Terasaki Residence, Wailupe

Taiji & Naoko were determined to grow organic food for their young family, but didn’t know how to start. Taiji contacted us in late 2009. I could tell from my first conversation with this accomplished artist and epicure that starting small was not an option! We made plans to convert half his front yard from lawn to food.

March 2012

Artists in the garden

Creativity flowed through this garden from all directions. Taiji prepped for the new garden by hand-crafting his own ceramic plant markers and custom stepping stones. He and Naoko learned quickly how to plant and grow and cook from the garden. They enjoyed starting over with a new concept at the end of each season, like our 2011 holiday garden. It was basically lima beans running up three bamboo teepees. By Thanksgiving, they kind of looked like wigwams. A month later they kind of looked like Christmas trees. The real point was to enrich the soil by cover cropping with legumes, but why not make some art while you’re at it?

Inspired to expand

The family moved in 2014 to a new house of their own design. Taiji & Naoko were so inspired by their experience growing food that they designed a 1000 square foot rooftop garden over a wing of their new home. Holy! In just 4 years, they went from novice gardeners to visionary practioners of food sustainability. This is creative genious in action!

Growing Gardeners

by Stacy Yuen Hernandez
When Taiji Terasaki needs fresh berbs for a pot of stew or the ingredients for a fresh salad, he’ll send his 7-year old…