Live Like Ally on Instagram
We are celebrating 5 years of service to the community along with our partner, Robin Greenfield. At the same time we are announcing that we are pausing our programming for now.
Over the last five years we have:
Provided free seed packs to 40,000 people, schools and organizations. With these seeds we’ve shared the potential to grow and eat millions of dollars of homegrown, healthy food.
Planted over 2,000 Community Fruit Trees in communities across the United States.
Built about 30 Gardens for the People, with the people!
Created and installed 15 Free Seed Libraries and established a template program for others to start their own.
Launched two Community Compost Programs and established a template program for others to start their own. These programs rescued thousands of pounds of food from going to landfill.
Created educational guides and videos to help people grow their own food and plant fruit trees.
Supported teams of interns in St. Pete, Florida and Asheville, North Carolina planting and growing in the community. These interns deepened their skills of growing food and sustainable living as they worked in the community.
Volunteered hundreds of hours with the communities we served.
Worked side by side with the St. Pete Youth Farm for three months to help build up the farm.
We share a deep gratitude to everyone who has taken part in our programs. We share gratitude for each of the teammates, interns and volunteers for dedicating their time and energy to these initiatives. We share a special thanks to Orlando Permaculture, INSPIRE and Bounty and Soul. It has been such a joy to be of service together. Although we are pausing these programs for now we are elated to see the gardens growing, the fruit trees putting out fruit and the seeds continually producing food through seed saving for the years ahead.
Love,
The Live Like Ally Foundation and Robin Greenfield
Since 2015 we’ve honored Ally’s memory by sponsoring people and organizations aligned with her beautiful world vision. We hope to inspire others to live a life of intention and meaning, to think higher, to feel deeper, to love the earth…to continue on the path that Ally was clearly walking.
Emer’s demonstration Container Garden for the Free Seed Project grew in time to harvest the carrots, kale, radishes, and herbs before her move-out date. She will take her garden to continue to grow at her next home. This is why container gardens are a good option for those who rent or don’t have access to land.
Around one hundred growing containers and free compost were gifted by neighbors after Emer posted asking for materials in two Facebook groups. There were so many plant starts that Emer gave a lot away to individuals and children. Also donated, Emer creatively used a shoe rack to hold three levels of garden trays to start seedlings indoors over the winter.
“I have pieces of my community intertwined in my garden. I got to meet local gardeners after requesting materials. They gave me garden tours. Feeding each other is a community-fueled effort! It is a route (root) toward liberation!”
– Free Seed Project Communications Manager: Emer Olivarez (@emerolivarez). Featuring their garden cat, Howlite.
Our friends at @bounty_and_soul had their first Dig Day event where they passed out 100 seed packs plus seedlings! For several, it was their first time ever thinking about growing their own food.
A volunteer told us about how one woman who after carefully choosing her seeds asked about the cost, gave a deep sigh of relief after being told everything at their market is free. She couldn’t believe it!
We are grateful for our seed packers, volunteers, new gardeners, and the smiles we are lighting up together.
De Sha Williams received her packet just in time to acquire this spot at the community garden!
De Sha started as a volunteer at the Fightingville Fresh Community Garden in Lafayette, Louisiana (Zone 9a). They meet two days a week to plant seeds, weed, water, and harvest vegetables. De Sha requested the space next to the main plot and was given it.
“It took me a few Saturdays to clear the plot and during this time I saw the post on Free Seed Project about more seeds becoming available and I applied. The seeds came in right after I cleared the plot. I was so excited!!
Growing my own food, chemical free, and being actively involved in the process from preparing the soil to planting seeds to harvest is a labor of love. I can look at the food in front of me and say “I grew this and I know how this food was grown.
With volunteering at the Community Garden I have learned the difference between good and bad bugs, how to spot baby bees, the importance of eating vegetables in season, and many other things. I can’t wait to share this harvest with others and hopefully spark an interest in gardening.”
