The Fruit Grower’s Collection

Lee Reich, PhD, dove into gardening decades ago, initially with one foot in academia as an agricultural scientist with the USDA and then Cornell University, and one foot in the field, the organic field. He eventually expanded his field to a “farmden” (more than a garden, less than a farm) and left academia to lecture, consult, and write. He is author of many books, including The Ever Curious Gardener, Weedless Gardening, The Pruning Book, and Landscaping with Fruit, as well as a syndicated column for Associated Press. Lee has a PhD in Horticulture from the University of Maryland, and an MS in Soil Science and a BA in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin. He blogs at leereich.com from his farmden in New Paltz, NY.

Blake Cothron is an organic farmer, nurseryman, author, musician, and educator, with over 20 years’ experience in organic agriculture, botany, horticulture, and growing food. He is the director of Peaceful Heritage Nursery LLC, a 5-acre research farm, permaculture orchard, and edible mail-order plant nursery. Author of Pawpaws: The Complete Growing and Marketing Guide, and The Berry Grower, he has also written for Permaculture Design magazine and various online publications. Blake has an educational YouTube channel devoted to horticulture, and he is also an educator with the Organic Association of Kentucky. He divides his time between farming, research, writing, beekeeping, homesteading, travel, fitness, church community, and being a husband and father in beautiful central Kentucky.