We were so happy to be accepted into the Build It Up program this year. We had heard so many great things about the program and finding a place that promotes organic practices was a blessing. I grew up in SC with parents who gardened and both of them grew up on farms but not using organic practices, so living in East Tennessee and wanting to know how to do things the organic way I knew I was going to need some insight from a different perspective at times. My Dad was actually able to watch a couple of the session with us and was very impressed and is looking to find if they offer a similar program close to him.
My two boys (6&3) and I had a great time growing all our crops this year. Tomatoes were our most abundant crop; I felt like they never stopped giving and are still giving! We made salsa and have a ton of frozen tomatoes we hope to get around to canning. The boys weren’t as enthusiastic about the garden as it got warmer but I love that this is teaching them about where food comes from and that we can provide for ourselves when we set our minds to it.
This program has been such a blessing to know we have people we can reach out to, if we have any issues, who have the experience to help you through any trouble instead of searching something on the internet that doesn’t give you the tangible help we are generally searching for when trouble does come along. Community is so important and this group is providing so much more than just gardening help.
