Robbinsdale Backyard Garden Growing into Social Media Sensation
Emily Klemme wouldn’t consider herself any sort of master gardener, nor would she consider herself a social media queen.
But her quarter-acre vegetable garden has garnered the Robbinsdale wife and mother of two toddlers a social media following that is growing almost as fast as the dozens of zucchini varieties.
“You can grow a lot in a very small amount of space,” Klemme said. “You can grow your own food, it’s not hard.”
Sustainability in the sense of hundreds of pounds of produce every week in the summer was just one goal Klemme had in mind when she started her garden a few years ago. Now, peppers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, mint, collard greens, apples and even watermelon are all part of the bounty she takes from her yard–and chronicles on her TikTok and Instagram profiles.
Emily Klemme’s garden in Robbinsdale has earned her a huge haul of fresh produce–and a growing social media following.
“I like it. It’s wholesome. I try not to put anything too bad on there,” she said. “I’m talking to a couple people from Hawaii right now, they’re having a problem with their zucchini over there.”
Her audience really grew when she began documenting her indoor planting efforts this winter as she looked ahead to the snow melting and building garden boxes this spring.
“It’s a happy accident,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand when asked how many followers she has. The number of followers is in the tens of thousands, large enough that different companies have sent her products to try out.
But beyond the tremendous yield of fresh food she grows each season, the principle and the function of her garden are what keeps Klemme coming back.
“If something doesn’t work, there’s a million other ways to go about it, and there’s not any real clear-cut rules for gardening,” she said. “Something that works here in Robbinsdale may not work in Crystal, and sun and soil and water, and every year it’s different, too.”
“Why grow grass when you can grow food? Grass isn’t doing anything for anyone and food is, so, it’s kind of fun,” she added.
