HIGH POINT, N.C. — Groceries among other things are expensive these days, so two gardening experts are promoting affordable healthy living in High Point.
"Ooh look you got a pepper," Crystal Mercer, NC Cooperative Extension Agent for Community and School Gardens, said.
"Wow, I've been waiting on that," Jerry Mingo, Master Gardener at Burn Hill Community Garden in High Point, said.
"See you've been waiting on that," Mercer said. "We've been talking about that. You didn't see it and there you go!"
Crystal Mercer oversees the 150 community and school gardens across Guilford County including the High Point Burn Hill Community Garden. Families can come to this garden, plant a vegetable, and tend to it. When it's ripe, they can take it home to eat!
"My family would cook and also serve plates out of the kitchen just to help people in the neighborhood so I grew up with that and that never left me," Mercer said.
Jerry Mingo is the other green thumb behind this garden.
"The garden has become a rallying point for the community and they really love to come down and meet your neighbor," Mingo said.
Mingo admits Mercer has taught him a lot about gardening.
"When you look at the soil as we have here, it looks fantastic, but I have no idea just by looking at it of what the nutrients include," Mingo said.
So, this calls for a 'soil test.' About twice a year, Mercer takes a trip to the Burn Hill Garden to check the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels of the beds.
"We got all our cores and then what you need to do is mix and the reason why we are going to mix is to get an average of this whole area," Mercer said.
When soil is approved by the state office in Raleigh, gardening is a go!
"First we give it out to people in the community and then we give it out in the food pantry to others," Mingo said.
Tomatoes, radishes, red cabbage, squash-- Mingo makes sure these beds are watered daily and the garden is upkept. Neighbors mow the lawn and help shoo away hungry animals. Growing succulent vegetables isn't Mingo's only skill. He is also an artist! He has decorated each of the beds with themes and characters.
"[This one's] name is Yomi," Mingo said. "That's my great grand and this kind of represents her."
This makes gardening truly a family affair.