38. Sarah Sikich and Ryan Watson on Growing Orchards with Giving Grove

Sarah Sikich and Ryan Watson Bio

Sarah Sikich and Ryan Watson are dedicated urban orchard advocates, spreading The Giving Grove’s mission to grow sustainable community orchards nationwide.

Sarah, Director of Marketing and Communications, began her journey with The Giving Grove as a volunteer at the first little orchard, witnessing how urban orchards can transform neighborhoods. Combining her background in communications with her passion for gardening, she now works to expand the reach of community orchards across the country.

Ryan, National Orchard Operations & Education Manager, brings over a decade of experience in urban agriculture. After co-founding North Brooklyn Farms and developing public green spaces in New York City, he now lives in the Catskill Mountains, managing an heirloom apple orchard at Wild Russet Farm with his wife. His expertise in community greening and orchard care guides The Giving Grove’s programs nationwide.

Together, Sarah and Ryan bring hands-on experience and practical knowledge to the world of urban orchards, helping communities grow sustainable green spaces that nourish neighborhoods.

You can learn more about Giving Grove at their website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Youtube.

SHOW NOTES

• How Ryan’s passion for plants began on a balcony in Los Angeles, and lead him to community gardens and urban farming in Brooklyn

• The influence of Brooklyn Grange and the transformation of an empty lot into a seven-year urban farm project.

• A move to the Catskills and an introduction to wild apple foraging that sparked a love for cider making and fruit trees.

• How working for a cider maker using foraged apples deepened Ryan’s appreciation for apple trees and led him to the Giving Grove.

• Sarah’s background growing up in Texas with a family connection to agricultural research.

• The unexpected career shift from marketing to community orcharding started with a school orchard planted near her home.

• The power of community orchards in revitalizing neighborhoods and fostering connections.

• The Giving Grove’s mission to address hunger and climate change through community-led urban orchards.

• How Giving Grove has helped establish over 650 orchards nationwide, projected to produce 93 million servings of fresh fruit annually.

• The universal language of fruit and how community orchards create inclusive, welcoming spaces.

• Essential lessons for starting and maintaining community orchards, including the importance of long-term tree care and education.

• The challenge of fruit tree selection and why choosing disease-resistant cultivars is crucial.

• Using Surround WP kaolin clay to help protect trees from insects

• The importance of community buy-in for orchard success and why the Giving Grove only establishes orchards where they’re invited.

• How different regions require different fruit tree strategies, from pawpaws in Pittsburgh to muscadines in Atlanta.

• Strategies for engaging communities while waiting for fruit trees to mature, such as planting berry brambles and hosting orchard events.

• The role of celebrations in orchard culture, from wassailing events to community jam-making contests.

• Michael Pollan’s The Botany of Desire

• Insights from the Orchard Project in the UK and how their education focus complements the Giving Grove’s data-driven approach.

• The benefits of integrating understory plantings in orchards for pest control, soil health, and biodiversity.

• Practical examples of plants for orchard understories, including comfrey, clovers, rye grass, daffodils, and dynamic accumulators.

• Michael Phillips The Apple Grower and The Holistic Orchard

• The importance of soil testing and site selection for healthy orchards, including strategies for soil improvement.

• Using Azomite for fertility

• The role of ramial wood chips in supporting fungal-dominant soil and promoting tree health.

• Managing challenges in urban orchards, including soil contamination concerns and strategies for site remediation.

• The power of signage and community education in reducing vandalism and ensuring proper fruit harvesting.

• How giving children ownership over orchard spaces fosters stewardship and reduces damage and vandalism.

• The need for dedicated program managers to ensure the long-term success of community orchards.

• Common mistakes in orchard management, including planting too many trees without a long-term care plan.

• The importance of pruning and holistic sprays in maintaining healthy, productive fruit trees.

• The holistic spray recipe

• Helen Atthowe’s keynote address where she mentioned research on holistic sprays in Oregon

• How traditional orchard structures are evolving to incorporate food forests and greater plant diversity.

• Favorite ways communities celebrate harvests, from cider pressing to jujube drying and mead making.

• The history of cider in America and how Prohibition nearly wiped out the country’s cider apple diversity.

