Humble Beginnings

Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Stacee, and I'm a mom via a gift from God, a market researcher by profession, a writer by passion and a gardener by chance.

I never thought I had a green thumb. Honestly, I've killed every plant I could get my hands on since I was just a girl. But gardening has always been a fixture in my life in some form. It started with my great-grandmother, who is said to have had the best garden in the county in the "old days". With much of my family migrating north from Mississippi in the 50's, my grandmother was next in line for her garden. Growing up, I remember her entire backyard was nothing but rows of vegetables. There were always fresh tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and greens of some variety in our home. So much so, that I didn't know one could buy these items in the grocery store! My grandmother passed away, but not without passing on the legacy to my aunt, whose backyard is filled with vegetables and flowers of all kinds, to this very day. My mother also gardens, and so the gardening bug has been passed down to me.

As I took the long journey from a family vacation in Tennessee back to my home in Michigan, my thoughts were on every farm I passed. I thought about how nice it would be to just have all this wide open space, growing food, raising goats and chickens, wearing my cute Wellies. Yes, I'm a city girl and I've got to farm fabulously!

By the time I got back from my trip, I was consumed with the idea of living on a farm. When I finally got my head out of the clouds, there was only one thing I could think of that would get me out into that open air, growing food and helping to foster a relationship with the community: I would plant a garden! I set out to create a proposal to use the land on my church's property and being a researcher by trade, checked out some books at the library (which I have yet to return). The response from the church was so positive, that here I am, almost one year to the day this idea came to me: Stacee Carter, Garden Coordinator!

This blog is about my journey into the world of gardening and urban farming. I've never so much as pulled up a weed or potted a plant in my life, but I am fully committed to the success of this garden and I lean heavily on my faith to get me through. All it takes is one small idea, or plantling in this case, to see your dreams grow into something beautiful and real! I've been challenged. I've had some failures. I've had some victories. And I've got a LOT more to learn! Thanks for stopping by, and come back often for more tales of the garden!