#19: Meet Kourtnie, first-year gardener at Maxwell Community Garden
“I found out about DUG through my school, where I also work part-time. I’m majoring in Environmental Science, and my advisor encouraged me to get connected. I’m from Louisiana, and we didn’t have access to community gardens there. Since I was young, I’ve had an interest in nature, wildlife, being outdoors, and growing things. It’s always been a part of me. My family had a garden plot for the first time last season at the Jardin de Esperanza Maxwell School Community Garden. I was pregnant with my fourth child at the time, and actually, my daughter was born a week ago!
My ultimate goal is for my family to live on a homestead and grow all our own food.
So before I started, I attended a DUG workshop to extend my knowledge. I was so impressed by all of the speakers and the effort that DUG put into it. Everyone was willing to give and help. Our first season went well, we’ve learned so much already! I met so many new people at Maxwell and loved seeing each of their unique gardening techniques.”
DUG’s To-Grow Box helped us a lot. I was surprised by the large amount and variety of seeds and plants it included. The plant care guide was great for beginners who don’t know where to start. Without DUG’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to grow so much and such a variety.
It’s expensive to buy your own materials. Our garden helped put food on our table and decreased our grocery bills.
My kids love eating fruits and veggies, so I was spending a lot of money at the store. One of the best things we grew were cherry tomatoes. There were so many of them that we had some every day! Our harvests were always plentiful because we planted things at different times throughout the season, allowing us to see continuous growth.
The garden made my kids so happy; they couldn’t wait to go every day! They were continually asking, “Is there something ready for us to go pull?” They loved watering and digging together. They were fascinated by the garden, and as soon as we picked something, we rinsed it right away and they would go to town! My partner helped with all the heavy stuff. He was amazed every time he saw how much our garden had grown. He was on-board with tasting everything and was constantly surprised at how good it all tasted. I loved seeing his reactions! It became a fun thing for our family to do together.
Gardening isn’t too rigorous, it was very relaxing for me. As an added bonus, I was able to keep an eye on all four kids while doing it! Overall, gardening is very satisfying. Our family plans to garden again at Maxwell this season. I want to do an internship with DUG and give back what they have given me through volunteering.
