About Me
Hi! I’m Shelley! I’m the grower, farmer, gardener and visionary at Guiding Green Thumbs, LLC. My passion for growing and gardening began when I was growing up. My Dad loves to sit on a bucket in the garden, he would shuck fresh peas, watch his cucumbers grow and wait for that first juicy red ripe tomato!
Fast forward a decade (or two!) and I have taken my passion of growing to the next level. My husband and I acquired our farm in 2023 to expand my growing space to be able to share the beauty, joy and knowledge I receive from flowers, with my community!
My affinity for flowers quickly turned into an explosion of gardens at my residence in Old Chatham, NY. My gardens were planted and designed to be a riot of color, catering to pesticide-free growing practices in order to create the healthiest eco-systems I could. A biodiverse garden benefits all involved, including me! When you have a healthy balance of plants, insects and birds… pest management becomes easier! You read that right! EASIER! It is with imbalances and toxic chemicals that you throw off nature’s balance and create more issues. My experiences have allowed me to understand and share my knowledge of relationships between soil and plants, plants and insects, and insects and ecosystems with my community.
It doesn’t stop there, though. I also have an affinity for rare blooms, specialty plants and the unusual, like creating my own rare flower blooms! Dare I call myself a ‘plant enthusiast’ or ‘mad floral scientist’?! Ha! However you position it, there are few plants I struggle to adopt…or find an affinity for. I mean even those tortured and neglected plants at the nursery need love too! Follow my journey, learn and share in my true joy from flowers, whether it’s in your landscape or on your dinner table!
Since 2010, I have always grown without toxic chemicals. Whether at my home, in the vegetable garden, in my flower gardens or at our new farm location on Rigor Hill, I promise to never use anything that could harm pollinators or jeopardize our health. It’s a passion, it’s a commitment to my family and myself, and it’s a pledge to our customers. Eat our produce without second guessing how its grown! Plant our seedlings in your garden, knowing it’s abundance will be organic and nutritious! Sniff our flowers without worrying about toxic chemicals! Know that our pollinators, wildlife and community matter to all of us here at Guiding Green Thumbs, LLC. We are striving to use our land as thoughtful stewards of sustainably and diversity.
Just in case you need more reassurance, we have applied for and currently in process to become a Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) farm!
About Our Growing Practices
What is CNG? What does it mean for you?!
It means sustainably grown, pesticide-free and non-GMO plants you can enjoy and feel great about bringing into your home and landscape. Wholesome flowers, happy insects, healthy soil.
Straight from the Certified Naturally Grown website:
“These standards promote a sustainable system of agriculture, requiring responsible soil management and prohibiting the use of synthetic fertilizers, most synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, and artificial hormones. For verification, the CNG program uses a peer-review system, where the farmer sets up an inspection by another farmer, extension agent, or three of the farm’s customers, instead of using a third-party certification agency.
The bottom line:
If you see this seal displayed at a farmers market, farmstand, or your local farm, it means that the farm’s practices are similar to those of a certified organic farm. The differences in the standards are minor, the main difference is in how those requirements are verified. The bottom line is that the seal signifies that the farmer shares a commitment to farming practices that build soil health, do not rely on synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, animal drugs, and GMOs, and provide humane living conditions for farm animals. Verification is achieved through a yearly inspection by another farmer, a local extension agent, or three of the farm’s customers.”
