Gardening 101 with Bridge Refugee Services: Growing Skills, Seeds, and Community
On May 17, 2025, the Alliance was honored to facilitate a Gardening 101 class in partnership with Bridge Refugee Services, welcoming members of Knoxville’s Ukrainian community for a hands-on introduction to gardening in East Tennessee.
Held at the Alliance’s offices at 2425 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and BattleField Farm’s Concrete Community Gaarden virtually across the street at 107 South Chestnut Street, the class created space for learning, sharing experiences, and connecting across cultures through a shared love of growing food. Many participants brought deep agricultural knowledge from their home country, and the session focused on adapting those skills to the unique growing conditions of our region.
Understanding East Tennessee Growing Conditions
A key part of the class explored the specific characteristics of gardening in East Tennessee, including:
- Seasonal temperature patterns and frost dates
- Soil types common to the region
- Rainfall trends and watering needs
- Choosing crops well-suited for our climate
These discussions helped participants better understand how local conditions influence planting times and crop success, especially when transitioning from different climates and soils.
Hands-On Learning and Seed Sharing
Participants toured the Concrete Garden, discussed bed preparation, and reviewed basic techniques for starting and maintaining healthy plants. The class emphasized accessible, low-cost approaches to gardening that can be used in backyards, raised beds, and shared garden spaces.
To support continued learning and growing at home, each participant received seeds to plant and care for throughout the season. Sharing seeds symbolized more than just future harvests—it represented hope, resilience, and the power of nurturing something new in a new place.
Growing Together
This partnership with Bridge Refugee Services reflects the Alliance’s commitment to inclusive, community-driven food systems. Gardening offers a way to connect to land, culture, and community, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn alongside Ukrainian community members while sharing regional growing knowledge.
Thank you to Bridge Refugee Services and all participants who joined us for a meaningful day of learning and connection. We look forward to continuing to grow together—one garden, one seed, and one conversation at a time.
