Community Highlights: Meet Katie Carey of Columbus Foodscapes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Carey.

Hi Katie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started out farming and gardening right after college, and I completely fell in love with it. I became obsessed with learning everything I could about growing food and gardening organically, eventually becoming both a Master Gardener and a Master Urban Farmer.

Then COVID hit, and suddenly everyone wanted to start a garden—which makes perfect sense in hindsight. Friends, family, and neighbors all started reaching out to me as their “gardener friend,” asking for help building a raised bed or figuring out how to grow their own food.

That was when I realized there was a real gap in Central Ohio. So many people wanted to grow food and have a beautiful, productive landscape, but they felt overwhelmed by where to start, and there really weren’t businesses dedicated to helping them do it. So, in the summer of 2020, I launched Columbus Foodscapes with a shovel and a four-door Honda.

Six years later, we’ve grown into a team of four (plus our beloved work truck, Cherry Belle!), and we’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of families, schools, and community organizations create and maintain organic edible gardens. What started as me helping folks plant a tomato in their backyard has expanded into raised bed and perennial garden installations, one-on-one garden coaching, educational workshops, community garden programs, and long-term maintenance, and incredible backyard garden transformations, all with the goal of giving people the confidence to successfully grow their own food.

It’s incredibly rewarding to watch people go from feeling intimidated by gardening to confidently harvesting food from their own backyards, and that’s still what drives everything we do today!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Anyone who’s started a small business will tell you that there’s rarely a smooth road, especially when starting out!

One of the biggest challenges has been building a business in an industry that didn’t really exist in our area. When I started Columbus Foodscapes, most people understood traditional landscaping *or* vegetable gardening, but the idea of combining the two into beautiful, productive landscapes is still pretty new in Ohio. A lot of our early work involved educating people about what a foodscape is and showing them that edible gardens can be just as beautiful as they are functional, before we really had much of a portfolio to *show* folks what that can mean and look like.

Aside from the big-picture stuff, there were plenty of moments in the early days that make me laugh now, like shoving bales of straw into the backseat of my little Honda, hauling yards and yards of soil by myself in blistering heat just to finish a garden, and figuring out how to be kinda-broke for a while while I put almost everything I made back into the business.

I was bootstrapping pretty hard, wearing every hat imaginable, and learning pretty much everything business-wise from scratch. When I started Columbus Foodscapes, I was still learning how to use a drill, if that tells you how green I was. But I think it also says something about how deeply committed I was to this work, and how much I believe our services are so needed in our area. Almost everything was brand new, and for years it felt like one long uphill climb of learning, adapting, and improving.

But I’m a deeply optimistic person, and truly believe that every road bump holds a lesson for us. Any challenges we’ve faced have also pushed myself and our staff to become better designers, better educators, better landscapers. Now, we’re pros, and really set the standard for designing, building, and maintaining raised bed vegetable gardens and edible landscapes here in Central Ohio. If there are hard moments, seeing clients harvest their first tomatoes, watching kids discover where food comes from, or helping someone turn an unused lawn into a thriving ecosystem reminds us why we do this, so it really makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Columbus Foodscapes?
At its core, Columbus Foodscapes exists for one simple reason: we help people in Central Ohio grow food.
Most people love the idea of growing their own food! They imagine walking outside to pick fresh herbs for dinner, harvesting tomatoes from their backyard, sending their kids out to eat warm raspberries on a summer day. Dreamy, right?

The problem is that gardening can feel overwhelming. Between conflicting advice online, busy schedules, and the fear of doing something wrong, many people never get started—or give up after disappointments hit. It can feel really personal.

That’s usually when someone finds out about us! We support folks in that journey of growing food by designing, installing, and maintaining beautiful, productive edible gardens without them having to figure everything out on their own. Whether someone wants a few couple beds, a full edible landscape, a berry patch, a pollinator garden, ongoing coaching, help with organic maintenance, or even just a one-time consultation, we help each of our clients get to a place where their yard feels abundant.

I would say what sets us apart is that we’re a unique blend of landscapers, gardeners, and farmers, all rolled into one. We believe you shouldn’t have to choose between a yard that’s beautiful, an organic garden that’s highly productive, and a space that is ecologically-supportive. Your landscape can provide fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, food and habitat for pollinators, and provide a playscape and resting place that is truly beautiful, all at once.

We are totally “plant people,” but I have to say the thing I’m most proud of is the transformation we see in our clients. We don’t just build gardens– we help people who want to get connected to their space actually become gardeners. People often come to us feeling overwhelmed or convinced they don’t have a “green thumb.” A season or two later, they’re harvesting food, sharing produce with neighbors, teaching their kids where food comes from, and spending more time outside than ever before. It’s magical to watch, and totally possible for anyone!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Yes! Even though I’m a total ghost on social media, I’m a big podcast-listener and reader. Some of my favorites lately:

– To learn about foodscaping as an art: The Foodscaper podcast, conference, and website. these have been totally fundamental in helping me successfully scale and maintain my business. I can’t say enough good things about them! They have an amazing website and are just a well of knowledge.

– To get inspired by ecological landscapes: The book ‘The Complete Guide to Home Permaculture’ by Brand Hall. This woman is amazing, and her book is just as great!

– For spiritual & personal growth: To Be Magnetic podcast & manifestation program. It’s a little woo-woo for some folks, so maybe not for everyone, but their podcast and meditation program has totally changed my life! I find it inspiring and it’s been a great tool for me to help grow both as a person and in my business.

– To get a crash course on organizing a business: Even though much of it didn’t apply to a business of my size, the Traction book by Gino Wickman was helpful in reflecting on organizing, goals, and defining the business as a whole. I recommend to any business owner!

I have to say, though, my favorite teachers are my staff, my garden, and my clients. The type of work we do at Columbus Foodscapes just seems to really attract wonderful, grounded, knowledgable people, and I’m constantly learning new things from and am inspired by our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: Columbus Foodscapes
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/columbusfoodscapes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusFoodscapes