Meet Lynn Hoag

Lynn is a Beta Tester for the Grow Your Own Nutrition garden program. That means he will be trying out the program and comparing it with his regular garden. Lynn has decided to go with the 64 square feet option. As recommended Lynn is starting with band new raised beds and completely new soil that has not had any amendments.

Lynn is a very experienced gardener and garden educator. If you ever get the chance to take one of his classes take it. You won’t regret it. Lynn has been planting fruit trees by the Ellen White method for over 60 years. This special method of planting trees results in much faster growing trees that start to bear fruit a couple of years early.

Back in 2005 I had just started my first garden program called High Brix Gardens. And my very first customer was Lynn Hoag. Lynn was teaching a community garden class at his church and wanted to compare this new approach of using a soil test and mineralizing soil with rock powders, soil amendments, live microbes, and fertilizers up against the Mittleider Method.

The Mittleider Method is well known for its high yield and relies on a regular application of soluble fertilizers and occasional applications of limestone. The problem Lynn found with the Mittleider Method was flavor. The taste just wasn’t there. The High Brix Gardens row produced almost as much as the Mittleider row but with much improved flavor. I still recall the joy Lynn had when he harvested a 17 Brix melon. Nobody in his garden class had ever eaten a better tasting melon. A few had tasted its equal but none better.

Soon after Lynn joined High Brix Gardens as a dealer to blend custom mixes for backyard gardens. Even though Lynn is semi-retired he never tires with gardening and teaching the next generation to grow their own food and fruit trees.

Lynn lives near his family an hour away from Sacramento California. His house is nestled in a beautiful hilly area among pine trees.

As a Beta Tester Lynn will be keeping track of both his regular garden and the GYON garden and sharing what he observes.

The soil we are starting with is a depleted red topsoil with low calcium and no phosphorous to speak of. I specifically asked Lynn to use the poorest soil on his property. The soil is low in electrical conductivity, trace minerals, humus, and nitrogen.

In other words, it is the perfect soil for the GYON program. Why? Because I get to set the pattern for this soil by the selection of rock powders, soil amendments, fertilizers, and carbons. If you like to dig deep into details check out Lynn’s Soil Report and my Executive Summary explaining what the soil test means and what products we used to begin crafting the soil into the ideal pattern.

Soil Analysis Report

Executive Summary

Please understand the progression of changing a depleted, unproductive soil into an environment that produces nutrient dense foods is a process. Lynn’s very best produce from this garden will not happen in the 1st year. But I can tell you from experience that even the 1st year harvest will taste better than super market produce. By year 3 you will be astounded with the complex food flavors and the energy boost you feel when you eat them. Lynn will be documenting flavor and brix readings from his garden over a 3-year time frame. Lynn will also be sharing on our upcoming podcasts giving status reports and his seasoned observations.

If you have any questions or comments about these, just leave your comments below.

Thanks, and we wish you a great garden this year,

Jon Frank