Meet the Green Team!
Bryan
Owner and Chief Farming Officer for Garden Farms of Nevada
Originally from the beautiful countryside of western Montana, I moved to Las Vegas in 1987, and have been in the landscaping and gardening industry here in the valley for over 28 years. After Graduating from Clark High School in Las Vegas I obtained a degree in Horticulture at CSN. I worked as the Director of Horticulture at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS and at other resorts in Las Vegas including The Mirage Hotel and Shadow Creek Golf Course.
I have had a passion for growing food in the desert since I was young, and have successfully proven an uncanny ability to grow vegetables and fruit trees throughout our harsh desert climates in Nevada. I am married to the lovely Brittany Vellinga (co-owner and operator of Garden Farms of Nevada) and together we have five beautiful children, and five grandchildren. In my spare time, I enjoy fly fishing, food preservation, spending time with my wife and family and (of course) gardening.
Brittany
Co-owner and Operator of Garden Farms of Nevada
In addition to being a busy mother of 5 children and 5 grandchildren, I work on the farm and service some of the residential and school gardens in Las Vegas. I love working with the kids and others, putting my 20+ years of gardening experience in Las Vegas to good use. After graduating High School I pursued further education with the travel and tourism industry, and then became a certified Herbalist.
In addition to Working at Garden Farms of Nevada, I have worked as a day care specialist, substitute teacher, swim teacher, PTA President, and various community services, and am a certified CPR instructor, producing a tea line for Garden Farms Herbs, and hosting a podcast show for women. My hobbies and interests include gardening (of course), camping, spending quality time with my kids and grand baby, sewing, running, walking, painting, food preservation, reading, cooking, making cakes, and exercise.
Wendy
Director of Garden Farms Foundation & General Manager of Garden Farms of Nevada
I’m very passionate about growing my own food and teaching the concept to anyone who will listen. Growing food for ourselves has been lost through busy lifestyles and the ease of grocery stores. There is something so satisfying in self-reliance and having everything on your table grown from a seed you collected from the previous year’s harvest.
For over 18 years I have taught myself how to grow through trial and error as well as being a member of a local community garden, and I’ve really enjoyed helping countless people remedy problems in their own gardens. I’ve taken classes through Springs Preserve, community colleges and university extension offices, and I’ve also participated in planning the vegetable gardens at the Springs Preserve through extensive classes on the subject.
I started out saying, “Thank goodness my family won’t starve this winter because we have a grocery store too!” but now my own garden is better than the local grocer, and we have everything we need right at home!
Allie
Assistant Director of Garden Farms of Nevada
I grew up on the East Coast. Every afternoon after school, I’d hear the same thing: “Finish your homework, then meet me in the garden to harvest for dinner!” That routine grounded me. It taught me that food doesn’t just come from a store, it comes from soil, care, and connection.
When we weren’t tending plants, we were outdoors exploring, getting our hands dirty, and learning from nature itself. Those early years planted the seeds for a lifelong passion for sustainability and a deep belief that humans are meant to live in harmony with the earth.
So, when I moved to Las Vegas, I was determined to carry that tradition forward. But the desert had other plans. My crops withered. My techniques failed. What worked back East simply didn’t translate here. It was SOO frustrating. Years of trial and error with very little to show for it.
Then I found Garden Farms.
With their support, I didn’t just learn to garden in the desert, I learned to thrive. They taught me how to work with the environment, not against it. Today, my garden is flourishing in the heart of Las Vegas. No more wilted plants, just vibrant life, growing right outside my back door.
Garden Farms has become more than a resource; it’s a movement I’m proud to be part of. Our commitment to sustainability, zero waste practices, and community empowerment is exactly what the world needs right now. I’m honored to be growing alongside Garden Farms, literally and figuratively.
Rafael
Garden Transformation Specialist
The man who gets the job done!
Lorenzo
Project Design Manager
I was born and raised in Vegas– I grew up in a food family where my dad was a head pastry chef at a casino until he opened up his own bakery. Eating, trying new recipes, and their ingredients was always a big thing growing up. Both my parents lived on farms as children so we always had herbs and fruits in the backyard. As big of a connection to food I have and that is forever present in my life, I knew from a young age that I didn’t want to be a baker. I wanted to build and create stuff.
