Gardening in Small Spaces

Posted on May 7, 2021 by curtisfoods

As we finally seem to be rounding the corner on spring, looking back, I can truly say that it was a long winter! I know this for sure because on one of our first Minnesota spring mornings, I was awoken to the sound of birds and I literally couldn’t recognize what the sound was! That got me thinking about my vegetable garden.

At Curtis Food Recruiters, we are all about the food! On this note, one of my passions over the last few years has been planning and growing my own vegetable garden. Even though I don’t have a lot of space for vegetable gardening, I really do enjoy it. Backyard gardening is a food trend that has been growing in popularity across the nation, especially since COVID-19.

Many of us do not have expansive fields in which to plant and grow our own food, however, we do have the means to create some very productive crops using the space that we do have. Whatever you choose to call it: urban gardening, square foot gardening, container gardening, backyard gardening, the concept is all the same; we are trying to do the most with the space that we have.

The following are some of my favorite small space gardening tips:

Use square foot gardening. The concept of square foot gardening was created in the 1970s by a retired engineer named Mel Bartholomew. He noticed that instead of the traditional way of planting with rows, small gardens would be more efficient if planted in squares. This was because the rows were intended to make space for the equipment in the fields, but were not as efficient as a densely planted garden. Square foot gardening involves laying down 1foot square guides and then planting the various crops within each 1-foot section. This can be done using wood strips or even string or in my case “eye-balling” it. With rows eliminated, this type of dense planting also helps reduce weeds, another bonus for the home gardener. Raised gardens also work well. In two 4 x 8 gardens, you could have as many as 64 different types of vegetables.

Think about recycling your crops throughout the summer. Some plants grow quickly from seed and can be replanted throughout the summer. This is one form of succession planting. Vegetables like lettuce, radishes, and green beans work well for this. You can replant these crops about every 2-3 weeks, as the plants stop producing. Another great way to re-use garden space is to cut plants like Swiss chard and lettuce about an inch above the ground when harvesting them. This will allow them to re-grow at least one or two more times. By following these tips, you can recycle your garden space all summer long.

Consider dwarf or miniature varieties of plants. These plants can produce as much as the traditional larger-sized varieties but in a much more compact area. More and more types of these plants are being introduced as backyard gardening is becoming more popular. They will often be labeled with words like dwarf, miniature, or compact. Also, be sure to look for varieties that indicate that they are highly productive.

Consider growing herbs and vegetables among the other plants in your landscape. Herbs and vegetables don’t always need their own private garden space; they can be simply incorporated into your landscape. This also means that the space in your front yard can be just as easily used as the space in your backyard; making more room for planting vegetables and herbs.

Plant what you enjoy. Herbs are very distinct in flavor and smell and can trigger a range of feelings, emotions, and memories. Lavender is a great example of this. One of my favorite things to plant among my perennials is Pineapple Sage. Even though I never choose to cook with it, Pineapple Sage is one of my favorite herbs. Full-grown at about 2 feet, it is a beautiful lime green plant that smells absolutely wonderful! Every time I walk by it, I grab a small handful of leaves and am immediately taken to the tropics!

Create miniature gardens in your containers. Even planters on a patio or deck can be great containers for a small garden. You can create small themed gardens within the containers. For a spaghetti garden, all you need is a tomato plant, like San Marzano or Roma, and some herbs like oregano and basil. Be sure that the space does get at least 6 hours of sun for the best results. Consider other types of miniature gardens as well, such as a salad garden with various types and colors of lettuce, grape tomatoes, chives, and radishes. Be creative!

Use all of your space wisely, including vertical space. Planting vining vegetables on a trellis or pole is a great way to get several more feet of vertical space from your garden without using a large footprint. A simple thing I like to do is put 4 or 5 bamboo stakes in the center of my raised garden in a small circle or square and then tie them together at the top with twine. Last summer, I planted pole beans around the stakes. At the height of summer, they were not only a beautiful focal point in my garden but also produced an abundance of great-tasting beans through the later part of the summer. In the landscape, a rung ladder propped next to the sunny side of the house would make a great support for peas or miniature pumpkins; or a trellis would work equally well.

Have fun and be creative with the different types of containers you can use in your space. I have seen some pretty creative uses of containers around the web these days. This includes multi-level containers on the deck, as well as pallets being propped up vertically with plants in pots tacked to the sides. One of my favorites is the re-purposing of an over the door shoe bag. It was made out of a really pretty burlap-type fabric and had herbs tucked in the places where the shoes are supposed to go. Adorable! I have also seen multiple layers of gutters hung together with twine and used for planting. I currently have a window box that I am not using for flowers this year but filled with herbs, it may be a great centerpiece for my outdoor dining table.

