About

Gardens and gardening connect us in many ways: to where we’ve been and to who we are. To grow a plant that is inherent to our identity is a joyful and self affirming art, whether it’s a food to eat or a flower to use in tradition and celebration.

This is a place where we are collecting the stories of people all around us, past and present, who do just that: the voices of gardeners growing plants to connect with their heritage, culture and identity.

This is a project of the Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener program, but the stories here transcend us, weaving through our communities and identities and include farming, self care, family celebration, recipes, tools and more.

We believe these stories too often go untold. Our purpose is to use our platform to shine a light, to lift up and to celebrate, to honor and witness them. The stories are told in the gardeners own voice, through interviews, photographs, recipes, drawings, poetry or other medium as chosen by the gardener.

Do you have a story of connection to your culture and identity through gardening? Let us know.