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What if your garden could do more than simply look beautiful?

What if it could grow food, support native plants and pollinators, strengthen communities, and help us reconnect with nature?

In this episode of Good Is What Makes You Feel Well, I’m joined by Ricky Rietjens, an ecological designer, garden specialist, and environmental educator whose work brings together gardening, food systems, native plants, community wellness, and environmental stewardship.

Ricky shares his journey from studying medicinal plant chemistry to working in native edible and medicinal garden design, herbal literacy, environmental education, and community gardening in Los Angeles.

We explore:

• Sustainable gardening and native plant landscapes
• Growing edible and medicinal plants in urban environments
• Pollinators and the importance of native bees
• Food sovereignty and reconnecting with where our food comes from
• Permaculture and ecological gardening
• Transforming lawns into native habitats and food forests
• School gardens and environmental education for children
• Traditional ecological knowledge and ethnobiology
• Nature, gardening, mindfulness, and somatic healing
• Community building through food and gardening
• Gardening programs for underserved and at-risk communities
• Creating a more sustainable relationship with the natural world

Ricky also shares his experiences teaching gardening and nature-based education, working with youth, developing herbal literacy programs, and creating gardens that connect people with food, plants, and place.

One of the central ideas in our conversation is simple:

We may not need to look farther away from nature. We may simply need to start paying attention to what is already growing around us.

Whether you have a large backyard, a small garden, or simply a few pots on a balcony, this conversation invites you to think differently about what growing food can mean for our health, our communities, and the environment.

If you’re interested in sustainable gardening, native plants, permaculture, food sovereignty, environmental education, herbalism, pollinators, community gardens, or reconnecting with nature, I think you’ll find a lot to explore here.

Good Is What Makes You Feel Well explores what it means to live well physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and sustainably.

Subscribe for more conversations about holistic health, wellbeing, conscious living, nature, sustainability, and what it means to truly feel well.

CONNECT TO RICKY:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ricky.farms/

Email: rickyfarmsdesign@gmail.com

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Good is What Makes You Feel Well is Mamma Terra's Podcast
CONNECT WITH MAMMA TERRA HEALTH COACHING:
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Intro Music "Levitar" credits to Ricardo Ulpiano, Thiago Peixoto, Marcelo Luciano Menino, and Anderson Rodrigo de Oliveira.

Podcast art credits to Caroline Kohls

Thanks for tuning in!