ABOUT US
The Hobby Homestead is about growing food in harmony with nature.
Hi, I’m Amy. I started The Hobby Homestead as an Instagram account in 2016. I wanted to share my process for growing food with others who were seeking inspiration and connection over growing food. Over time The Hobby Homestead has evolved to include a website, a YouTube presence, and in-person consultations and speaking engagements. It remains important to me to provide free, accessible resources to help people produce food for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Beyond teaching you growing skills, I strive to contribute to a sense of connection, empathy, and understanding within my community (online and in person). I want to know where you’re coming from, what barriers you face, and why you’re turning to the garden.
I have a background as a social psychology researcher and I bring my expertise and passion for equity, diversity and inclusion into my politics around food systems. I am passionate about reconciliation, and believe strongly that as a settler I owe it to the land to support its healing. If you learn to grow food from me, you will also learn about the ecological value of restoring native ecosystems. I am also a board member for the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario.
Our Dot on the Map
I can provide you with expert advice within a specific growing region. I don’t know how to grow food in Florida or California, and I don’t know how to grow food in Northern Alberta. It’s important to get your growing knowledge from people who grow in similar climates to you. Please do follow along on social media even if you can’t relate to my climate, but know that your garden probably won’t look like my garden for most of the year.
I grow in an Eastern temperate forest ecoregion. This region has a wide range of fluctuating temperatures with moderately cold winters and moderately hot summers.
We also have distinct Spring and Fall seasons, but these can be temperamental when it comes to growing. We can experience 20-degree swings in temperature between night and day. Our average last frost date in Spring is early-May (but there’s always a chance for a late-May frost). The average high temperature in summer is about 26°C/78°F (highs around 30°C/86°F). The average first frost in Fall is late-September or early-October, and the average low temperature in winter is -11°C/12°F (lows around -20°C/-4°F).
Where we live in the city now called Guelph is situated on Between the Lakes (no. 3) treaty land. It is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishinaabek Peoples. We strive to learn all we can from the Indigenous land stewards around us and model our practices around theirs.
What We Grow
The Hobby Homestead has evolved from a balcony garden back in 2008; to a 1/4 acre, shady, urban backyard in 2010; to a half-acre suburban homestead in 2021. We grow fruit trees and other edible perennials in a food forest design; annual vegetables and fruit in raised beds, pots, and in the ground; and ecosystem-benefitting plants, including lots of native species.