Happy summer Grow Appalachia friends! 

This summer has been filled with so many highlights I don’t know where to even begin! So I will just start. First up, victories from the Summer Sprouts “Grow Your Business” class. I created a 5 week course where I taught students the basics of how to start a business, grow flowers and food, healthy eating habits, and how to prepare the produce for market.  Some of my personal favorite moments include a hot pepper eating contest, teaching the group how to make their own boutonnières, and listening to the youth recite and fine tune their elevator speech. Fall Sprouts ”Grow Your Business” class is picking back up with a new group and will begin next week. 

 

  

 

Growing flowers for profit in our market gardens has been a great success this year, and we have so many ideas to make next year bigger and better. The majority of the flowers the gardeners and I have grown can be seen in the restaurants located in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati.   We have also been selling flowers by the bucket for special events, and I’ve had the opportunity lead flower crown parties—which is my favorite. It has been great to use the flowers as a way to get more people interested in supporting our city garden. 

        
  

 

Gardeners, Jill and Chris have been doing so much in the garden too! The hops Chris planted have grown all the way to the top of the trellis and are flowering. Both Jill and Chris are garden machines, but watching Jill grow so much beautiful food has been really incredible. Her garden beds are gorgeous works of art!  All season she has been dedicated to the garden. I enjoy watching her growing and sharing her food. She has an amazing gift of being able to teach others in our community how to do it as well. Lately she has been harvesting what’s left of our summer crop and preserving it. Cheers to two of my garden heroes!

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The garden has been producing so much yummy heart healthy food for us and the community to enjoy. What’s your favorite fruit or vegetable you like to grow? Here are a few of ours.

             

Thanks for coming back to read about our garden adventures. We’ll be back in a few weeks to talk Fall!

Peace, Love, Gardens & Flowers, 

Christina, Garden Coordinator for Over-the-Rhine People’s Garden