Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Conklin.
Hi Cameron, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
12 years ago, I found a love for gardening. I was at a job where I got to learn about plants and gardening and I tried to absorb as much as I could. I’ve had a vegetable garden every year since then. Fast forward to November 2019. I previously had the idea for Bull City Gardens a couple of years back. I thought that it would be great if there was a business that installed vegetable gardens. At the time, I thought nothing of it and moved on. When November 2019 hit, I was looking for a side hustle. As I was combing through ideas and reading, I realized I already had the idea. So, I came up with the name (I’m from Durham so it had to be Something “Bull City”) and bought the website.
My expectations for the business weren’t very high for the first year and I was not prepared for 2020. Everyone one was home. I did a few small jobs in January and February., but when March hit everyone seemed to want a vegetable garden. The key phrase that I kept hearing was “I’ve always wanted to garden, I guess now is a good time”.
In 2020, our first year, we installed 26 gardens!
The great thing about the business is the education and support. Yes, we do the install and that is a big focus, but after the install we educate and teach a simple gardening method. It takes the guesswork out of the equation for beginners. After we leave, we offer email support.
What we really enjoy is seeing our customers get back outside and growing their own food. It’s what this is really all about. We also love designing our gardens and tailoring to our customer’s yards and ideas.
Looking ahead, we are looking to continue our residential installs but will also be focusing on starting a commercial install and maintenance program. We are looking for places like adult day centers or apartment complexes (or any business) who may want a vegetable garden for its tenants/occupants. It’s a unique program and we are looking forward to growing it!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of the struggles along the way were the amount of growth we were not prepared for the first year. I had this plan of pre priced beds and I quickly realized that this was turning into a custom design and build business. So each job, I had to learn how to do something new, or I needed a new tool for the job. Also, the estimating/designing was taking up to two hours a job.
I also had to adapt to the 2020 lumber and supply issues. 2021 has also been difficult with cedar supply.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bull City Gardens?
Kitchen Garden. Victory Garden. Climate Garden. Homestead. Family Garden. Herb Garden. Whatever the reason may be, we want to help! We are advocates for people who want to grow their own food. We value what nature provides and want to be responsible stewards. Home gardening used to be a way of life, a culture. And we want to see families and individuals return to a simpler, sweeter, and tastier way of life. We want to see you learn new skills and feel empowered. We solve the problem of having a “brown thumb” by teaching our customers how to garden and offering support. We recognize there are many different types of customers and so we have set up our business to help everyone succeed in gardening. Whether it’s consulting for people who like to do it themselves but need a little support and direction. Whether it’s our Bull City Package for ease and convenience. Or whether it’s our custom installs and turnkey services, we have you covered.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is spending time at my grandparents in Hillsborough, NC in the summertime. They had figs and blackberries growing in the backyard and I would go out there and pick and eat all day.
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@bullcitygardens.com
- Website: Bullcitygardens.com
- Instagram: @Bullcitygardens
