Contact Jeanne at: jeanne@homegardenjoy.com
Home Garden Joy is part of Grunert Family Holdings, Inc., located in central Virginia.
Hi! My name is Jeanne Grunert. Home Garden Joy is my passion project, where I live by the motto “grow what nourishes you.” I have learned that life lived among the plants is the healthiest way I know to live, grow, and flourish, and I want you to do so as well.
In 2007, I did what family and friends said was crazy. I quit my fast-track career in New York City and moved to a former tree farm in central Virginia. I grew up gardening within sight and sound of Kennedy Airport and Belmont Race Track, learning about greenhouses and raised beds in my family’s tiny backyard garden. My passion for organic gardening and herbalism took root in these early days, leading to a career working in a nursery and garden center, becoming a certified Virginia master gardener, and serving as the Ask the Expert columnist for Virginia Gardener magazine
My husband, John, claims that my book “Plan and Build a Raised Bed Garden” should be called “Ask Your Husband to Plan and Build a Raised Bed Garden” because guess who does all the construction around here? You guessed it. He does. We love our four-footed family of a German shepherd dog and several rescued cats, and our extended family of nieces, nephews, neighborhood children, and godchildren.
I am the owner and operator of Seven Oaks Consulting, an SEO and content marketing business. When I’m not working on marketing plans and content for my clients or gardening, you can find me reading – and writing – mystery novels and heading out to the nearest yard sale for adventures.
My Core Beliefs
Grow what nourishes you, body and soul. Embrace the good, true, and beautiful. Health is found in nature, among the plants. Plants are food, medicine, and solace.
Gardens Can Be Functional and Beautiful
Flowers or vegetables? Why not both? Gardens can be both functional and beautiful.
Live in Harmony with Nature
My dad’s gardening motto was “better living through chemistry,” and he poured every blessed herbicide and insecticide he could find on his plants. He gardened in the age of ‘miracle products’ and thought nothing of using commercial herbicides and insecticides.
Today, we know better.
My gardening motto is “live in harmony with nature,” and I avoid insecticides, herbicides, and commercial fertilizers for my edible plants. I’ll fence in the garden, but I won’t hunt the deer. I’ll plant extra so the slugs get some and I get some. I find ways to outwit bugs and even bears in our garden and orchard.
Awards and Mentions
My garden has been featured in Virginia Gardener magazine. I’ve appeared as an expert guest on the American Horticultural Society’s “Plant Chat” and on Hometalk and Porch.
My gardening articles, photography, and expert interviews have appeared in the following publications:
- Virginia Gardener (Ask the Expert columnist, feature stories)
- The Herb Companion
- Farmville the Magazine
- Dave’s Garden
- The Florist’s Guide
- The Price-Pottenger Newsletter
- LoveToKnow Gardening
- LoveToKnow Herbs
- Virginia Farm Bureau Magazine
- The Sprouting Companion Book
I’m the author of seven books, including two gardening books and the popular Majek Family Mystery series. You can find my books on Amazon.
Do You Accept Advertising?
We no longer accept direct advertisements. We NEVER accept paid link placement, and we do not participate in paid link exchanges. If you contact us about these schemes, the email goes right in the trash. No exceptions.
How We Make Money
We make money from affiliate programs and sitewide advertisements. Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs, Amazon Affiliates and The Herbal Academy Affiliates. When you click on a link from either of these companies and make a purchase, we earn a small commission. This does not affect your price in any way.
We also publish books and courses, and run sitewide ads, to earn additional income.
AI Use Policy and Copyright Ownership
We never use AI-generated photographs. All photographs, unless otherwise noted, are by Jeanne Grunert. Text is written or edited by Jeanne Grunert, with some friends contributing the occasional article or recipe. We do not publish guest submissions. We occasionally license stock photographs or use images provided by companies to showcase their plants or gardening products. Such images are always used with the company’s permission.
All text is copyright (c) by Jeanne Grunert. You may link to our articles. You may NOT copy any text or images without the permission of the author.
Questions? Feel Free to Contact Me!
You can contact me at: jeanne@homegardenjoy.com
Grunert Family Holdings, Inc. DBA Home Garden Joy
