North Augusta girl named Grower of the Year

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Sabrina Denson, mother of Ariane Denson, said everyone in the family was excited after hearing the news about Ariane winning the Katie’s Krops Grower of the Year award.

“I was surprised and excited,” said Denson. “Ariane enjoys spending time in the garden with her grandfather. They’ve both really flourished working day to day gardening.”

Katie’s Krops is a youth-based nonprofit based in Summerville, South Carolina dedicated to ending hunger one vegetable garden at a time. Ariane, who is currently in the 4th grade at Belvedere Elementary, joined Katie’s Krops in 2022.

Denson said after hearing about the nonprofit from a family member she didn’t hesitate to sign up Ariane.

“Ariane had to write a profile about herself and why she wanted to join the organization,” said Denson. “She explained that she wants to help retirees be able to afford vegetables. She gives a lot of the produce to the people in the neighborhood. A portion goes to the family. Most of it is given away.”

“Growing up I worked in the garden with my grandfather. My grandfather was big on growing watermelon. He used to sell watermelons on the side of the road. Now the tradition is passed down to the next generation.”

Ariane said there are a number of things she enjoys about gardening.

“My favorite things to plant are strawberries and the one pineapple that we grew last year,” said the 9-year-old. “I also like the one-on-one time with my grandfather. I also like when my brother comes out and he sees a bug and he yells. The bugs don’t bother me. We sometimes see spiders and worms.”

Oscar Drummings, Ariane’s grandfather, said he was introduced to gardening during his childhood.

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“I’ve been gardening pretty much all my life off and on,” said 68-year-old-Drummings. “She got me back into it. In 2019 I was diagnosed with cancer. During that time while going through chemotherapy I lost 70 pounds. She encouraged me to get up and come out to work in the garden with her. She got me back up on my feet. And she wanted to help the people in the neighborhood.”

Drummings said growing and harvesting your own fruits and vegetables is a better way to go.

“When you grow your own food you don’t have to worry about the pesticides and fertilizers like the store bought produce,” he said. “So we harvest our own food and my wife cooks it and we have a good family time.”

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