Want a home vegetable and fruit garden but don’t know where to start? In Los Angeles, father-and-son duo Jimmy and Logan Williams, of Logan’s Garden, have the answers, from starting seeds to growing plants and designing, installing, and maintaining the garden for you. Based in the Silver Lake neighborhood of L.A., the sprawling Williams gardens contain, among hundreds of varieties of plants, banana trees and blueberry bushes, zucchini and peppers, and, most important, the heirloom ‘Goosecreek’ tomato.
That tomato launched a whole new career for former New York clothing designer Jimmy. His great-grandmother, a descendant of slaves, had grown the tomato on the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina, and seeds had been saved by generations of Williamses, including Jimmy and his 12 siblings, who helped their family grow the food they ate. When a New York friend asked Williams to help design a Manhattan rooftop garden for a another friend, it inspired him to turn from fashion design to full-time growing and garden design.
Williams called his business Hayground Organics but renamed it Logan’s Garden after his son, who joined him as a partner. And with the backing of some of his friends and fans, Williams has built Logan’s Garden into one of the most sought after by chefs and celebrities alike, whether it’s a kitchen garden or an expansive all-around plot or grove. Father and son are also fixtures at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, where they dispense advice and sell their seeds and plants.
And to spread the word to those not in L.A., Williams wrote a home gardening guide with garden writer Susan Heeger that takes you from soil to stove, From Seed to Skillet.