My Big Backyard is a small for profit, LLC, which operates in conjunction with the non-profit Hobson Foundation, Inc. Our goal is to provide and/or maintain a series of sympathetic and purposeful gardening sites which will offer safe and structured programs for those who wish to reap the many benefits of horticulture therapy.
The vision of this project is to empower disadvantaged members in the society, including at-risk youths and disabled and transitional adults by using sustainable agriculture as means to help them develop entrepreneurial and life skills and establish a positive connection with the community.
The mission of this project is to establish youth development and empowerment programs and programs directed toward disabled and transitional adults, which use sustainable agriculture as means to effect lasting change for participants on Maryland’s Eastern Shore area.
Through these programs the participants can connect to the land and learn the benefits of growing, eating, selling and donating sustainably produced food. These programs will encourage the development of leadership, entrepreneurial and life skills, and the importance of giving back to their community.
Our initial emphasis is on children who do not have a stable family and have become a part of the case load of the Department of Social Services. Children from broken families need a stable, caring educational environment in additional to the care they receive from the foster home. The goal of this program is to help these children learn to accept where they are, realize now that they are not to blame and teach them to trust adults again. In addition to other life skills, they would develop an understanding that they are loved, special, and allowed to love themselves.
Other children in the community will also be welcome to the programs, through after school and summer programs.
Within the vision of empowering disadvantaged members in the society, we will also develop work training for homeless and transitional adults, and work towards learning programs for mentally and physically challenged residents.
My Big Backyard creates a safe place for at-risk youths, transitional adults, and anyone in need. My Big Backyard will become a home, a school, a playground, a sanctuary for those who have lost their way. My Big Backyard is a place to learn, a place to heal, and a place to grow.
My Big Backyard is the vision of John Hobson, a certified Horticultural Therapist. For over 25 years John co-owned a family-operated landscape company, F.A. Hobson Landscape Inc. In order to pursue his passion to educate others about horticulture and to help those who are less fortunate, John started My Big Backyard. In 2010, John obtained a certificate in Horticulture Therapy from the Horticulture Therapy Institute. This certificate enables him to fill the role of facilitator, organizing and coordinating the many different players associated in creating a Horticulture Therapy program or landscape. Doctors, educators, therapists, designers, community leaders, and of course the people in need. The certified Horticulture Therapist plays an essential role in bringing all the differing viewpoints together into a cohesive idea. Whether planning the Horticulture Therapy program requirements, or designing the landscape elements, the certified Horticulture Therapist offers a unique perspective in the process.
In addition to Horticulture Therapy, My Big Backyard focuses on Community Horticulture. Community Horticulture includes things like community gardens, school gardens, nature centers, and healing landscapes, among others. It is very similar to Horticulture Therapy, but focuses on the community as a whole rather than therapy for individuals.
If you would like to hire My Big Backyard as a consultant for your Horticulture Therapy or Community Horticulture project, contact us using the information below.
Imagine, if you will, a small farm – 25 to 300 acres – with pastures for goats, sheep, chickens, a small orchard, bees, small fields of feed grain, vegetables and fruits. A small pond or meandering stream located on the farm provides the necessary water. Several wind turbines and a few solar panels provide all the power needed. Very little input is needed from outside the farm, and in turn, very little waste is produced that can’t be processed on-site. Children run and laugh and play. They learn to care for the plants and animals and themselves. The elderly and mentally challenged adults come often to the farm, interacting with the children, teaching and learning themselves. Disadvantaged families live and work on the farm for room and board and education. Members of the My Big Backyard CSA come once per week to pick up their produce and listen to some music as the sun sets over the fields.
This is John’s dream for My Big Backyard. But it won’t happen without your help. To donate time or money or resources, please click the link below.
My Big Backyard is not a 4-H program, nor is it intended to replace 4-H. Rather it can be used as a supplement for families with limited resources. Many 4-H and FFA activities require large amounts of parental supervision, time and money. My Big Backyard provides working parents, single-parent families, and foster families with the resources and encouragement needed to excel in 4-H type programs.
Future Programs which may be offered at the My Big Backyard Farm:
- Animal Husbandry
- Gardening
- Farm Equipment Repair (including wind turbines and solar panels)
- Equestrian Programs
- Cooking and Food Preservation
- Craft activities
