Jaime Chismar discovered her green thumb four years ago when she planted her very first mesclun mix in a patio pot. Her love of heirloom veggies and native plants makes her extremely vulnerable to garden impulse purchases. When Jaime’s not in the garden, she’s getting crafty with her girlfriends or beating her boyfriend at Nintendo Wii bowling. The two live in a 1950’s rambler in St. Louis Park with their four naughty cats.

Robyn Dochterman raises heirloom tomatoes, honeybees, and an unruly herding dog in Scandia. Sheep are not in the immediate plans, but she hasn’t ruled out chickens and a goat. A long-time city dweller, she recently rediscovered her country-girl roots. She learned about organic gardening from her parents, who let her have her own gourd patch when she was 10. Not one to keep things small, she now has an annual fight with the local guy who tills her garden. She always wants more garden. He just thinks she’s nuts.

Connie Nelson, Home + Garden editor for the Star Tribune, has reported and written about gardening long enough to know exactly what she’s supposed to do. Most of the time, however, she doesn’t take her own advice. That’s why her small, city garden is always in transition. This year, she’s giving up on her failed white garden (which didn’t get enough sun) and putting in a grass berm. Unless, of course, the giant elm that shaded her yard for decades finally dies. Then, she’ll have to redo her entire garden.