For additional information on the topic, one website that offers some great suggestions and how-to’s, including tutorials, on creating small space edible gardens is Sunset at http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/small-space-vegetable-gardens-00400000044403/. Mel Bartholomew also offers some great tips to getting starting with the Square Foot Gardening method on his blog at http://www.melbartholomew.com/

Now get planting! I would love to hear about your results!

Marianne Lenz

Curtis Food Recruiters 15th Anniversary

Posted on April 30, 2021 by curtisfoods

Just last month, Curtis Food Recruiters celebrated our 15th anniversary. It’s been an incredible journey only made possible by the invaluable people who have been a part of our team and the wonderful clients and candidates we’ve met along the way.

To commemorate this special occasion, we sat down with our founder, Julie Curtis, to talk about what the past decade and a half has been like for both CFR and the food industry.

Why start Curtis Food Recruiters?

I had a leadership role with a Fortune 500 company, which came with a tremendous amount of visibility and responsibility. While I loved that job, it was hard to balance that with a young family. Starting my own business was a way to create my own work-life balance.

While I admit I still struggle with achieving a true work-life balance, I love what I do, I truly do. This encompasses all of what we do here, our team, our clients, and our candidates. A lot of work goes into owning your own firm, but to me, I think it’s more than worth it!

What thoughts & emotions come to mind when you think about the 15th anniversary of CFR?

It should feel like a huge accomplishment, however, with the ups and downs of the pandemic, it doesn’t quite hold the same weight. Our 10th anniversary felt like “we did it!” Our 15th feels hard-fought, like running a race. The past 13 months have made searches more difficult and complex.

When business is good, you work hard to make sure it stays good, and when business is slow, you work even harder; embracing those challenges is the only way to make it through. Reflecting on this particular anniversary, our whole team continues to work hard for each other, for our clients and for our families. Without this particular team and group of women, I couldn’t have made it to 15 years!

What was some crucial advice you received that has helped you make it to your 15th anniversary?

I received an incredibly impactful piece of advice as I was starting out with CFR: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. As simple as that may seem, it had incredible meaning for our business. It means for executive search, don’t spend 75% of your time working with one client because so much can change — organizational and leadership changes, mergers and acquisitions, and that can lead to completely redeveloping your customer base. Rather than rely so much on just a few relationships, diversify your client base. We have been able to successfully diversify our portfolio with branded food manufacturers, private label, large and small grocery retailers and wholesalers, and foodservice customers across the country.

Another piece of advice I received that has stuck with me all these years is, when you are hiring people for your own team, focus on their customer service skills. Hire someone with great client relations skills; someone who understands how to communicate, gather information, pay attention to the details and problem solve for the customer. Rather than focusing on hyper-specific skills, hire a stellar communicator, someone that is innovative, and has experience overcoming challenges. Your clients will be happy and come back time and time again.

How has the food industry changed in the last 15 years?

I think there are components of the food industry that have changed drastically; quality assurance, quality control, point of origin, blockchain technology — being able to know exactly where that bushel of product originated. The ability to find out on a granular level how to improve our food supply has greatly improved.

Another element that is fun to reflect on from the past 15 years is how the organic, natural products and grocery chains have grown. All of these tiny little organic and natural food companies were just sprouting up and finding their place back then.

We’ve also seen an incredible amount of innovation in food products, flavors and ingredients. There has been such a dramatic change in the way we eat, what we eat, and how we as consumers make more educated decisions on what we are putting into our bodies. We have seen some amazing transformations within food companies and it will be fascinating to see how that continues to evolve.

Who is your business role model? Who has inspired you?

One person that stands out in my mind is Sheryl Sandberg — both her books “Lean In” and “Plan B” mean a lot to me. I relate to her values, her thought process and problem-solving. Helping other women inspires me as well. I recently participated in a mentoring experience with the Network of Executive Women (NEW), and I loved that! I’ve also learned a lot from some of the clients we’ve worked with over the years, such as Kathy Hayden, VP of Sales during her time at WhiteWave and beyond, Rhonda Harman, VP of HR at Michael Foods, as well as so many other great business leaders.

I have also grown a lot as a business leader through working with Executive Coach, Sarah Bridges — she has inspired me and knows how to ask just the right question to help you problem-solve on your own. As a leader, this is the area that I have grown in the most over the last five years and continue to work on. My tendency was to jump in and fix the problems, but instead, I have learned to ask more questions and redirect people to solve the problems on their own.

What is your favorite part about your job?

