Pretty Is Nice. Productive Is Power.

It’s not my first time living in Richmond, but it is my first time living in the Bottom.

Staying there, I quickly realized just how much we’ve built on top of nature, rather than beside it, or with it. Concrete sprawls endlessly, the sun bakes the streets in summer and winter freezes stick to the bare soil first. Green spaces exist, but mostly as decorative patches reserved for the people who can afford it. Everyone else gets “tan spaces” that look tidy but do nothing.

Speaking of, do you know where the concept of a cut lawn came from?

17th Century Europe in order to display wealth and CONTROL OVER NATURE. Originally those spaces served as defense or community grazing. By the 1950's everyone was doing it.

Despite the misplaced judgement, we’re missing opportunities everywhere. Every patio, lawn, apartment courtyard, and commercial lot could feed people, build community, and teach resilience. Especially in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh food, the stakes aren’t just aesthetic — they’re about survival, equity, and power. Beauty is nice. Productivity is power.

Wasted Spaces Everywhere

The truth is, almost every space is being underutilized. Restaurants have patios that could grow the herbs for their dishes. Apartment complexes have courtyards that could feed residents. Churches have land that could nourish their congregation. And when there’s surplus? Donate it. People are hungry.

We’ve been trained to separate life from the food that sustains us, to outsource our survival to systems that often don’t serve us.

Productive Spaces Change Everything

As soon as I shifted my perspective on productivity, and labor, I got an opportunity to operate a quarter acre farm at Runnymeade Community Farm, which will be a living blueprint for the kind of gardens I want to see everywhere: kids running through rows of greens, moms sitting on blankets doing their children’s hair, shared meals in the sun, music filling the air. Vibrant, chaotic, alive — and productive.

Growing food doesn’t need to be a separate, elevated task. It’s not a chore to silo away — it’s something that happens alongside life. The farm experience teaches lessons without needing a lesson plan: patience, observation, teamwork, and responsibility.

Lessons From Kids (and Adults) in the Garden

I’ve seen it over and over. The younger the participants, the more curious they are: textures, colors, smells, patterns. They experiment and learn quickly, celebrating tiny successes — a seedling sprouted, a carrot pulled from the soil — while learning the power of consistency.

As they get older, they gain something different: the value of meaningful roles, the satisfaction of nurturing something tangible, and the awareness of the conditions that encourage growth. Gardens are a microcosm of life: many different elements contribute to success, small pivots are necessary, and progress isn’t always immediately visible.

And yet, no matter what, the plants want to grow. They will try their best. That’s the beauty of it. Life mirrors that lesson. When you create the right conditions, stay consistent, celebrate wins, and adapt as needed, growth is inevitable — in the garden and in yourself.

Start Small. Start Where You Stand.

Not everyone has acres of land, but every space has potential. Containers, raised beds, window boxes — even a single patio can become a source of nourishment, learning, and joy. Productivity doesn’t require perfection, just attention and intention.

Every small garden contributes: herbs that season your meals, greens that fill your plate, lessons that shape a child, a shared harvest that builds connection. Over time, these small actions ripple out, creating abundance, resilience, and community.

Beauty vs. Power

Pretty is nice. But a productive garden feeds bodies, teaches responsibility, builds community, and reconnects us to the life that sustains us. That’s power. That’s survival. That’s legacy.

If you’re in Richmond and sitting on outdoor space that could do more than look good, let’s talk. There’s no better time to grow than now — and it all starts with a seed, a patch of soil, and the courage to make your space productive.