A Cottage Gardener's guide to ~
Soil Made Simple
A self-paced 7 module workshop for the gardener (or wanna-be-gardener!) who's ready to take their garden soil seriously and learn the simple steps I take to care for my soil (which in turn cares for my plants!).
Healthy soil is the key to a thriving garden; Let me share my simple soil-care tips and strategies with you.
Soil is the Heart of the Garden!
Don't make the same mistake I made when I first started out: You've got to learn how to care for your soil.
Caring for your soil is just as important as choosing the right plants!
In this workshop, I'm sharing everything I do to care for my soil in my garden. And it's more simple than you might think.
I want to help you keep things simple while still planning for a flourishing garden this growing season.
I'll be the garden mentor you've been searching for (or didn't know you needed!) ~
What's in the Workshop? ↓
7 MODULES
> The Heart Of The Garden, the workshop introduction: grounding to the importance of soil and why it's essential to support our plants.
> Compost & Mulch, my personal gold standard for soil care. If you only learn from one module, this is the one!
> Sheet Mulching, it's incredibly simple, but only if you do it right. I'll show you all the steps I take~
> Watering Systems & Wise Watering, soil isn't soil without water, and I share the simple tips to help optimize your watering.
> All About Fertilizers, I don't use that many fertilizers, but I sometimes will recommend certain ones. I'll also teach you how to identify what fertilizer you will need depending on your plants symptoms.
> Seasonal Soil Tasks, Soil care is a year round task. I broke it up into manageable chunks each season, sharing what I do personally in my garden.
> Types Of Soil, this section is, frankly, not necessary in my opinion. But lots of different gardening resources talk about soil type. I wanted to include it in this workshop so you're familiar with the concept when you engage with other gardening material.
Start learning now!Focusing on building beautiful soil has been the biggest way I've supported my plants:
Gardens definitely take time to become well established. But you can grow a stunning garden in just one and two growing seasons! These photos are of the same space, one at the start of my Cottage Garden in January 2023 and the next in July of 2024, and finally the most recent in June 2026. You'll notice the pear tree in the back left of the first photo is the same tree in the middle of the second and third (with the greenhouse in front in the 2026 photo), simply in a different season with a year and a half difference!
Building healthy soil is the key to thriving plants and a beautiful garden.
I grew a beautiful garden from scratch in one or two growing seasons by focusing on my soil~ Before (January 2023) & 1.5 years later (July 2024) & most recently After (June 2026)
Make this year your gardening year, and you might just make every year your gardening year~
This is for you if...
... You've planted all the right plants, but your garden isn't growing how you want it to...
-or maybe-
... You're new to gardening and don't want to invest your time, effort, and money into a garden that won't thrive.
Regardless, you probably have heard that soil is important, but don't quite know the practical steps to take to actually care for your soil...
That's exactly why I created this workshop.
Hi, I'm Hannah, the gardener behind Rooted Cottage Gardening.
I started gardening when the world around me stopped making sense. I was overworked, burned out, and exhausted. I needed to do something tangible, and there's something so elemental about getting my hands in soil and tending the earth.
This was over ten years ago and it continues to hold true in my life! Growing my own food and flowers has led me back to myself again and again, and continues to connect me with something deeper.
I started teaching garden workshops two years ago, and have used my own experiences with my Cottage Garden to help hundreds of people over this time.
I'm thrilled to offer Soil Made Simple because it's exactly where I would start if I was stuck asking, "Why isn't my garden growing like I want it to?"
“Taking these workshops reminded me how passionate I am about being outside and creating pretty spaces through gardening! You inspired me to tackle an area in our yard that I have been trying to embrace and change for a while now.”
- Nicole M.
"My husband and I learned so much and it really motivated us to get into plan mode. I'm so glad I took your course! I have been so inspired by you.
- Lisa B.
“The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. ... Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.”
― The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture
It's time to create the garden of your dreams by learning to care for your garden's soil!
