64: Jacq Davis on Urban Food Forests
Jacq was born in Taipei, Taiwan, grew up in Taichung, moved to Singapore for High School, then moved to Ohio to study at Columbus College of Art and Design in 1997. She became a US citizen in 2011. After living in Texas for a few years, Jacq and her husband sold their house, moved into a 35-foot Fifth Wheel RV and traveled and worked full time in the RV for 4 years.
Jacq runs her own graphic design business, Jacq Design, from her home office in Tempe, AZ. She was first introduced to permaculture through the Valley Permaculture Alliance in 2012. Now, she is in the process of establishing a semi self-sustaining food forest in her backyard in Tempe, AZ. She hopes to inspire others to do the same by giving tours of her Epic Yard Farm, and trading seeds, harvests and plants with visitors.
One of her gardening secrets? Wood chips. She discovered the difference they could make thanks to the documentary Back to Eden. Another film that influenced her is “What Plants Talk About” by PBS. It deeply discusses mycorrhizae and how plants can “switch” their biology to adapt. She realized that “You’re not just planting something, you’re planting something that is very aware of its surroundings. And if you can communicate by observing and figuring out what the plant likes, I think that everybody can be successful in planting.”
Here’s what her front yard looks like in the summer:
Some more of what she grows: Suebell white sapote and lablab beans!
Her favorite plant that she grows is the Moringa tree. She uses it to make Moringa tomato curry…looks delicious!
Where can you find out about Jacq and Epic Yard Farm?
Check out Epic Yard Farm on Facebook
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