A few weeks ago I was able to meet with Katie one of Grow Wise’s gardeners. Katie’s garden is very impressive and one look at it shows that an enormous amount of thought and planning has gone into it. When I visited I was shocked to learn that this is her first attempt at planting a garden, and the first time one has been planted on the land in many decades.

Katie’s Garden

When I asked Katie what she had planted in the garden, she laughed almost as if it had just occurred to her how long the list was. In this small little back yard plot Katie has managed to plant potatoes, jalapeños, strawberries, 3 varieties of tomatoes, basil, sweet potatoes, and purple peppers.

Diversity is one of the first things that Katie mentioned when I asked her about how she planned her garden. She told me that she spent a great deal of time in winter and early spring researching which plants work well when planted together and tried her best to avoid letting one crop overtake her plot.

Considering Katie’s relative inexperience with agriculture in general I left feeling amazed, by her talent and creativity, as well as the enthusiasm that the young woman had for garden. This has given me high hopes for the youth of this county and the roles that they can play in agriculture. It has also left me excited to see the progress of other gardeners in the Grow Wise program. If this level is quality is what I can expect of a relative novice I cannot wait the see the gardens of more experienced participants.

Early Draft of Katie’s Garden