This story is contributed by Mae Beins as part of a EN 3130 Writing for the Environment course for Rockhurst University

As I sat down for my interview with a gardener at Kansas City Community Gardens, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Then, in walks Ed Jones, one of the brightest people I have ever met. One of the first things Ed said was, “I am excited about being famous”, and boy does Ed deserve fame. After reading Ed’s story, I hope that you too will see why he is so deserving of this fame.

Ed Jones was born and raised in the urban core of Kansas City. He grew up with a strong love and appreciation for gardening that was instilled in him by his parents. Both his mother and his father were raised in the deep south of the United States. There, gardening was not just a hobby but a way to provide for their family. Ed’s parents brought this gift of gardening from the south and taught Ed how to garden for himself.

Growing up, Ed’s family grew all sorts of things such as corn, tomatoes, greens, beans, and so much more in their garden. Ed noted that growing these crops for him and his 6 brothers was no easy task. Ed says that gardening was his family's “way of life” and that he and his family spent almost every minute of the day gardening. This love of gardening that was instilled in Ed at such a young age has carried over to his adult life. Ed describes himself as a “simple person”, but when he speaks about gardening you can see how un-simple the whole process is.

Ed learned about Kansas City Community Gardens through his “auntie” who lives in Kansas City who was taking advantage of the benefits she received from her membership which later led Ed to become a member and then a volunteer. Ed now volunteers and helps plant seedlings year-round that are grown in the KCCG greenhouses. These seedlings turn into many different types of vegetable transplants that provide food for many people in need.

Ed describes his involvement with KCCG as “truly a blessing.” He said it’s “truly a blessing to have a community garden or a place to go to help you learn how to grow certain things and to have vegetables available for you. And then once I learned about it and got involved, gosh, I fell in love”. This education and learning process that Ed speaks about is something that he believes is so important when becoming involved with gardening and using gardening for your food supply.

In addition to the education that KCCG provides for new gardeners, Ed also talked about the labor associated with gardening and how much being part of a community helps spread out the workload. In addition to Ed’s home garden that he uses to provide for himself, he started a community garden. Ed uses this garden to give back to his community and give those around him an opportunity to have access to the same nutritious vegetables he does. “What I did is I opened up my own community garden, so I can help less fortunate people like myself get involved and show them how to grow food and guide them to KCCG where there are resources for them to do what I’m doing.”

Ed was fortunate enough to buy a larger piece of land, located in the inner city of Kansas City, where he makes the garden available to those around him, so that they can grow “whatever their heart desires”. The garden has vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, corn, cabbages, greens, and so much more.

Ed’s community garden helps so many people in his community and serves as a reminder to all of us that by doing the things we love we can find ways to give back to those around us.

By the way that Ed speaks about gardening and through the things he does for his community, you can see his love for gardening shine through in every way. With all things we do in life, we have a favorite part. Ed regards his favorite part of gardening as the amazement of “watching something beautiful grow from a seed.”

If you have ever gardened yourself, I’m sure that you most likely share in this amazement with Ed and can see why this is one of his favorite parts of his craft. “It is amazing”, says Ed, “How you take these little bitty seeds and create something so big and beautiful that provides so much.” Although Ed was referring to plants and gardening, this can be used as a metaphor for Ed’s life. He grew up seeing gardening as a way to provide for his family, seeing each vegetable seed that his family planted turn into sustenance.

Now, each seed that Ed helps plant turns into something much bigger and much more beautiful than just the plant. Each seed that Ed plants creates an opportunity for someone in need to have food. Each seed creates an educational opportunity for someone just starting gardening to grow in a garden surrounded by a caring community that Ed has nurtured. Each seed makes Ed even more deserving of fame.

I hope that Ed’s story inspires each and every one of us to follow your passion and create a positive impact on those around you. The impact that Ed has had on his community is hard to come by and the love that he shows for gardening is unmatched. Hopefully now we all understand why Ed Jones is so deserving of this fame.