Hi and welcome! I’m Natasha Nicholes – Founder and Executive Director of the We Sow We Grow Project – a community-based gardening initiative that was planted in May 2016. I promise I’ll stop it with the puns soon, but I’m excited to have you all here in this space to learn all things gardening and growing your own food.
In 2013, after participating in a class through the Illinois Farm Bureau called Illinois Farm Families, my desire to grow my own food and really immerse myself into the world of small scale farming wasn’t extinguished. If anything, the year-long program did something in me that I can’t really explain. A seed was planted, and I NEEDED to be able to be in the garden. Which is hilarious because I lived smack dab in an area with no garden. Our house extended from the sidewalk in front of our entryway to the alley. It was a wonderfully spacious dwelling but there was no yard, and no area for my children to play. We decided that we would garden in tote boxes and see where it took us.
That porch garden soon grew to a backyard garden when we relocated to West Pullman, where we built our home from the ground up and planted our roots. That backyard garden then grew to 8 raised beds across the street from our home to what would soon grown into the We Sow We Grow Project, and the beginning of what you now see here.
We are an award winning 501c3 organization that focuses on food education, and teaching people around the globe just how much they CAN grow and learn – without having to leave their homes. However, we do encourage our friends in different cities and states to get out and meet their neighboring gardeners, because gardening shouldn’t be a solo sport.
So, sit back, relax and join on us this journey to create the best gardeners this side of heaven!