I would go on to East Career and Technical Academy for their construction management program, and later went to UNLV to major in Architecture, where I decided to focus in Landscape Architecture. I then learned of the concept of Urban Agriculture and how it could benefit both the health of people, society, and the environment. After working many years researching and writing papers on the subject, I have become very passionate about the idea of a simple act of more people growing their own food, or planting fruit trees instead of ornamentals, which can go a long way in creating a future that is both healthier and more sustainable.
It was the concept of Urban Agriculture that synthesized my background of Landscape Architecture and my upbringing around food that led to me being very excited to join the Garden Farms team to actually implement many of the ideas I spent years researching to help my local community. As Garden Farms Project Manager and on staff Landscape Designer, I look forward to helping you realize your dream of establishing your very own Urban Farm.
Amy
School Garden Liaison
With over 20 years of experience in the dental field, I have always had a deep passion for gardening, a love I’ve carried with me since childhood. Growing up, I spent countless hours tending to my grandmother’s garden, and later, I worked hard to inspire that same love for the earth in my own children, even if it meant a bit of light persuasion along the way!
Despite a successful career in dentistry, I never let go of my gardening dreams. After years of balancing my professional life with my passion for growing, I decided to take the leap and leave my dental career behind. I am is now fully dedicated to supporting Garden Farms in its mission to empower the next generation with the skills and knowledge to grow their own food sustainably.
With my heart rooted in both the community and the environment, I am thrilled to help bring sustainable gardening education to local schools, encouraging kids to dig in the dirt, connect with nature, and embrace the joy of growing their own food.
Meet Our Dedicated Team of Professional Urban Farmers!
Sarah
Expert Urban Farmer
I have been gardening in Southern Nevada and the surrounding region for 18 years. I enjoy working with home gardeners to develop site-adapted planting plans over the course of several growing seasons. As one farmer among many at Garden Farms, I have had the opportunity to help weave customer feedback and localized environmental feedback into a larger garden patchwork here in the Valley.
Overlooked items in your home can be repurposed as essential additions to your gardening toolkit -- and this also goes for the toolkit itself! Once, on a whim, I repurposed a collapsible laundry hamper with rope handles as a garden carryall, and to this day it works better for me than any store-bought gardening tote advertised as such. I bring it with me to gather up plants for easy transport, to haul debris away, and to move miscellaneous supplies around. It's also a real space saver, folding flat when not in use.
Sadi
Professional Urban Farmer
As a third generation Nevadan, my life has revolved around making a life in the harsh desert landscape. My grandmother, a Colombian transplant drawn to the desert for love, grew up on rich farmland and did everything she could to replicate the lush green life she knew at her home in the desert. She taught me everything she knew about farming and homesteading, and as I grew up, I found myself more and more drawn to a self-sustained way of life and plants in general. In 2017 I started my first project: a 10x10 block wall garden that had lain empty for 20 years and needed reshaping. By the time the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, I had an established garden my family could rely on even during quarantine or shortages. I realized then that my passion was actually something desperately needed in our society. I transitioned from hobbyist to career gardener for good; joining the Garden Farms Urban Farmer team in 2022. My passion lies in educating others on self-sustainability as well as continuing my own personal study in the field of how our ever-changing climate can continue to support life; as well as what lessons we can learn from our extreme environment.
Destiny
Professional Urban Farmer
Food is the cornerstone to a thriving community so from a young age I knew I’d like to be a farmer or gardener. In Palau, where I’m from, fresh produce is harvested from family gardens where many hours are spent tending to and learning the land. After volunteering at various gardening events around the city I was excited to hear that garden farms was hiring. It’s allowed me to build connections with other farmers and learn years of cultivated knowledge that can only be gained through experience. My position has also aided me in my journey to self sufficiency- I’m learning methods of food preservation and how to care for fruits and vegetables at different stages of growth of as well as seed harvesting. Im also learning how to better identify plants which will help me hone my foraging skills. I’m so excited to see where this new journey takes me and I’m loving the ride (:
Anna
Professional Urban Farmer
Bio germinating
Melissa
Professional Urban Farmer
Bio germinating
Grace
Professional Urban Farmer
Originally from the New England area and i have been loving getting to learn about food gardening in the unique desert ecosystem. I have a degree in Environmental Studies and am very passionate about sustainable agriculture and connecting with the local community.
Stacey
Professional Urban Farmer
After living in the desert for 39 years, and raising a beautiful family, I came out of early retirement to learn more about gardening. I have a BA in Psychology, my background is in behavior management with a focus on children, which makes me a unique fit for providing school garden education to students around the valley!
Fatima
Professional Urban Farmer
Bio germinating