choose to live here. A good garden works with them. We read your sun twice, once now and once at full leaf-out, because a yard that looks sunny in March can be mostly shade by June. Lettuces, many herbs, and other greens handle part shade well, and afternoon shade helps them hold up through an Atlanta summer. Atlanta protects its trees by law, and we're glad it does. Our designs keep them standing.
The rules are simpler here than in some intown neighborhoods. Virginia-Highland is on the National Register of Historic Places, but that listing alone doesn't put your yard under design review. Atkins Park is the exception. It's a City of Atlanta historic district, so fences, walls, sheds, and paving there need city approval before you build. Elsewhere in Virginia-Highland, the city's standard limits apply, such as four-foot front fences and six-foot fences in side and rear yards. We confirm what applies to your address before we design anything.
Finally, the soil. Most Virginia-Highland homes were built between about 1905 and 1936, decades before the 1978 lead paint ban. Lead collects in the soil along the foundation, which is often the sunniest spot on a shaded lot. We test before anyone plants edibles there.
What to grow when the market is down the street
From spring through fall, the VaHi Farmers Market sets up every Sunday on North Highland Avenue, right in the heart of Virginia-Highland. With local farmers that close, a Virginia-Highland garden doesn't need to feed your family. It needs to do what a Sunday market can't: be there on a Tuesday night.
That means the basil you tear straight into the pan, the salad greens you cut ten minutes before dinner, and the herbs you'd never buy a whole bunch of for one recipe. On a Virginia-Highland lot, we put these steps from your back door, where you'll actually use them.
It also means the months when the market is closed. Kale, collards, and hardy lettuces grow well through an Atlanta winter with a little frost cover on the coldest nights, so your Virginia-Highland garden keeps the greens coming after the last Sunday market of the year.
Start with a Virginia-Highland garden consult
Every Virginia-Highland garden we design starts with a one-hour consult. We'll read your sun, check your soil, confirm what the city allows at your address, and tell you what will actually grow well on your lot. You leave with a plan whether you hire us for the rest or not.
Services
Garden Consulting — A one-time, one-hour walk-through of your property with personalized recommendations you can implement yourself. Learn more →
Garden Coaching — Ongoing, one-on-one support to build your skills and solve problems as your garden grows. Learn more →
Garden Design — A detailed, scaled plan with plant lists, soil prep, and a phased implementation strategy. Learn more →
Garden Installation — Full build-out, from soil prep and bed construction to planting, so your garden is ready to grow. Learn more →
Book a 60-Minute Garden Consultation — $200
I'll walk your property with you and read what's already there — sun, soil, slope, water — while we talk through what you actually want to be eating. You'll leave with a hand-drawn sketch of where the beds go and why, and a written plan in your inbox within 48 hours: what to plant, when to plant it on Atlanta's calendar, and what to fix first. Whether you build it yourself or hire me to build it, you'll know exactly what you're building.
Tell us where you are and what you'd love to grow. After thirty years here, we've probably stood in a yard a lot like yours.