People nowadays are more and more concerned about their food – where it comes from, how it was processed and what was put into it to make it look more appealing. There is the organic food movement and the local farmer’s market is the place to be seen at when shopping for fruits and vegetables. While most people like the idea of growing their own food and in turn knowing exactly what happened to it from start to finish, many feel overwhelmed or held back by not having a yard or enough time.

Kelly McCarthy and her husband Aaron Gustafson run a web design and development business called Easy Designs out of Chattanooga, TN. While this business has nothing to do with gardening per se, growing their own food is one of Kelly’s and Aaron’s passions. Kelly explains that “like many web geeks we know, we’re green, enviro-conscious foodies, so growing our own food allows us to keep at least a portion of what we eat as local as you can get. ”

The couple has been to SXSW for many years as visitors and last year Kelly spoke for the first time on the Web Standards Project panel. Taking a long shot at the ‘other’ category of this year’s submissions, she entered her panel titled “Reprogram Your Yard, Then Eat It” and got it accepted. Together with Aaron, Kelly will cover ideas on how to grow things successfully in your backyard, on your patio, or even on your balcony. During the one-hour session the couple will “cover some basics with a few more advanced tricks, so even a non-gardener will be comfortable.” Inviting everyone to attend, from people who have experience gardening to others who have only dreamed of growing their own food, Kelly says “our goal is to have everyone leave with a new idea for their existing garden, or be inspired to go home and try growing something for the first time.”