Who I Am

Having been born and raised in New Jersey (please, no “what exit?” jokes) at the age of twenty one, I jumped into my Jeep CJ5 and made my way west where I settled in Tucson, Arizona. After re-attempting college at the University of Arizona, I received my B.S. in Agriculture with a horticulture major and an insatiable desire to grow things. However, five years in the desert persuaded me that it was time to try out my green thumb in more hospitable climes.

After perusing the regional climate zones in the Sunset Western Garden Book, (and a little help from “eenie, meenie, miney and moe”) I chose the desirable, marine-influenced Zone 24 and again loaded my Jeep and pointed it in the direction of lovely and temperate, Santa Barbara, California.

A short stint as an instructor for Santa Barbara City College’s Adaptive Gardening Program helped to establish contacts and subsequently led to the purchase of a lawn mower and a weedeater. Inspired by Captain Kangaroo’s bucolic sidekick and an increasingly inquisitive horticultural nature, Mr. Greenjeans Fine Gardening was born.