How does Natasha Nicholes’s #WeSowWeGrow initiative outperform traditional community gardening methods?

Hi there! I’m Natasha Nicholes. Let me frame this in terms of what I actually do with We Sow We Grow, rather than making big claims.

Here’s how my initiative is different from a lot of traditional community gardens:

• Education-first model: I don’t just grow food; I grow gardeners. From Facebook groups and live videos to hands-on learning in the garden, I focus on teaching so people can replicate this in their own backyards and blocks.
• Deep community integration: We’re rooted on the Far South Side of Chicago, on land that developers actively want. A big part of the work is organizing neighbors, protecting land for community use, and making sure benefits stay with residents, not outside investors.
• Family-plus-volunteer engine: My husband and I run the farm while working full time and homeschooling, then layer in volunteers whose time and effort we try to value as much as money. That mix creates strong ownership and pride.
• Scaled urban production: We’re not just doing a few token beds—132 ears of corn, 22 tomato varieties, chickens, future beehives, hoop house plans. Donations are tied to concrete outputs (a chicken for a month, a bed, a truckload of soil), which helps people see direct impact.

So, I wouldn’t say “outperform” like it’s a competition. What I’m doing is combining education, land justice, and production in one model that’s very specific to my community and its needs.

What part are you most interested in—education, land protection, or food production?