Many of the young Growers supported by Katie’s Krops Krops have several years of

experience before they join us. Selena Torres, a 13-year-old 7th grader in

Maryland is not one of those. She was an absolute novice at the start of the

2023 growing season, her first year with us. With a heart for helping those in

need, a willingness to learn, and a supportive mother, Diamond, who was also

new to growing, Selena hasn’t let her lack of experience intimidate her.

Diamond is a teacher who was searching for learning opportunities for her

students when she came across Katie’s Krops online. After Selena was

accepted as a Grower, they built two raised beds and grew tomatoes last year as well as a

few herbs. This year, they are building a third bed and expanding their crops to

more tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers (if those seeds

germinate, the first seeds did not).

As an organic gardener living in USDA growing zone 7, Selena’s challenges

come from the abundant wildlife in the woods behind her backyard and

controlling the inevitable bugs. Her mother and ten-year-old brother, Daniel, help

with general gardening tasks and pest eradication efforts, using row

covers to keep bugs out and hand-picking those that make it through the barrier.

This year, she’s also planning to try shallow pans of beer to take out the slugs.

While Selena enjoys building and filling the beds, her main reason for growing is

to be able to provide food to the homeless. Two years ago, her aunt, Bliss

Power started and now runs a grassroots, mostly self-funded charity in

Washington, DC, called “Bless the Block.” Selena was deeply impacted by what

she saw when she helped distribute clothing, toiletries, and meals to people in

the homeless encampments. The produce she grows is donated to the charity to

use in preparing meals or given to people directly.

We are proud to support gardeners at all levels as they support their

communities, and we look forward to working with Selena for the next several

years.