We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrew Bromley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrew below.
Andrew, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I have spent most of my life cultivating, growing with love and compassion. All the while learning more about companionship both with plants and with people. As a young boy I would spend many weekends and summer days helping out my Grandmother; she always seemed to have a garden project for her and I to work on. Spending time back at home with Mom, while she also kept a garden in our front yard. So it only seemed natural to continue to grow from there. Fueling my passion to get involved with learning where our food comes from, through Culinary schooling and years of nose-to-the-grind, hands-on experience processing food; I knew I wanted to grow a majority of what I consume, at home. Having that control over quality, seasonality and yes the quantity, there is very minimal food wasted. I have built a system in place that allows some to be shared with wildlife, some to be shared with our livestock and of course MAJORITY eaten by my family and some fortunate friends.
It’s been an uphill battle for sure, most of what I had learned was in a different geographical location than where I currently reside. Almost like having to re-train and learn different approaches to what I have previously been taught. Choosing to be all Organic was a no-brainer, if I don’t know what it is, good chance my plants won’t recognize it either. I am still learning to this day, attending workshops, joining discussions and chats about topics that peak my interest both in real-time and online. Seems to be a gravitational pull with like-minded individuals, often find myself entertained by new friends’ ideas and perspectives and thoroughly enjoy collaborating ideas on improving our soil, increasing our yield and natural pest management solutions. Not to mention there is a fair-share of manual labor that I enjoy participating in each day. From the garden builds to the routine check-ups, and harvesting there is plenty to keep me busy. It’s funny, because I often times find myself in the garden, thinking about the kitchen and what I can dehydrate, can or utilize soon; adversely when I’m in the kitchen most often I’m thinking about my garden and what I can pull from it, to create my next dish. In short, I’m always thinking about food!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My wife and I met and got married in a beautiful wooded park in late 2016; I even did the catering for our wedding, while Lisa (my Wife) picked herself a beautiful bouquet from flowers we had grown and foraged. It’s been like that ever since; constantly inspiring each other and uplifting the spirits of people who come to meet us. We love life in all its forms. That’s what lead us down our path to create Moon Dang Garden, after years of growing both literally and metaphorically. See we started in pots on a balcony, upgraded to a reach-in greenhouse, and then BOOM it happened, we rented our first home in 2019 and that’s literally where MAGIC started happening. We had enough space to grow a proper garden complete with multiple greenhouses and curious kids that love to aid in our adventures propagating and raising animals. See… we also raise many animals, but at this time we only were just entering the world of Chickens, specifically egg-layers!! When I tell you that ignited something in our family that would be the understatement of a lifetime; I mean we were hooked!
Fast forward to today, where Moon Dang Garden has grown to encompass the reproduction and selling of Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Quail and their eggs. Alongside our Rabbits and honeybees, in which we sell a variety of items from.
It honestly takes a village; we couldn’t be more humbled and proud of our community that continues to encourage and show-up for us.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Education. Very much a two-way street; not being afraid or too proud to learn something. Everyone has something to show you; if you never tried it another way, how do you know what’s best after all?
Asking the questions that mean something, getting the substance not just filler chatter and being sold. That’s where we take pride informing our clients’ on our best practices; what has worked and what we found did not. Lisa being a member in the Deaf-community is someone who despite her impairment is amazingly easy to communicate with and loves expressing herself. That in itself has helped us stand-out quite a bit, and build a good reputation within our community and its’ outskirts. We are still very small and developing with that marketing hasn’t ever been established, strictly social media and word-of-mouth, so to speak.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Everything I do comes back 360 to benefit our family; whether it be learning new techniques and then teaching our children those life skills, what we do has a direct impact on the health and wellness of ourselves, both through nutrition and the environment that we have created to live amongst. There have been countless studies with beekeeping and health benefits just maintaining a hive, let alone the rewards that come on the back half with the endless uses for honey and it’s by-products. The companionship my kids, wife and I feel tending to our Rabbits and poultry. They aren’t just a small source of income, they are part of us as well. We thrive on the nourishment we receive from the nourishment they receive from us. Knowing that these animals had the best life we could give them whether they are here for a short-time or in it for a lifetime. It’s very rewarding knowing where my Berries, Lettuces, Veggies, and various other herbs and crops come from. It’s also rewarding giving that same life to a promising new home; through propagation, selling crops and livestock and the relationships we have created and harness.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Moondang_garden
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/andrew.bromley.353
