When Foley natives, Phyllis and George Holman, retired from the real estate world several years back, both found themselves with the time, energy and expanding knowledge to  indulge their passion of the gardening world. With their two children grown, both Holmans joined the Baldwin County Master Gardeners in 2009. The combination of George’s lifelong gardening exposure and his willingness to experiment with fellow Master Gardeners and Phyllis’s talent of using produce from their garden to experiment with tasty new recipes combine quite effectively. Their yard and kitchen are testaments to growing and eating healthy foods.

Both Holmans, like many gardeners, grew up with parents who provided their first gardening instruction. George was one of thirteen children who learned the value of patience growing rows of peanuts under his father’s guidance. George's dad also taught him to plant using the signs of the almanac, sage advice that he follows to this day. Phyllis grew up on a farm in Foley where her father grew row crops of peas and other vegetables. With these early experiences, the Holmans dabbled in gardening during off time from their careers. During their Master Gardener classes, both became quite interested in organic gardening and raised vegetable beds. Both heartily agree that their home-grown, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables are more nutritious and simply taste better. They grow plenty of produce, which not only supplies their needs, but is eagerly shared with family, friends and other Master Gardeners. George explains that he won’t plant anything that he can’t eat, but he does appreciate the beauty of flowers. Phyllis cans or freezes much of their fresh produce to extend the delicious bounty. Among her favorite recipes are a tasty vegetable soup base, a delicious non-dairy Parmesan cheese snack made with pine nuts, sunflower seeds, olive oil and lemon juice and sauerkraut made with large cabbages picked right outside the kitchen door.

The Holmans built a greenhouse to help them with starting new plants. It currently houses many varieties of heirloom tomatoes including black, striped and yellow ones. George purchased some heirlooms in North Carolina and saved the seeds to start his new plants. “You can do that with heirlooms,” George advises. “Not with the usual local tomatoes which do better started from established plants.” Into his giant salad bowl with the tomatoes, George tosses several types of home-grown lettuces including Romaine, two kinds of kale, broccoli, cabbages, beets, carrots, leeks, Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower and Swiss Chard for good measure! George has over 500 onion sets and follows the “mathematical formula” of multiplying onions which consists of pulling up a bunch, tearing them apart and setting out the new plants. In addition to the “salad bowl” vegetables, the Holmans grow peas along a fence and asparagus, which can take two or three years to produce.

Both Holmans taut the exceedingly healthful benefits of the two olive trees planted last year. Phyllis likes to use the leaves to prepare a tea which includes both anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.  George explains that much of Foley is a pond with mostly hard clay soil. To prepare his yard for gardening, he had a truckload of soil delivered that was excavated after Hurricane Ivan. His only fertilizer is his home-made compost. He gathers leaves from the neighborhood, adds kitchen scraps and spreads this in his garden. The mixture attracts and feeds earthworms which continually enrich the soil. “Feed the earthworms and they will feed the garden,” George offers. To keep his garden watered, he has installed a drip irrigation system.

In addition to the vegetables, these prolific gardeners grow pomegranate trees, scuppernong and muscadine grapes, blueberries, thornless blackberries and citrus trees loaded with Valencia oranges, lemons, grapefruit and limes. A beehive provides plenty of bees to work the Valencias and to provide five gallons of honey a year for the Holmans. George is particularly proud of his five persimmon trees which he and several gardening friends grafted from an old tree in Daphne known for its delicious fruit.

Herbs that Phyllis enjoys growing as flavor-enhancers include parsley, chives, St. John’s Wort, basil, oregano and rosemary. A large loquat tree, wild wisteria, hydrangeas, sweet olive, vitex and a banana shrub add interest and attract birds and butterflies.

After Phyllis was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1997, she got into the raw food movement and began eating unprocessed, uncooked fresh foods as often as possible. She feels better, sleeps better and is happy to experiment and concoct new, healthy recipes which she shares with everyone. For George’s 75^th birthday, she prepared a “raw” birthday dinner including a vegetable lasagna, mock tuna salad made with sunflower seeds and raw apple salad.

George Bernard Shaw wrote, “The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for Him there.” George and Phyllis know this and find God in the own backyard on any day, in any season with just a thrust of the shovel.