At Word & Plant: The Garden Haven & Farm, grower Deena Class is challenging notions of what a farm can be.
“Sometimes people ask me things like ‘Are you a flower or vegetable farmer?’ and I say ‘Yes! Among other things!’” she says.
From her 3.5 acres in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Class cultivates native plants and ethnobotanically important plants from around the world, including plants that can be used for dyeing, medicinal purposes, specialty foods and spices, and even beauty products. As the climate and environment become more unstable, she believes that preserving native species and growing a diversity of useful plants that adapt well to the local environment without becoming invasive will be important for sustaining healthy communities. She shares her knowledge through educational workshops, community pop-ups, farmers markets and artisanal markets, and local events.
Class’s Beginning Farmer Stipend will be used to rehabilitate and convert a stall in the property’s 60-year-old pole barn into a drying area for seed saving. Many of the plants she grows are difficult to source, so saving seeds will allow her to build up seed stock for future plantings as well as share the bounty with her community.