• The impact of southern heirloom apples and their adaptation to warm climates with efforts to preserve rare cultivars.  

• Jason Bowen of the Southern Heritage Apple Orchard and Josh Fuder with UGA’s Heritage Apple Orchard

• Jason Bowen and Josh Fuder’s NAFEX presentation

• Personal routines and practices that help Sarah and Ryan grow creatively

• Book recommendations, including Susan Poizner’s books, The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, Mycorrhizal Planet by Michael Phillips, and for social justice Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka.

• The significance of involving children in growing and harvesting food to foster future horticulturists.

• You can learn more about Giving Grove at their website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Youtube.

37. Jack McCoy on Garden Lessons from Travels Abroad

Jack McCoy Bio

Jack McCoy designs residential and commercial landscapes in Knoxville, the Southeast United States, and beyond through his practice, Jack McCoy Garden Design Company. His work reflects a deep understanding of plants, shaped by global experiences in some of the world's most renowned gardens.

Jack's horticultural journey began in landscape construction as a teenager, followed by earning an Undergraduate Degree in landscape design and construction from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2012. He furthered his design education at Inchbald School of Design in London, UK, where he received a Postgraduate Garden Design Degree.

In 2016, Jack volunteered at Great Dixter, the iconic garden of Christopher Lloyd and then returned as the Christopher Lloyd North American Scholar which is supported by Chanticleer Garden in Pennsylvania to train under head gardener Fergus Garrett. This marked the start of a transformative time at both Great Dixter and Chanticleer where he refined his design skills and plant knowledge.

Jack then received a fellowship at The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, managing Israel’s rare and endangered plant species. He credits this experience with deepening his understanding of plant ecology and survival. To expand his propagation expertise, Jack worked at Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina, known for its rare and unique perennials.

In 2022, Jack returned to Knoxville to focus on garden and landscape design, drawing from his diverse experiences to create gardens that are both beautiful and enduring.

You can learn more about Jack on Instagram at @jackmccoygardendesign, where he shares updates on his projects.

SHOW NOTES

• Jack shared how growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, gave him an early connection to nature and gardening.

• His passion for plants began unexpectedly when helping his father in the garden as a child initially as a form of punishment.

• How studying at UT Knoxville and taking plant science classes opened up opportunities in horticulture.

• The rain garden project at UT Knoxville where he focused on stormwater management and native plants.

• Jack emphasized the importance of adapting designs on-site and learning to collaborate with maintenance staff for successful implementation.

• Inspiration from following in the footsteps of Luciano Giubbilei

• His time at the Inchbald School of Design in the UK was instrumental in shaping his design philosophy and focusing on gardens as an extension of the home.

• Thinking of the whole space outside as a garden

• His paper topic of looking at the trend of plant introductions over time

• The influence of Great Dixter and Fergus Garrett on his understanding of planting combinations and horticultural practices.

• Using boards to minimize soil compaction while gardening, a practice he continues today.

• Seeing plants in the wild during his time at the Jerusalem Botanical Garden deepened his understanding of plant ecology and propagation.

• He shared insights about collecting seeds from Israel’s distinct zones and developing propagation protocols tailored to each environment.

• Returning to the U.S., Jack observed how plants he encountered abroad, like Salvia (sage), Nepeta (catmint), Asphodeline (king’s spear), and Ferula (giant parsley) could thrive in southeastern landscapes.

• How to look at a space to create a theme and guiding future design decisions

• Taking time to understand a site deeply before starting the design process

• Design strategies like juxtaposing mass and void in garden plantings

• His work rethinking the suburban U.S. gardens by integrating more diverse and sustainable plantings.

• Jack is currently advising and designing areas at Lakeshore Park in Knoxville by balancing natural beauty with thoughtful design.

• He mentioned the importance of using notebooks to document observations, ideas, and tasks, a practice he learned at Great Dixter.

• Using Field Notes to write down gardening tasks

• Jack cited Gardens Are for People by Thomas Church, Grace Hall, and Michael Laurie and The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden by Roy Diblik as influential books.

• Propagating more horticulturists by exposing more people to the broad opportunities available in horticulture to inspire future generations.

• Jack can be found on Instagram at @jackmccoygardendesign, where he shares updates on his projects.