Rita Pelczar

Rita Pelczar grew up in a garden. In college, she studied horticulture, receiving both BS (in pomology and olericulture) and MS (in ornamental horticulture) degrees from the University of Maryland. She gained extensive gardening experience in a career that includes managing public gardens and greenhouses, teaching, working as a Peace Corps volunteer, and growing edible crops. She has written, edited, and contributed to a number of gardening books and gardening magazines and is currently a contributing editor for The American Gardener. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina where her ornamental and edible gardens continue to expand. She also grows organic hops commercially and raises chickens for fun.