Humans Who Grow Food

Meet Amanda from Charlotte, NC, USA

“I am a regenerative, no-spray gardener who embraces the power of the soil food web to feed my garden. I grow food because the food we grow at home is completely within our control. I know what has been sprayed on it, or better yet, what has NOT been sprayed on it; I can control the soil it’s grown in and every step of the growing process. We know food grown at home in healthy soil is more nutritious and tastes better too.

Not knowing how our food is treated from seed to table is what inspired me to start growing food on a larger scale at home. We are located outside Charlotte, NC and my garden is roughly 250 square feet divided up in various raised beds. I also have a plot at at community garden down the road to increase my sunny growing space.
I grow a mixture of fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs and native plants. I get the most joy from trying to grow new, unusual things; like turmeric, stevia, butterfly pea vine, jicama, egyptian walking onions and rattlesnake master.

Fostering a healthy soil food web that in turns feeds my plants combined with integrated pest management practices have resulted in an abundant, healthy garden.

I love growing all my plants from seed and I have three favorite sources for seeds. If I want to place one order and get vegetables and flowers, I use Pinetree Garden Seeds who has a wide selection of both. If I want some hard to find flower varieties, I like Swallowtail Garden Seeds. And if I want native seeds I love Prairie Moon Nursery.

I think the biggest hurdle to gardening is letting go. Realizing that it’s better to work with nature instead of trying to control it. Some years are better than others and managing expectations is key for not being disappointed. On the other hand, these lessons are also the biggest rewards. It is incredibly freeing and less stressful when you stop trying to control everything and work with nature.”

Meet Jenna and Casey from , Cape Charles, Virginia, USA 🇺🇸

“We’re a husband-and-wife team working together to grow clean, chemical-free vegetables for our community.

Our journey started when we moved from Chicago to the rural Eastern Shore to be closer to family and raise our kids in a place where they could explore the outdoors. I’m a high school art teacher, so I knew I’d be able to find work. But my husband, Casey, had been a trader and we weren’t quite sure what his path would look like out here in the middle of nowhere.

In the beginning, Casey stayed home with our kids while I taught. He decided to start a garden—even though we had no clue what we were doing. Before long, we were growing more food than we could eat and began giving it away to neighbors. My mom joked that since a farmer’s market had started in her neighborhood, maybe we should try selling there. We laughed at first—us, farmers? But money was tight, and honestly, we were starting to feel discouraged. So we gave it a try.

That first year was rough. We made a lot of mistakes, and there were plenty of failures. We told ourselves if things didn’t turn around in year two, we’d need to rethink everything. But slowly, we learned. Customers started coming back. We joined more markets. Bit by bit, things began to grow.

One of my favorite moments is Thanksgiving, knowing that so many families in our community are sitting down to meals that include our vegetables. It feels like we get to be part of their memories.

Our town has a table called Ruth’s Garden in front of a local church. It’s “leave what you can, take what you need.” We often drop off leftover veggies there for anyone in the community who could use them.

Everyone should grow at least one vegetable. It makes you appreciate farmers and the food system in a whole new way. Also, people often ask how we get our kids to eat so many vegetables. The secret is that they’ve always had the chance to pick food straight from the field. For them, it’s an adventure, not a chore. Growing something with your child watching it sprout, picking it together, and eating it fresh can completely change the way they see food.”

Meet Rhiannon from Devon, UK 🇬🇧

“Six years ago, on whim, I took on an allotment in my village, having never grown a thing in the years before and with no idea of the transformation it would bring to my life. I learnt from the people already growing on the site, from friends and family and from the amazing online growing community.

I'm still learning the craft but I've discovered a passion for growing and regenerating the land through working in partnership with nature, biodiversity and wildlife to create spaces where we can grow flowers and food to feed the community.

I have started a project, , where we grow fresh nutritious vegetables on around 1/4 of an acre. We donate them to food banks to help people experiencing food poverty in Devon.

As the founder of Devon Dig and Donate CIC, I spend a lot of time working with other community initiatives such as Exeter Food Action - who distribute food to various food action initiatives and food banks that support those experiencing food poverty.

We also work with our local probation team and other local community groups who are offering support to individuals who are coming out of the prison system.

I am also currently working with an amazing team of people on a national campaign to embed food, farming and sustainability into the National Curriculum in the UK.

The success of our community project relies on the support from our amazing team of hard working volunteers. Community gardening offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and cultivate plants. It is especially fulfilling when your efforts contribute to the wellbeing of the community.

Please get in touch with us to volunteer for the project. Please spread the word about us and what we are doing.”

ALERT: Check out all the before and after pictures to see the beautiful transformation of this urban backyard into a thriving garden!

Meet Char and Marv from Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦

“We have cultivated something special in Toronto – a thriving community that shares our passion for homegrown food. Our mission is simple: get as many people to grow their own food, regardless of experience or space available.

We fell in love with growing food because not only is it amazing to eat fresh homegrown food, but you also know what you put into it and the joy you get when you share it with family, friends and the community. Working within city constraints, we transformed our backyard into a container garden, proving that space limitations need not limit growing ambitions.

Gardening never stops for us; we are always looking for solutions to continue to grow our food – no matter what season. From outdoor gardening, garage grow tent to hydroponics, year-round gardening is truly possible, even through Toronto’s harsh winters.

We’re passionate about sharing knowledge and helping others succeed in their growing journeys. Through our content and community engagement, we share solutions for common urban gardening challenges. We create vertical spaces and utilize our small backyard to grow more food, maximizing every inch to produce fresh vegetables year-round and proving that even limited spaces can yield abundant harvests.

Our philosophy guides everything we do: “We believe in simple living, loving what you do, and doing it with love.” For us, the greatest rewards come from empowering countless others that growing your own food is truly possible no matter your experience level or available space.”