We were lucky to catch up with Michael Moody recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michael , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
My love of gardening started when I was just a little sapling of 6 years old. I have always felt drawn to nature and naturally found gardening to be a way to be connected to that pull. My passion for gardening was ignited by my grandmother, Betty, who I looked up to most as a young kid. She was creative, funny, and had a strong passion for gardening. I was her righthand when it came to doing up planters for her home and my mother’s planters at our childhood home. While my mother appreciates gardening she never had an interest in doing the planting, which actually probably worked in my favor as that allowed me to do the gardening around the house. I learned a lot from my grandmother and looked forward to our annual trip to the local nursery, Pahls Market, which was our favorite place to frequent Mother’s Day weekend. I loved every minute of it. The smells, the colors, the warmth of the greenhouses. My grandmother always made it a point to let me pick out some flowers for my own little area at the base of a tree in our yard and I thought it was the most special thing. Over the years we continued this tradition and every year my own garden grew, and with it, my passion and skill for gardening.
Sadly, I lost my grandmother to cancer when I was about 14 years old. My world felt upside down at that time. When Mother’s Day came the following year after her passing, I found myself struggling with not having her around to go to the nursery with. I continued to do her planters at the home she had shared with my grandpa, always doing the same arrangements as she did; red geraniums, a spike, and a vinca vine. That first year, I then began a new tradition of doing up the planter at her cemetery plot as well. My grandmother is with me every day I am in the garden and I am thankful for the passion she ignited in me. Each year I go to the nursery, the same one as we always did, and am reminded of the times we had and the joy we shared in gardening.
I have found gardening to be my escape, my peace, my calm. I was never one to “fit in” amongst my peers and found more interest in getting my hands dirty over playing video games or taking up a sport. Whenever I had a bad day I knew I could get lost in the plants. I have always been open about my mental health struggles and I have found gardening to be the thing that helps me clear my mind and feel at peace with things. As I grew in age and knowledge, my garden grew with me. I went from that tiny two-foot by two-foot garden box at the base of that tree to a beautiful shade garden complete with shrubs, perennials, and three water features including a twenty-foot waterfall stream. I challenged myself with every new project and immersed myself further into my passion. Over the years I continued to learn, continued to practice, and continued to try. I think that is the biggest thing; just do!
Today, I live on about a quarter of an acre where I have slowly transformed the almost fully grass yard into heavily landscaped gardens complete with an orchard, cut flower garden and vegetable garden. I have dreams to one day own a small farm to grow food for myself and to share with the community. My ancestors, on my grandmother’s side, the Hollenbacks, were farmers in the city of Richfield, MN. They grew produce and established a farm stand where they sold fresh produce to the local community. I hope to one day resurrect that family farm namesake and follow in their footsteps.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
One of the things I love most about gardening is the connections it brings with others. Whether it is with fellow gardeners or with the neighbor who stops by to appreciate what I have done. It is a universal beauty that so many can connect with. I strive to share my love of gardening with anyone I can and welcome the opportunity to learn more and more each day. I think this is why I found myself sharing my garden on platforms like Instagram and YouTube. I wanted to welcome people into what I love, inspire them, and connect with them. I have had the pleasure of connecting with so many wonderful people in the gardening community locally, nationally, and internationally. It is amazing to see how we all can come together and share in this passion and experience other gardens of the world!
Creatively, I put my garden out into the world on various social media platforms and have titled myself as The Humble Gardener. My goal in doing this was to inspire and connect. While I am not a professional gardener, nor do I have any financial gain from my gardening, that would be a goal one day. I have always loved the idea of having a career related to gardening. In addition, I have my own hopes of starting a nonprofit that brings community gardens to local Minnesota senior care facilities.
What I think sets me apart from others is my genuine care for people and love of connecting with them through this amazing hobby of gardening. All I want to do is inspire and spread the love.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media is such a huge beast of a thing to navigate. I decided to join Instagram to showcase what I was up to in the garden. Naturally, YouTube followed as a more in-depth way to highlight tips, tricks, and inspiration in the garden. Growing your following is a challenge in today’s social media world. The biggest thing I can offer is BE YOU. Never be a character or an alternate version of yourself on social media. Followers want REAL content. They want to get to know the human behind the account. Now, I’m not saying post every last detail of your life, as that would not be healthy. What I mean is, be genuine, show the successes and show the lessons learned. Connect with your followers, I cannot stress that point enough! Engagement with your followers, and I mean GENUINE engagement, will help create a following of diehard fans who come to your page because they feel welcome, loved, and seen. Be patient with the process. I am still figuring out all the aspects of social media, and may never have it all nailed down. So, when in doubt, stay true to you and be humble.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Oh my goodness, it most definitely has not been a smooth road. I always say that in the garden there are only lessons, not failures, but let me tell you, I have had a lot of lessons. A lot of what comes with gardening is trial and error. Plants are living breathing things and each one has different needs. For example, Minnesota has harsh Winters. This plays a big part in the overall success of the garden. Some plants tolerate our Winters just fine, others struggle. So many factors can help or hinder the garden. Too much heat, too much rain, not enough rain, too little light, too much light, the list goes on and on. Although, this is where you learn. I can tell you the long list of plants or techniques that just have not worked for me, however, they may work for others. It is all about finding your stride and doing what works for you and brings you joy, not stress! There are days I want to just give it all up. I ask myself why I do this, why put myself through the stress? In reality, the garden has taught me how to handle a lot of curveballs in life, and each year I keep showing up to tend to the garden and continue the journey. 
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humble_gardener/
- Youtube: https://www.instagram.com/humble_gardener/
Image Credits
All images were taken by me.