(2/3) “I knew nothing about gardening. But I knew how to google,...

(2/3) “I knew nothing about gardening. But I knew how to google, so I looked up some easy stuff to plant. Turns out it’s hard to mess up herbs. So I went to the clearance rack at Home Depot and got some herbs. All of the soil was contaminated, so I backed up a dump truck full of organic soil. Nevaeh’s kindergarten class came out and planted the first seedlings. There wasn’t much structure in the beginning. A lot of times I’d just sit around with the kids and look at clouds. But over time the garden became a sort of outdoor science classroom. All of us were learning together. If something died, we’d just try a new spot. We learned about worms, and lady bugs, and praying mantises. Then we learned about food systems. I couldn’t help but notice the diets of these kids: all sugar and processed food. Some of them couldn’t name a single vegetable. But how could you blame them? There are 55 fast food restaurants in this community, but not a single supermarket. So we started growing vegetables in our garden. Not all of the kids were into it. But in every class there would be two or three, who were always around, and involved. Nevaeh was one of those kids. She came to all the camps. She came on the nature walks. She just stuck to me. At first her mother was skeptical, but she could see the consistency. And soon she was bringing Nevaeh to work with me in the garden on weekends. In the beginning Nevaeh was sorta quiet, and off to the side. But over time she took ownership of the garden. Those became her plants, not mine. Whenever volunteers came to help with composting, Nevaeh would take the lead. And if you were doing it wrong, she’d grab that rake right out of your hands. Ten years have passed since we planted that first garden. And Harlem Grown has expanded to 12 different urban farms. 6,000 lbs of organically grown products have been given to the community free of charge. But the plants are just a byproduct. We’re trying to grow healthy children. But not just children. All of us are learning together. Today our most important employee is Nevaeh’s mom. She’s learned more about gardening than any of us. And she’s the Agricultural Director of all our farms.”