Colin Watley started Scrub Jay Farm in the Spring of 2021 as a result of a career change and a desire to experiment with gardening methods and goals that differ from standard production farms. The emphasis at Scrub Jay Farm is on edible flowers, herbs, food preservation, testing new plant varieties, and seed saving.
The farm consists of hugelkultur beds built throughout a 1/6 acre residential lot with permaculture principles as a central focus. In 2022, the second year, the focus has been on planting shrubby intermediate and taller fruit tree layers and continued soil development.
The work has also shown Colin the secondary benefits of working with plants can be much greater than the value of the flowers or vegetables grown. This has developed into a talk and hands-on workshops that he has presented for several grade schools, an assisted living facility, NAMI, and the Empowerment Center.
Colin also realized that many of the emotional benefits available being around outdoor plants are equally available through indoor plants as well. Since then, he has started offering indoor green-scape installations and services to local Reno businesses. The goals now for Colin and Scrub Jay Farm are to continue to hold talks and workshops and offer more indoor plant-scaping for local businesses.
Indoor plant work, Golden Trowel
Urban test farm, also on Instagram, Scrub Jay Farms
Nonprofit website, Non-Traditional ART
Local ag events,
Contact Colin for specialized edible landscaping and exotic indoor plant installations. Free consultation at [email protected]
Kyle Isacksen is the Co-Director of the non-profit, Be The Change Project in Reno, NV. Kyle and his wife Katie founded an urban homestead...
Skylar Jones works as an environmental scientist focusing on sustainability outreach and education for the State of Nevada. Learn more about how her environmental...
Sharon Lugone is retired from teaching computer literacy to elementary and middle school levels and has gone on to instruct and do private consultations...
