Joyful Souls Heirloom Nursery
New home for events and sales
The GROW Farm
A collaborative community food forest and sustainable growing education hub!
Located at 216 Singleton Drive, Columbia, SC 29203. Click above to learn more !
Saturday, April 18
Because of work being completed at the GROW Farm, the Plant sale will be held at Joyful Souls located at 25 King Charles Road from 9 am to noon. Veggie, herb and companion seedlings for your garden! Most seedlings are $2 each!
Virtual Seed to Supper Virtual Garden Club Members Click Here to Enter! Scroll down to register to become a member!
Check out upcoming events and classes and register!
Joyful Souls Heirloom Nursery
The Full Story
The GROW Farm
Growing Resiliency, Opportunity and Wellness
Phase 2! The Youth Sensory Garden!
The Sensory Garden Is Scheduled to Open May 16!
Thanks to donations and volunteer support, the area has been planed for the Youth Sensory Garden construction. and we are ready to change our design into reality! This garden will exhibit plants and infrastructure that support emotional regulation, relaxation and enjoyment experienced through all of the senses. With specific plants that intrigue through each sense, the garden will be a place where both structured programming and self-guided play can be enjoyed.
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Look for opportunities on our events page to come volunteer over the next few months as we build and plant!
Scroll below to see the updates to the Sensory Garden!
Welcome to the GROW Farm.
The GROW Farm is an initiative 2-years in the making. While serving as a community food forest, the GROW Farm will also serve as an sustainable growing education hub providing classes, workshops and technical training for beginning and experienced growers. Workshops on health and wellness will be offered on-site as well. The grounds also may be used as a means for relaxation and gardening recreation by the public. Read below to learn more and for our upcoming events and registration links.
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How We Came to Be
The GROW Farm is a collaborative that joins the work of Lisa Kershaw's Joyful Souls Heirloom Nursery, its Sow & Grow Education Programs, and Jennifer Cunningham's Palmetto Learning Academy of SC and it's Nourishing the Neighborhood programs. Working together Lisa and Jennifer have supported over 600 youth and 400 adults in sustainable growing programs. They look to expand this programming to the 2-Acre plot of land through Mr. Lee Carroll to be a sustainably food producing site and growing educational hub.
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What Do We Do With the Food We Grow?
The GROW Farm grows food from seeds and self cultivated seedlings from our partner, Joyful Souls Heirloom Nursery using only organic means. We compost on site and use agroecological means to keep our soil healthy while we create a biodiverse environment to grow food for the community. The food we grow is donated to local organizations to feed the community and sold, at cost, at local farmers markets. Visitors to the site and participants of our workshops and events are also welcome to pick and take.
PHASE 2
We have started the Youth Sensory Garden!
Next Up- a greenhouse!
Mission
The GROW Farm seeks to address food insecurity, promote environmental stewardship, and empower individuals through hands-on agricultural education and community engagement.
Vision
The GROW Farm will work to create a sustainable, community-centered green space that transforms lives through access to fresh food, environmental education, and ecological restoration, fostering resilience and well-being in underserved urban communities.
Our Thanks to Home Depot, Store #1110
The work we do at the GROW Farm only happens because of volunteers, donations and grants. Home Depot Store #1110 at 7701 Two Notch Road has been an incredible support for materials and supplies for the community at GROW. They have repeatedly donated lumber, soil, and more for not only infrastructure but also for our youth Grow Bag Garden Events! Our sincere thanks to Home Depot Store #1110.W e couldn't do this without you!
WONDER Garden at GROW
The Sensory Garden
The WONDER Garden has been designed as a sensory garden based upon each of the senses. Plants including trees, shrubs, herbs, and flowers are being planted throughout the garden to excited and calm the senses through smell, textures and sight. Infrastructure includes hands-on activities for those who visit to engage in nature, learn and explore. Come play the garden xylophone, bird watch through telescopes, observe pollinators working in the flowers and smell lemongrass, mints, lavenders and more! Opportunities for mini youth camps, horticulture therapy sessions, and educational workshops will take place in this biodiverse environment.
The WONDER Garden will have its grand opening on May 16 during the Youth Spring Growbag Garden Event. More information to come.
In the meantime, we are always welcoming volunteers to help us build, dig, and plant in anticipation of opening this wonderful space for the community.
Upcoming Events
This spring we are focused on continuing the building of infrastructure as the GROW Farm continues to evolve to meet the needs of the community. We will be hosting part of our workshop series, Suburban Homesteaders over the next 6 months at the GROW Farm. For more information on the series, check out our event page. ​​
