At Eat Local Education, we are dedicated to helping you cultivate a thriving garden with less effort and more enjoyment. Erin Saunders, our founder, brings over 18 years of experience in discovering and refining easier ways to grow more food with less fuss. Our approach is grounded in the philosophy of “trust the seed,” which means working with nature’s rhythms and cycles to achieve the best results with minimal intervention. This philosophy emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting natural processes (which includes using your weeds to your full advantage) to create a harmonious and productive garden.

From seedbed prep to harvest to saving seeds and letting certain plants sow themselves,

every step of the way, there are methods to reduce time, energy, and costs in your garden.

This is our mission.

This is what we teach.

Erin’s journey into gardening began with a desire to simplify and streamline gardening techniques for her busy farm life and motherhood. Seeing overly complicated and expensive methods take over simple gardening techniques in recent years, she is now committed to making this knowledge accessible to everyone. She has spent nearly two decades mastering methods that reduce time, effort, and costs while maximizing yields. Her passion for teaching is evident in her personalized coaching sessions, where she shares her wealth of knowledge and practical advice.

“I see a need for this type of gardening. I NEEDED this type of gardening. While many gardeners fuss, fret, and FIX their plants, I have observed nature and adapted her lessons to my benefit. 'Trust the seed' is just that. Seeds have one purpose, and if you just let them, they will strive to thrive. Everything I talk about has a foundation in streamlining gardening by trusting the seed. This all started the year I ran a market garden with two small kids. Nature taught me a LIFE LONG GARDEN LESSON that year, and I paid attention. Everything I do has a purpose and intent, even if it is walking away and ignoring the garden.”

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced gardener, Erin's expertise can help you overcome common challenges, question and experiment with garden " Must do's and They say's" and achieve your gardening goals. Our mission is to empower you with the skills and confidence to grow your own fresh, healthy produce efficiently and effectively with as little effort as possible.

Food security is important. Food quality is important. Food costs are important.

Gardening has become big business where the joke is that you spent $100's of dollars to save $2.17.

That's because they haven't heard of the Trust the Seed philosophy.