A Doctor’s Garden: How I Grow Nutrient-Dense Food with Efficiency and Purpose

For over 30 years, I’ve practiced medicine. For over 40, I’ve practiced gardening. And somewhere in the overlap, I discovered something powerful: the garden isn’t just a place to grow food — it’s a place to grow health.

In this post, I’m sharing a tour of my backyard garden and the principles that guide it. From vertical planting to succession cycles, no-till soil care to nutrient-dense harvests, this is how I integrate functional medicine with regenerative gardening.

Why Gardening Is My Therapy 🧠

During medical school, one of my most grounding therapies was simple: hands in the soil, feet on the earth. Planting, harvesting, and eating what I grew became a ritual of restoration. Today, I run a busy medical practice, but I still carve out time to grow my own food — efficiently, intentionally, and with deep respect for the soil.

My Garden Philosophy: Efficiency + Regeneration 🌱

1. Vertical Planting

I maximize space by growing upward. Beans climb deer fences. Peas scale trellises. Tomatoes and cucumbers stretch toward the sun. Vertical gardening allows me to grow more in less space — perfect for busy lifestyles.

2. Succession Planting

Most gardeners plant once and wait. I plant, harvest, and replant — constantly. This method ensures a continuous yield throughout the season. One row of peas becomes a row of beans. Spinach gives way to beets. The garden never sleeps.

3. No-Till Soil Management

I never use a rototiller. Instead, I let cover crops and plant residue compost naturally into the soil. This preserves the microbiome — bacteria, fungi, and earthworms — that builds soil structure and feeds my plants. It’s slow, but it’s powerful.

What I Grow (and Why) 🥬

Here’s a snapshot of some of what’s thriving in my garden right now:

Crop	Purpose & Benefit
Beet Greens	High in nitrates → boosts nitric oxide for heart health
Snow Peas	Fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing, great for salads
Swiss Chard	Harvested in stages, grows alongside spicy greens
Red Romaine	Dense in minerals, harvested young and mature
Onions	Pest deterrent + long-term storage crop
Kale (Dino & Curly)	Rich in antioxidants, cut-and-come-again harvest
Cilantro & Arugula	Regrows after cutting, adds flavor and nutrition
Zucchini & Lima Beans	High yield, great for vertical growth

Harvesting for Health 🌾

I harvest in cycles. Lettuce, kale, cilantro — I cut what I need and let the roots keep working. This method respects the plant’s energy and gives me multiple harvests from a single sowing. Beet greens, especially in spring, are tender and mineral-rich. I steam them lightly and they taste almost salty — a sign they’re pulling deep nutrients from the earth.

Soil Health = Human Health 🧬

The soil microbiome mirrors the human microbiome. When we disrupt it with tilling or chemicals, we lose the structure that supports nutrient absorption. That’s why I protect my soil with composting, cover crops, and hand cultivation. Earthworms aerate. Mycorrhizae connect. The roots dig deep — and so do I.

Advice for New Gardeners 🌻

• Start early: Plant as soon as the ground thaws — February or March depending on your zone.

• Keep planting: Don’t stop after spring. Plant in June, July, August, and into fall.

• Plant close: Don’t worry about spacing. Estimate, observe, and thin as needed.

• Harvest often: Cut greens repeatedly. Let roots regrow. Maximize every square foot.

🎥 Watch the Full Garden Tour 🎥

Want to see it all in action? I walk through my 12-row garden in this video, sharing tips on succession planting, vertical gardening, and no-till soil care — all from the perspective of a functional medicine doctor who believes food is medicine.

👉 Watch the video here