CityViewNC.com | 25
FEATURE
She takes
the fear out
of gardening
BY KIM HAST Y
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
CINDY BURNHAM
AND CONTRIBUTED
T
ri'Nai Johnson always wanted
to have a vegetable garden.
She yearned for the luxury of
walking into her backyard,
carrying a basket over her arm
and filling it with good things to
feed her family.
ere was just one problem.
"I was super intimidated," she said. "I could
barely keep houseplants alive."
But that was before garden consultant NaTasha
Lax and her 31 Eden business helped change
Johnson's wariness into confidence. Lax oversaw
the creation of a box garden, complete with
winter crops and herbs, and patiently helped
Johnson learn the process herself. Lax regularly
checks in to help with any problems and provide
tips for future planting.
"My goal is to create a confident gardener," Lax
said. "And put myself out of a job."
Aer all, contrary to what magazines and
other people's yards would have us believe,
not everyone is born knowing what to do with
compost, soil and seedlings. Not everyone is born
knowing how to cultivate juicy summer tomatoes
and plump hydrangeas.
NaTasha Lax started her
31 Eden garden consulting
business as an offshoot
of her appreciation for
sustainability and being able
to face any potential food
shortages head on.
