For Josh Bayard, gardening is about much more than growing plants. It’s a way to connect with the land, give back to the community, and carry on a tradition that started with his grandmother.
After moving to Washington, DC, five years ago to be closer to family, Josh has become deeply involved in DC’s urban agriculture community. But his connection to growing food goes back much further. As a child, he watched his grandmother tend a 6-by-6-foot garden plot that she lived off throughout the year. Inspired by her example, he began growing his own food and, over the past decade, has given away much of what he grows.
“I believe there is an energy exchange between humans and the Earth,” he told us. “Those of us that work in the soil help to replenish the energy the Earth works so hard to provide to keep itself alive. I believe if you put good energy into the soil, the soil will return the good favor.”
He is putting that philosophy into practice by working with a wide range of growing organizations in the area.
Josh serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for DC Natives, a nonprofit primarily focused on Wards 7 and 8 that installs native pollinator habitats, educates residents about the importance of native plants and pollinators, and adds more natural beauty to neighborhoods throughout the city. He is also completing the Beginner Farmer Training Program with Eco City Farms and a Certificate in Regenerative Agriculture at Common Good City Farm.
As a certified Master Gardener and Master Naturalist, he regularly volunteers as part of the programs’ commitments, including as a National Park Service Weed Warrior in Anacostia Park, and as a gardener at Congressional Cemetery to install and maintain a plot filled with native plants.
Now, Josh is taking the next step in his growing journey by building a business of his own. Blazing Star Nursery & Farm will focus on growing native plants, herbs, and specialty produce using regenerative agricultural practices and locally sourced seeds, with the goal of being fully operational and selling at local markets by spring 2027.
Over the past year, Josh has also brought all that experience and enthusiasm to Bloom and its Greenhouse Co-op Program. He first learned about Bloom through the Master Gardener program and began helping maintain seedlings grown in Bloom’s greenhouse to support the local community. As a member of the Greenhouse Co-op, Josh has now grown hundreds of seedlings and helped nurse struggling plants back to health for DC Natives to use in their habitat installations.
The collaboration soon grew beyond the greenhouse. DC Natives and Bloom are working together to make soil amendments more accessible to residents of Wards 7 and 8. Gardeners had told DC Natives that accessing compost at the Fort Totten facility was challenging because of distance and availability. “We are glad Bloom stepped up to help when our community needed it most,” Josh says.
And his contributions have made their mark for Bloom, too. Outside the greenhouse at Blue Plains, Josh installed a native pollinator garden, bringing native plants and habitat into the surrounding industrial landscape.
“I hope that over time, as the bees and butterflies and other pollinators stop by and the flowers showcase all their colors, the native plant habitat will bring joy to all those that visit,” says Josh.
It’s a fitting addition from someone whose gardening journey began by witnessing what could come from his grandmother’s small garden plot and is now making an impact across the DMV.
