Jerry Baker

Who is Jerry Baker?

Jerry Baker is an American author, entrepreneur, public speaker, and product spokesperson who has written numerous books on gardening, home hints, and health topics. He is best known as America’s Master Gardener, and for creating his world-famous DIY tonics using common household products like beer, baby shampoo, castor oil, and mouthwash.

Baker began his career in the 1960s as an undercover cop in Detroit, Michigan, posing as a gardener, tree trimmer, landscaper, and seed salesman. He left the police force and eventually went to work as a horticulture buyer for S. S. Kresge Corporation. Baker’s interest in gardening lead him to local radio and TV appearances in the Detroit area. He eventually became a frequent guest on Dinah Shore’s daytime TV show, Dinah’s Place. The exposure he received from his Dinah’s Place appearances prompted him to write his first best-selling book, Plants Are Like People, in 1972. A full-length record album by the same name was released shortly after the book was certified as a bestseller. Baker also began the national craze of talking to your plants with the publication of his second best-selling book, Talk to Your Plants, the following year, in 1973.