For me, the motivation always comes down to my client and candidate relationships. A client once commented, “You come to every single conversation with such energy, how do you do that?” I might not always have that same energy while working at my desk, but I definitely do when I am working with my clients — it’s my favorite part of the job! When clients are innovative, thoughtful, authentic and share who they really are, I’m able to help them define what they truly need, and in turn, find the right person for the role.

What do you foresee in the next 15 years for CFR? What are your goals?

Applying the insight I have gained this year from working with an executive coach, my focus will be on trying to let go a bit more, trust more in others and continue to let my team shine. I am naturally a take charge person and I am learning to sit back and let others take the lead (sometimes) — I’m a work in progress!

From a company standpoint, I want to continue strengthening our existing relationships, grow our customer base and focus on higher-level roles that are appropriate for executive search. Also concentrate on being more efficient with the time we have and improve our processes with new technology. It’s important in our industry to always challenge our mindset and continue to try new things.

Curtis Food Recruiters

As a full-service executive search firm, Curtis Food Recruiters has successfully matched skilled job seekers with prominent businesses throughout the food manufacturing and grocery retail industry for over a decade. If you’re searching for your next top performer or need help advancing your career, contact us today and we’ll leverage our vast industry experience to move your hiring needs forward.

5 Ways to Promote Wellness in the Workplace

Posted on March 5, 2021 by curtisfoods

Wellness in the workplace isn’t a new concept—far from it. But the events of 2020 have brought employee wellbeing into sharper focus than ever before. In 2021, organizations that recognize this and commit themselves to support their employees have been able to differentiate themselves from other employers by showing they truly value the whole employee, not just what skill sets they bring to the organization.

Our team at Curtis Food Recruiters collected our thoughts on a few of the most effective ways leaders can keep their teams supported, connected, and well throughout 2021.

Get Everyone on Board

Before you start to build out or enhance your employee wellness initiatives, it’s important to make sure your teams are on board and motivated to participate. Surprisingly, studies show that 80% of employees do not have the inner drive to follow their organization’s wellness programs. Leveraging coaching and educating employees on the benefits of wellness programs can help boost participation and follow through on whichever initiatives you choose to implement. Bringing fresh, engaging and exciting ideas to your wellness program will certainly garner more interest than the outdated models some companies are still using.

Here are a few tips from SHRM on how to establish and design a wellness program that works from the start!

Get Your People Moving

Exercising is an undeniable antidote for a variety of negative conditions, physical and mental alike. Commit your organization to step up its fitness goals in 2021. You can promote friendly competition and accountability for a variety of physical activities like jogging, biking (if you’re in Minnesota like us, maybe put this one on hold until Spring!), steps challenges, yoga and more. Decide what’s best for your unique company makeup and get your people moving in 2021.

Ongoing Virtual Employee Wellbeing Sessions

Based on what is feasible for your organization, providing an opportunity for your team members to seek out a wellbeing session is one of the most effective and helpful ways to respond to challenging times. Whether it’s guided meditation, yoga, or simply someone to talk to, it’s important to make it clear to employees that it’s okay if people are struggling and that you’re here to help them through it.

Unplug and Recharge

In addition to the structured wellness programs you incorporate, don’t be afraid to get a little creative and personal as well. “Unplug and Recharge” is an idea that supports employees on an individual basis by championing the wellness practices they want to explore. Whether it’s a two-hour window every Thursday where someone can go for a walk, take a long lunch, read, run errands, or simply unplug, dedicating a period during the week where your teams have the liberty to choose what’s best for them can speak volumes about your commitment to wellbeing and encourage participation in whatever other initiatives you put forward.

Celebrate Employee Achievements

We know you probably already recognized employees of the month before the pandemic—but in 2021, it’s best to take that a couple of steps further. Create a genuine culture of celebrating one another. Encourage people to shout out fellow team members for how they are valuable. Whether it’s in weekly company-wide meetings or smaller daily encounters, carve out time for your people to appreciate one another this year. It matters!

Make Your Office Greener

This may seem a little outside-of-the-box, but the amount of data supporting the benefits of interacting with nature, can’t be ignored. To combat a year dominated by being sequestered indoors, help your employees reconnect by injecting your office space with a little more green. Bringing nature inside office walls with indoor plants (succulents are great options), moss walls, water features, and open windows where feasible, can work wonders and help employees fight back against a year of disconnectedness and separation.

Wellness ideas like the ones listed above serve as a great launchpad for doing whatever part you can in supporting your team members through difficult times. Beyond just intrinsically being the appropriate response, as the pandemic shifts the dynamic between employers and employees, having a comprehensive employee wellness plan (and having people know you have it) is becoming a competitive necessity.