When people think of gardens, most picture in-ground plots or raised beds. However, not everyone has that option—including seven-year-old Olivier Perez of North Charleston, South Carolina. He and his parents live in an apartment with a balcony, but after volunteering at the Katie’s Krops flagship garden in nearby Summerville and attending children’s classes there, he knew he wanted to be one of our gardeners and grow food at home to donate.

Fortunately, his parents were prepared for this. During the pandemic, they decided to become more self-sufficient and purchased three hydroponic tower gardens to grow some of their own food. Not only did this give them greater food security, but it also inspired four-year-old Olivier to eat more vegetables, especially cucumbers.

After losing her job right before the pandemic, Patrycja became a stay-at-home mom and now homeschools Olivier, teaching him how to grow and care for their gardens. He enjoys organizing and planting seeds—two of his favorite tasks—and takes part in harvesting and donating most of their produce to the Impact Center at Cathedral Church. Their donations supplement grocery store contributions and are distributed twice a week to those in need, along with items such as clothing and furniture.

With two towers on their balcony during the nearly year-round growing season and another one indoors under grow lights, Olivier is able to grow a wide variety of food, including cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, basil, collards, lettuce, bok choy, Swiss chard, and other greens. In addition to harvesting when the produce is mature, Olivier ensures there is enough water and mineral solution in the reservoir for when the automatic timer activates the pump to water and nourish the plants.

Tower gardens are not without challenges, though. They couldn’t prevent bugs from getting to the zucchini or protect the eggplant when it was planted too late and exposed to the cold. To help with pest control, they spray neem oil and other essential oils on the plants to prevent further infestations.

Katie’s Krops is thrilled to have Olivier as one of our young growers—and our first tower garden grower!