–Free Seed Project Recipient Submission: @dwdecember 💌
#FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwnFood #LiveLikeAlly #beginnergardenerBeginnerGardener
It`s been three months since Emer and Ella sowed seeds together for the Free Seed Project demonstration garden. We are delighted to share that everything sprouted and we have been harvesting and enjoying the mustard greens, arugula, radishes, and most recently the kale and carrots!
We are in the clear for frost here and have directly sowed the bunching onions, chives, dill, flowers, and herb mix.
Ronda`s container garden in Evansville, Indiana is full of young life! Ronda is a new gardener who collects milk cartons, 2 liters, soft drink bottles, and even small water bottles.
“Having these vegetables is great for me because I am low-income, and I don`t receive snap benefits. I have to follow a diabetic-friendly diet so this will help a lot. My neighbors are anxiously waiting for some of this stuff to start blooming and producing veggies. I plan on trying to save seeds for next year. This is something that I have never done so i`m excited. Thank you so very much for the great opportunity to share vegetables with my neighbors.”
- Free Seed Project Recipient: Ronda LaFontaine. 💌
#FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwnFood #LiveLikeAlly #beginnergardenerBeginnerGardener
In this video, Robin and Elise share how to turn your free seed pack into the pack that keeps on giving by saving seeds! You’ll learn how to let plants in your garden “go to seed”, how to store them and which plants are the easiest and most difficult to save seeds from.
In this video, Robin and Elise share a meal from the garden and share their simple recommendations for how to enjoy the bounty of your garden including how to make salads and cooked dishes, how to ferment your abundance, and how to make herbal teas and dry your herbs to preserve them.
In this video, Robin and Elise share how to prune the plants in your garden and how to harvest them. You’ll learn how to prune and harvest the different plants to promote abundance and longevity, how to know when to harvest (days to maturity) as well as weeding.
The link to watch is in our bio.
In this video, Robin and Elise share how to maintain the garden, including watering, thinning the Plants, fertilizer, soil nutrition, and insect management.
Today`s class in the garden is to introduce you to the Seedlings and Young Plants. Robin and Elise show you what each of the plants look like while they are in their seedling state. This will help you to get to know the plants more, to identify them, and to feel a stronger connection with them.
In this video, Robin and Elise share how to plant your seeds into pots and trays to later transplant into the garden and how to care for your young, developing plants. You’ll learn about plant spacing, length of time before transplanting into the garden, knowing when to plant, and more.
Click the link in our bio to watch
In this video, Robin and Elise share how to plant your seeds and care for your young, developing plants in the garden. You’ll learn about seed spacing, planting depth, germination time, knowing when to plant, and more.
Go to the link in our bio or stories to watch on YT!
Part 4 in our Free Seed Project Demonstration Garden Video Series is up! In this video, Robin and Elise share the details of how to plan your garden, sunlight, soil, startup costs, drawing out your garden plan, and a discussion of growing in raised beds, pots, and in the ground.
The YouTube link is in our bio and story!
#FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwnFood #LivelikeAlly #RobinGreenfield #FoodSovereignty
Meet Corinna Smith of north central Texas! @coridarling This year Corinna is working on bartering and using waste to its full potential.
“I bartered for used potting soil and promised in return some potatoes (hopefully they grow) come harvest season. The Free Seed Project allowed me to grow plants that I`ve never grown before.
I`ve always been proud of my trash garden. I collect discarded wood, plastic containers, window screens, even used car tires. I use discarded milk jugs cut in half, ice cream containers, to-go containers, candy dishes, cardboard box–anything that won`t immediately disappear when coming in contact with water.
I made a post in my local gardening Facebook group asking, “If you have any old pots or trash you plan to throw away, may I please have them?” I was supplied with abundance and in return gave arugula that I had grown from the garden.
Once, I was hired to put a door on a chicken coop and used only discarded material on the property (the homeowner was quite pleased and impressed). My dad taught me how to make things out of seemingly nothing.”
Corinna Smith is in year four of a five-year plan to live on a farm completely off the grid.
Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action @keweenawyca and Evan Lanese @evan_lanese planted 15 Community Fruit Trees across the Houghton/Hancock, Michigan communities!
