Lee Reich, PhD, dove into gardening over 40 years ago, initially with one foot in academia, as an agricultural scientist with the USDA and Cornell University, and one foot in his organic fields.
He eventually expanded his field to a farmden (more than a garden, less than a farm) and left academia to lecture, consult, and author a number of books, including The Pruning Book and Grow Fruit Naturally.
Besides providing a year-round supply of fruits and vegetables, his farmden has an educational mission to get more people, whether in backyards or small farms, to grow more food sustainably and organically. Science and an appreciation of natural systems underpin Reich’s work, and his farmden is also a test site for innovative techniques in soil care, pruning, and food production.