Horticulturists are professional gardeners with an academic degree who are trained in horticulture, gardening, and land management (other related degrees include landscape design and landscaping, which are often distributed by a university's horticulture department).

The purpose of gardening intensively is to harvest the most produce possible from a given space. More traditional gardens consist of long, single rows of vegetables spaced widely apart. Much of the garden area is taken by the space between the rows. An intensive garden minimizes wasted space.

We feel better when we are surrounded by nature. Gardening is a mindfulness practice and eases stress levels. Harvesting your own produce from your garden provokes the release of dopamine.

“It's about maintaining a happy, healthful connection with the soil, without the toil.” Some of the lessons Bills teaches is to plant only what a gardener can comfortably tend, to put the right plant in the right place, to make the most of small spaces, and to deal with weeds simply and effectively.