Owsley Grows is officially off and running for the season, and our hearts are full! With over fifty participanting families, many who are new first years, already joining our journey, almost every family involved is multi generational — grandparents, parents, children, and neighbors of all experience levels, all learning, planting, and growing together. There is something magical when seeing Appalachian gardening traditions being passed hand to heart.

This year, our focus has shifted deeper into developing the gardens themselves — creating spaces that nourish families, preserve heritage, and reconnect us with the land. Our workshops, Planning Your Garden and Planning for Seed Saving & Organic Gardening, explored everything from proper spacing and seed selection to local seed sources more suited for our mountain region. Participants selected cool weather favorites and Appalachian staples like lettuce, onion sets, and potatoes to receive at the meeting, complete with planting diagrams to help gardens thrive naturally and abundantly. Gardening aids like trellising, weed fabric, and more organic materials will be the focus this year. especially for those who are not a first year participant.

Our Planting Your Garden workshop featured many of their requested favorites, including heirloom tomatoes and peppers perfect for preserving later this summer. Both workshops carried a strong organic emphasis and were guided by our program and local Owsley County Extension Agent, Paul Sizemore, whose knowledge and encouragement continue to inspire our growing community.

Food preservation workshops are also blooming beautifully this season. We recently attended The Big Freeze, a Lunch & Learn led by Owsley County Agent Crystal Osborne, where participants gathered to learn freezing techniques for preserving the harvest ahead, giving them time to clear their freezers and start preparing for new ones. Many families are choosing to attend every food preservation workshop, creating a true learning circle rooted in community care.

We’ve also offered optional trainings in Farmers Market preparation with an emphasis on safe harvesting and food handling in the garden methods and another on raised bed construction and trellising methods using trellis netting and clips. Several families are now building adaptive raised beds to extend their growing seasons with the season extension kits and make gardening more accessible for every age and ability. Watching these gardens grow ensures a passing on of our rich traditions, and a development of family independence as Owsley Grows