Growing Organic Made Simple by Local Company

Murrieta resident Nadav Joshua, 58, grew up living off food he helped grow and has devised what he says is a foolproof way for the average person to do the same.

Joshua spent his youth on a kibbutz in Israel--a communal living arrangement.

"To actually go to the store to buy an apple--that was unheard of," Joshua said.

After moving to the U.S., Joshua continued the only lifestyle he knew. That grew into a passion to share his knowledge with others. Nowadays, Joshua and business partner, Carrin Greenfield, own Grow Organic World, which they run out of their Tenaja home in unincorporated Murrieta.

For a fee, Joshua will set up a net house for clients that comes complete with irrigation and seeded planters. The net houses, he says, keep out insects and protect from wind.

"One of the main ideas is that even though we have very little room, we can still grow gardens," Joshua said. "If you have a small balcony with a little bit of light, you can still grow a garden...all you have to do is harvest and enjoy."

This is accomplished by trademarked grow bags, already germinated.

"When someone purchases a net house, it comes with an automatic fertilizer and everything grown."

Joshua, a licensed general and landscape contractor, provides three months of weekly service to get new growers on their feet.

The couple has already shared their knowledge with students in the Temecula Valley Unified School District by installing at least six school gardens, including at Temecula Valley High School.

"What most people don't know is that the summer holiday in the U.S. was for kids to go out and help in the fields," Joshua said.

"Every Wednesday we donate to the schools," Joshua said. "Every Saturday we go out and work with the kids on their gardens."

Greenfield, 61, says she grew up in the Bay Area on "canned vegetables," but now enjoys cooking and canning the fruits of her labor.

"There is such a push for children to eat healthy now, but most kids have no clue where their food comes from," Greenfield said.

She also spoke of emerging studies that show gardening helps alleviate dementia in the elderly. The pair already has several elderly clients.

They are also known to do organic cooking demonstations.

"We will show anything to anyone," Greenfield said.

And on a recent afternoon, they were doing just that. Maayan Shuval, 19, was wrapping up a summer visit with the pair. Shuval's mother grew up with Joshua on the kibbutz in Israel, but Shuval admitted she had a lot to learn.

"I had very little interest in organics, but now I want to go into food studies," Shuval said.

For more information, visit Groworganicworld.com or call 415-710-8151. Email inquiries can be sent to info@groworganicworld.com.