The Liles Farms Farm to Table project is an excellent example of Blount County Master Gardeners working with and for the community.

Since 2020, Master Gardeners have been working with other community volunteers at the Liles Farm to provide fresh vegetables for area food banks. 24 Master Gardeners and 15 community volunteers sow, plant, tend and harvest from March through November. Master Gardeners instruct and guide other volunteers on gardening while honing their own skills.

Work is scheduled with four person teams on a rotating three day a week schedule. This year required repair to existing raised beds, which was accomplished in March. Early harvests in April yielded asparagus and onions. Later harvests will include varieties of squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, cabbage, okra and kale.

Food harvested from the Liles Farms Farm to Table Project is donated to the Welcome Table and The Community Food Connection of Blount County. In 2021, we donated over 2,000 pounds of fresh produce to these organizations.

The Liles Farm is an organic farm, so there is no use of herbicides or pesticides. 

Photograph by Doug Finley