Where Grit Meets Grace...About Us
I am Paula Wolfel, a Travis County Master Gardener and lifelong gardener, foodie, and nature lover. I started Grit and Grace Gardening to help my community learn to garden using organic, sustainable, and environmentally conscientious practices. And then, to share with them ways to use their harvests to have healthier eating habits while building relationships around the garden and table. It is a combination of my passions for gardening, cooking, teaching, and building communities.
I have been gardening in Austin, Texas since 2017. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago learning how to garden from my father-a Sicilian vegetable and fruit tree gardener-and both my grandmothers, and then spent years gardening in Virginia. I find gardening to be wisdom, lessons, and best practices passed down generation to generation, season to season, and I hope to share that with you. I love gardening because I finds it to be a grounding force-it gets me out of my head and into the present. I loves the pride that comes with cooking a meal for my family with every ingredient coming from my garden… and then the humility I feel when I loses an entire crop because of Mother Nature.
Why Grit and Grace? I believe gardening requires grit: the requirement to push through and not give up, the need to embrace the good and the bad and bend, not break. And is full of grace: it is not about what happens but how we adapt, persevere, and remain passionate. And every once in a while, the joy of knowing Mother Nature gave us a break. And in the end we are left with gratitude for the harvest and hope for the next season.
I am gratefully married with three children. I have started and managed school and community gardens where I gardens in conjunction with my tailored curriculums. I previously worked with homeschool children in garden-nature curriculums. I have consulted for several home and small business owners in Travis and Hays counties. I completed the State of Texas Master Gardener Advanced Training in Home Vegetable Gardening through Texas A&M Agrilife. And I am the author of the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Office monthly articles on vegetable gardening in Austin.