Join Soil Made Simple now!Did you know? Your purchase gives back~
Officially, a portion of profits is split between The Xerces Society (focuses on Pollinator Conservation & Reducing Pesticides) and Earthjustice (Environmental Law Org).
Unofficially, we are stewards of our land and incorporate sustainable practices into managing our farm.
We're currently planting an orchard with plans for a community u-pick. Funds from this Soil Made Simple Workshop will go towards purchasing fruit trees, berry bushes, the watering system, and all the amendments required to give our orchard the best chance to flourish.
Thank you for your support! We couldn't transform this farm without you.
What if I live in a different area than you?
Will this still work for me?
I live in Western Washington State, USA. I garden in a maritime climate in zone 8b. But even if you live in a different locale, nearly everything I do can be replicated and simply adjusted for your own growing zone and situation.
I'd love to chat with you if you're unsure whether this workshop is right for you or not. Email me at [email protected].
I’m going to be completely honest with you:
There’s a large part of me that feels absolutely ridiculous for offering Cottage Gardening Workshops during these times. Like, REALLY? Folks are being kidnapped off the streets, the US is talking about invading other countries, and EPA regulations are being rolled back and valuing business above human health… I could go on and on and on…
I find myself asking, "Is gardening a priority right now?"
But then I remember that I *actually* believe that gardening is a revolutionary act. Extra food grown gets shared or donated to food banks. Planting flowers feeds the bees and other pollinators even as their numbers dwindle worldwide.
Caring for the earth when the powers that be will not? Revolutionary. Experiencing great joy and peace in the garden? Needed now, more than ever.
We need to be creating the world we want need.
How do I stay grounded during these times? I spend time in my garden. How do I share joy with others? Flowers from my garden. How do I share with my community? MY. GARDEN. It’s become my haven and my opportunity to make a difference.
If you’re looking for this for yourself, you can start now.
Join me in learning Cottage Gardening. You never know what kind of difference it could make in your life!
Start Learning!About Rooted Cottage Gardening
"Rooted in the seasons, rooted in healthy soil, rooted in joy.”
Rooted Cottage Gardening has been a years long process in the making.
In 2014, I completed my county's Master Gardening Program and decided to get serious about growing my own vegetables. Pretty soon I added a small cottage garden (ask me about this! It completely flopped and I'll share why!), but I persisted and continued to grow more and more over the years. Then, in 2020, we moved to our farm. That's when things really started taking off and I started my current Cottage Garden project in the winter of 2023. Along the way, I started teaching my friends and family, and it ballooned from there. Now I teach hundreds of people and it's an honest-to-goodness dream come true.
In my over a decade of growing, I've nailed down my personal garden ethos:
> Organic always
> Sustainability-focused
> Moving towards minimizing and then eliminating plastics.
> Incorporating regenerative practices so my garden gives back to the earth more than it takes.
I genuinely believe that if every gardener gardened the way I garden, the world would be a better, more beautiful place. And that's because I garden in a way that cares for the earth.
If I can do this, you can, too.
I deeply value transparency in business, so I wanted to take a moment to share my business values with you:
My values of Environmental Sustainability, Ethical Consumption, Human Rights, and Community Support underscore everything I do in life & in my Rooted Cottage Gardening business. I’m not (and never will be) claiming perfection. I am, however, communicating my commitment to continued learning, growing, and implementing best practices & new knowledge. You will see these values reflected in this workshop.
Call me old fashioned, but...
I don't use AI in my work.
This is my promise to you: Everything I share has been written and created by me. Every post, every email, every word of my workshops, every aspect of my courses. I share and create from my own experience and knowledge.
But why? (Most people ask this.) My commitment to environmental sustainability and ethical consumption requires me to apply those values to the tech aspects of my business (and life, too). Due to the environmental impact of AI & the reality that generative AI was built on stolen work from authors and artists (among other concerning factors), I’m opting out of generative AI.