“Our goal is to create more local food access, promote food sovereignty, increase community nutrition, and lead a project that brings our neighbors together with something fun that we can all nurture,” begins Evan. “Also who doesn’t like having more free apples, pears, cherries, plums, and peaches around their parks and streets?
We posted fliers around town, advertised in local newspapers, and broadcast on local radio stations looking for people committed to these goals and willing to take care of the trees. Over a few months many individuals and groups in the community reached out wanting to care for the trees.
It was empowering to see 20+ members of the community come together and get all fifteen trees in the ground, fertilized and mulched. Caretakers watered the trees so that they will be well established for years to come to provide fruit for everyone."
#CommunityFruitTrees #GrowYourOwnFood #FoodSovereignty #LiveLikeAlly
Dear Jamie and Wes in Missouri are super excited to begin growing their own food. We can imagine many of you are busy tending your soil in preparation and starting your seeds any second now, if you haven’t already. Like seeds, we also need tending and nurturing. What are ways we can tend to ourselves? How can we learn from and flow with these natural rhythms of nature?
Happy Spring Equinox Dear Friends!
#FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwnFood #LiveLikeAlly #BeginnerGardener
Dear Friend Ella is growing a demo garden for the Free Seed Project in her front yard! (@elladufrene.art) Check out her garden plan and those views! Emer will be creating a demo garden in containers to demonstrate and document different ways you can grow your own food! (@emerolivarez)
We picked up manure thanks to Ella’s neighbor and their cows and the plants they eat. The soil on Ella and Chris’ land was already rich with worms as it used to be a cow pasture.💰🤎💩 Thanks nature for doing your thing!
There are 12 baggies of seeds with more than 20 unique varieties of greens, veggies, herbs and flowers inside of The Power of the Seed pack! This fun reel was created by happy recipients of the pack: Lindsay and Scott of @our_acre_homestead of Central North Carolina, zone 7B! 🤍
One seed pack contains enough seeds to abundantly plant more than two 4’x8′ raised beds and can produce over $400 worth of food! 😳🥬💕
If you would like to donate to receive a pack, head to the link in our bio!
#FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwnFood #LiveLikeAlly #BeginnerGardener
Meet Caro! (@plantsandpotsbycaro) 🇨🇴
Caro lives in NYC with her six chickens (@luckyflock) 🐓 and is teaching others how to live sustainably in an urban environment, while sharing the joy of growing food and plants with the community.
“I do a monthly pop-up market in my neighborhood where I share the free seeds that I get from amazing projects like the Free Seed Project. I sell indoor plants that I propagate, and food that I cook with veggies from my garden (@consciouscolombianfood).
I have a flock of 6 chicken that it’s my pride, joy, and happiness, and a rain barrel that provides me with enough water for all my indoor plants! I have a small backyard with 4 raised beds, all exclusively for vegetables that I sow from Seed. There are many pots around with all Kinds of plants, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and bulbs. I have an outdoor compost pile that always surprises me when disappearing all my leftover food like magic and rewarding me with precious fresh compost! I also keep an indoor compost bucket in my kitchen cabinet.
I was born and raised in Colombia and my grandparents were both farmers. I was always around roots, plants and fruits when I was growing up. When I moved to NYC, I was lucky that the apartment I rented had a backyard and we started growing veggies with my then roommate. I learned a lot from her!
It’s so important to seek this connection to the land and earth, as we human have been losing it on our modern way out of Life.
These skills of growing our food and learning how a dormant seed can feed us–its what we need for our Health and souls! Plants can live without us but we cannot live without plants.
My future plans are to have a bigger flock of chicken! And to continue to expand my career and passion in urban farming and horticulture.”
If you are located in New York, Caro will be speaking about chicken-keeping at the @greenthumbnyc GrowTogether conference on April 1st. Caro’s next pop-up market is April 18th at @cozycornerbarnyc in Ridgewood, NY.
Follow this Latina gardener:
@plantsandpotsbycaro
@luckyflock
@consciouscolombianfood
#FreeSeedProject #GrowYourOwnFood #LiveLikeAlly #BeginnerGardener