About Jacques Lyakov

My strongest memories are always related to food and in particular fresh garden tomatoes. These memories have led me to become a full-out gardening addict who grows for flavor first!

Everything we grow in our garden we eat! It has become the recipe book for our kitchen, and whatever is available in the garden dictates our meals. I hope to help more people experience what it is like to eat out of their gardens daily! Epic Gardening allows me to teach others the experience of what homegrown produce really tastes like.

Even though I went to graduate school for geology, my true passion has become growing food. My gardening philosophy is to follow the science, but trust your observations! I lean on my research background to help synthesize information from reading books into useful tips for the home gardener.

In the end, as The Garden Hermit, my goal is to always help provide as much knowledge as I can while hopefully having some fun along the way!

Q. What’s your favorite plant?

A. Everything solanaceous. It’s cheating, I know, but how can I choose between the amazing versatility of the peppers from sweet to hot, the amazing flavors of tomatoes from cherry up to giants, the multi-shaped eggplants, and the humble delicious potato?

Q. What is your “spirit vegetable”?

A. I think I have to go with a potato. It doesn’t mind being covered in dirt, and once it’s ready, it’s one of the most versatile vegetables around that can carry a meal.

Q. What’s the most unusual plant you’ve grown?

A. The litchi tomato plant. Picture a tiny cherry tomato, remove the flavor, and then make every square inch of the plant (leaves, stalks, flowers etc.) erupt in spikes. Let’s just say I’ve only grown it once.