Veggie Soul: The Urban Farmers' Market

05/30/2025

Whew! When you're out of breath, got candy in your mouth, dirt under your nails, and trying to record.🤣🤣🤣 This video was recorded over the Memorial Day weekend.

Gardening will humble you daily. 🤣🤣🤣 I swore I was gonna spend 10 minutes a day out here...remember that speech I gave a few videos back? Yeah, throw that whole video away. We're talking weeks now. 😂 But I'm gonna forgive myself and extend a little grace because the weather has played a huge role in why I haven't had a chance to put in a lot of work; it's been really rainy.

Yet, inspite of that, there's been a lot of progress in some areas...and well...not so much progress in others. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Right now, I'm in the middle of some pest control management with my collards. I'm currently using a temporary fix of self-rising cornmeal as pest control because I didn’t have a chance to plant my marigolds for companion gardening like I intended.

Who needs a gym membership when you’ve got weeds to pull and bugs to fight? This is a full-body, full-faith workout. 🤣🤣🤣

What’s your favorite non-toxic pest control method? Drop your garden hacks below! 👇🏾

04/20/2025

This video was actually taken on April 2nd…but life’s been lifing, y’all. Between events, meetings, and projects, I’m just now getting a chance to share.

So here’s a little update: I gave in and grabbed some starter plants from The Covered Wagon, they had whole trays for $18, and I couldn’t pass it up. My collard and cabbage seeds weren’t doing too hot after going straight into the ground, so I “cheated” a bit and gave them a boost.

Also took a stroll through the yard to check in on some of the fruit trees I’ve been planting. One of my long-term goals is turning my yard into a full-blown food forest. Because no matter how wild prices get, I want to make sure there’s always something growing that I can eat, short of an environmental apocalypse, of course.

And naturally, I wasn’t alone. One of the bougie stray cats that’s basically adopted me (and my neighbors) came along for the garden tour.

How are your seeds doing? Anybody else had to “cheat” a little this season?

03/29/2025

My spring garden is starting to show little signs of life from the bok choy! Still nothing from the collards, cabbage, or spinach yet. I'll give them another week since they were planted a few days after I planted the bok choy. ❤️

03/18/2025

A Little at a Time – Garden Season Prep

Garden season is creeping up, and I’m out here putting in work! This year, I’m trying a different planting method at my father’s request. I’ve got my cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, and broccoli seeds ready.

When you don’t have a lot of time, doing a little at a time is just as efficient. In less than eight minutes, I planted two different crops. Life is busy, schedules are demanding, and some days, you’re just too tired to do it all. But this season, my goal is simple: 10 minutes a day. Even if I can’t get to the entire garden, I can at least work on one row.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a garden day without being interrupted by another one of the bougie stray cats. 🤣🤣🤣

What about you? Have you started prepping yet? Gathering seeds? Trying anything new this season? Give yourself just 10 minutes a day and see what happens!

03/12/2025

Spring Garden Kickoff: Ready or Not!

Sometimes, you just have to get out there and get it done! I wasn’t exactly dressed for the occasion (literally just got home from work and running errands), but I wanted to take advantage of the time to get some seeds in the ground lastnight. I prefer direct sowing over starting my veggies indoors, so we’ll see how this works out! And yes, I did water them after I ended the recording.

Both me and the garden may be looking a little messy and sloppy right now. 🤣🤷🏾‍♀️ But the garden is coming along, it's a work in progress, we're experimenting with grass clippings in the garden this year as a natural mulch to smother weeds and as a nice source of nitogen. Experimentation is both my favorite part of gardening and most frustrating part as well.

And if you’re wondering about the hardware on my waist, well, living out in the country means staying prepared. Between the coyotes and stray dogs, I’d rather be safe than sorry. There’s been an uptick in dog attacks lately, and after a close friend was attacked by their neighbors dogs a few weeks ago, I’m making sure I stay aware and ready.

That said, I encourage everyone to start somewhere with their garden! Whether it’s a full-blown backyard setup or just a few pots on the porch or window sill, planting something is always a good idea.

What are you growing this season? Let’s swap tips!

02/05/2025

Last night during the Jefferson Twp. Trustee meeting, Jefferson Twp Schools' Superintendent Dr. Clifford shared a few details about their new Agricultural Education program at both Blairwood Elementary School and Jefferson Jr/Sr High School. He also shared that Veggie Soul's Founder Caressa L. Brown is one of the Co-chairs for the upcoming school levy.

01/25/2025

Check out this awesome opportunity!

Make summer Legen-DAIRY, with Young's Jr. Farmer Camps. Registration is open now! https://youngsdairy.com/summer-youth-camps-at-youngs-jersey-dairy/

06/25/2024

Twas a beautiful day for Jefferson Twp. Schools' Agriculture Education Center's groundbreaking ceremony. This program is in collaboration with Miami Valley Career Technology Center. ❤️❤️❤️

12/11/2023

Happening this Friday at Central State University.

Free Farmer Discrimination Financial Assistance Workshop, Friday, December 15, 6-8 PM, Central State University Student Center Room 210

10/13/2022

Check out this amazing event from CSU's Extension and Agraria.

05/24/2022

We know it's been a while but we are still here! We're working with a local church in west Dayton this year for our community garden project. There were concerns over the quality of soil and time didn't allow for us to get raised beds in place this spring because Mother Nature hasn't been as cooperative over the past month or so. So this Spring we are doing potted veggies. Be sure to check back soon as we share more details of our journey.