Victory Gardens Urban Farm

LOUISVILLE, KY
 

Last year, as Ebonee Sutton tended her backyard garden in the Victory/California Park neighborhood of west Louisville, she would look at the empty lot across the street wishing for a better view, a way to turn what she saw as an eyesore into something positive. As grocery stores around her have closed this year, she saw the opportunity to do something about it: turn the space into a garden, a place to bring people together to grow for the community.

What she didn’t envision as she started a GoFundMe page for her project, Victory Gardens Urban Farm, was an outpouring of support from all corners of the Louisville community, especially during a pandemic.

“The donations from people and businesses from all over has been one of the most inspiring parts of this experience,” Sutton says. “Every time I have needed something, it appeared or a donation gave me the money to buy it. The land, seeds and plants, fencing, wood, concrete blocks, everything I needed to get started.”

Making every inch count, Sutton grows a variety of produce including kale, herbs, tomatoes, greens, okra, tomatillos, squash, corn and more, utilizing every growing strategy imaginable: closed hydroponics, wicking tubs, raised beds, straw bales and a Hügelkultur bed, a technique of growing on a mound of compostable material. Sprinkled among the plot are handmade benches that welcome rest and conversation.

With most of her gardening skills self-taught, Sutton also credits a Guidance for Growers gardening class and the internet for helping her along the way. “What you can’t do, you YouTube,” she says with a laugh.

Much of the food harvested is delivered to senior citizens and friends who live in the community; the rest is turned into canned pickles, salsa, jams and tea Sutton sells through Facebook. As a personal trainer with her fiancé, Will Nimocks, she also uses food from the garden for their business Eat to Live Meal Prep.

As the growing season starts to wind down this fall, Sutton excitedly explains that her goals for next year include adding a chicken coop to the lot and “filling every empty lot with a garden.”

For now, this year fills her soul with pride as she shows her children Amaria, Yante’, Aurea and Adira Lane and stepdaughter Zaedyn Rael the importance of healthy eating, generosity, entrepreneurship and creating a stronger and more positive community together.

Victory Gardens Urban Farm
GoFundMe.com/f/victory-gardens-urban-farm
Facebook @VictoryGardenUrbanFarm
eattolive08@gmail.com