Theodore Roosevelt Phillips Jr. aka "The Harlem Hillbilly"

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Some time in the late 1890's/early 1900's my great grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Phillips acquired 100 acres of property in Tuskegee, Alabama.  That land has been kept in the family and passed along through the generations.  Both my parents grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama and graduated from Tuskegee Institute (my dad with a Masters in Agriculture).  They moved to New York City in 1964 and began their lives as Mr. and Mrs. Phillips.  Up in NYC, my dad quickly connected with others that had also migrated from the South that enjoyed hunting and fishing like he did.  Through the years he remained an avid outdoorsman so when I was born he was eager to pass along the traditions.

Born in East Harlem NYC, I was exposed to the South at a very young age.  I can remember my father always saying, "You're gonna grow up on 5th Avenue, but you're gonna know Alabama".  When I was 4 years old I started fishing and by the time I was 8, I started hunting.  I became pretty obsessed with both and enjoyed 17 hour annual car rides to Tuskegee to visit family and to hunt on the property my great grandfather bought many years before.  In the late 90's my dad retired and began spending more time in Tuskegee transforming what had been unfarmed land for 40 years into a deer hunter's paradise.

It was at this time the Masters in Agriculture and years of farming growing up would come in handy.  The importance of owning land and using it to provide for your family and community was really drilled in during this time.  I learned how to use a tractor and how and when to plant crops.  It was knowledge that I apply daily in my garden.  About 10 years ago, I started growing tomatoes and herbs in my apartments.  Once I had a tomato vine that wrapped all around the curtain rod in my living room.  But in 2013, I bought my apartment in East Harlem.  This new space gave me my own small piece of land to use to provide for my family.

Year after year, through trial and error with advice from  my dad, my urban gardening skills have gotten better and better.  I have been able to increase my harvests and now grow a variety of tomatoes and peppers as well as cucumbers, eggplants, blueberries and mad types of herbs and flowers.  My garden is a place where I find peace and tranquility in a fast moving NYC.  I also continue to fish and hunt.  I have even convinced some of my friends to join me on hunting trips where they can really see the hillbilly in me.  On exhibit are my scouting, shooting and tracking skills.  As well as my abilities with a buck knife in my hand.

Introducing the Harlem Hillbilly.  A native New Yorker with long standing connections to the neighborhood with a passion for the outdoors.  I want to spread my knowledge of urban gardening, share my adventures and give you some insight into what makes me who I am.  Be on the look out for my favorite recipes, gardening tips and NEW products.