Don Rosenberg is a local green thumb who's working to bring gardening into the 21st century. With his Instant Organic Garden business, Rosenberg is installing raised bed gardens in backyards across Charlotte. "The goal is to have something fresh on your dinner table from your own garden as many days of the year as possible."
His love of fresh food first attracted him to gardening. "There is nothing better than fresh vegetables." Rosenberg grows vegetables for flavor and nutrition, as opposed to mass-produced, store-bought vegetables that are bred for quick maturity time and maximum profit.
As the former owner of the Record Exchange, he learned how hard it was to squeeze in gardening into a tight schedule. "I didn't have a lot of time being an entrepreneur to be out in the garden, so I wanted a garden that ran itself," he says. In his 20 years of growing vegetables, he's developed techniques that he says cut down on weeding, the most time-consuming aspect of a garden.
"I don't grow organic food because my body is a temple sort of thing," Rosenberg says. "I grow it because it's easier." He says that getting it right from the start, correctly setting up a garden and keeping the plants healthy with organic pest controls is cheaper and easier than dumping on expensive fertilizers and pesticides to fix problems.
When not in a garden, you can catch him speaking about organic food and rising food prices at Talley's or Earthfare or playing pickleball at the Jewish Community Center.
"I'm using my knowledge to make your life easier," he says, "so you can have your garden and eat it too."