​Jessica Pendergrass Shares her Gardening Expertise​

​​Since everyone is spending more time at home, we wanted to share a few unique and productive activities you can do in your free time. It’s a great time to focus on gaining new skills and hobbies, and several members of the Heaven Hill team happen to practice some very interesting activities in their free time.

Jessica Pendergrass, Heaven Hill General Counsel is sharing her tips and tricks for planting a thriving at-home garden. Most of you may not know that Jessica is Heaven Hill’s resident Master Gardener and Plant Whisperer. Gardening is a favorite hobby of the Pendergrass family (see the family photo above sporting their gardening overalls), and in 2014 Jessica earned her Master Gardener Certification through the University of Kentucky. She has since used those skills to volunteer throughout Louisville, helping build community gardens, plant trees, and more. Jessica has an impressive collection of nearly 50 house plants with an outdoor plant collection that she says is impossible to quantify. She loves spending her free time growing her backyard vegetable and herb gardens or welcoming a new house plant to her growing plant family. 

Below you’ll find several videos​ of Jessica walking through the process of starting an at-home garden, the tools you’ll need, and how to make sure you are planting the best plants for your climate. You’ll also find several photos featuring gardening books Jessica recommends.

Getting Started: The Three Most Important Elements of Starting a Garden

Resources related to this video:

Look for the Light

• Gardening in Partial Shade
• Knowing the Sun in Your Yard

Build Healthy Soil

• Soil Formulations for Raised Beds
• Soil Testing
• Garden Soil for Vegetables

Confirm a Water Source

• Watering Your Garden

The Basics of Raised Bed or Container Gardening: Tools and Planting Techniques for Seeds and Starts

Resources related to this video:

Planting Techniques

• Starting Your Seeds Indoors
• Direct Sewing Seeds Outdoors
• How to Plant Seedlings

The Basics of Planting a Full Garden: Planning Your Layout, Zoning, and Choosing the Best Plants

Resources related to this video:

Plan Your Space:

• Garden Planning Software
• Garden Layout Ideas
• Companion Planting Guide
• Gardening in a Raised Bed
• Container Gardening

Know Your Planting Zone

• USDA Zones in the U.S.
• Hardiness Zones in Canada
• Hardiness Zones in Ireland

Choose Your Plants and Know When to Plant

• Growing Calendar by Zone
• Garden Planting Guide
• Louisville Grows Planting Calendar