T&T Plantery

Grow Your Own Food, Grow Your Own Medicine

ARTICLE BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE | PHOTOS BY SARAH MCELROY

DARIAN BELTON BEGAN GROWING his own food three years ago. His focus now is on natural, holistic health for himself, his family and sharing his passion with others. He wasn’t always healthy. He remembers gulping a 2 litre soda a day. But in college, he began making small changes, choosing whole grain bread and snacking on apples. He noticed he had more energy, that his body digested and expelled food better. When he filled himself with healthier foods, he simply felt better. He started searching for nutrient-dense superfoods, many unavailable in the local markets. So, he decided to grow his own. He began planting seeds, reading health books and became interested in herbs and vegetables unavailable in this area. For example, he loves amaranth, a leafy green found in the Caribbean. The seeds are packed with nutrients, and half a cup of amaranth provides 80% of one’s daily iron. This curiosity for the unknown combined with a search for health and unique flavors ignited a love of gardening in Darian.
He started small, planting a tiny garden outside his apartment building. He grew kale, green beans, Swiss chard and beets. He learned kale had more calcium than milk per calorie, with 600% of the suggested daily intake of Vitamin K, 200% of Vitamin A, 30% of the suggested calcium, and was low in calories, making it the ultimate superfood. He ate a kale salad every day for lunch, along with apples covered in honey and cinnamon. He expanded his garden, especially once he had a house with his own backyard. When he had more than he could eat or preserve, he began sharing with family members and friends. He noticed his grocery bill reduced significantly, and he was providing those he loved with nourishment and educating them on healthy eating. He started his Facebook page with the goal of teaching gardening to others.

Gardening is a process, and the attention to detail and the nurturing of each plant intrigues Darian. He likes seeing a tiny seed produce a large plant, knowing where it started, the journey of its growth. He wants to encourage his community to grow their own food saying, “If we all grow something, we could trade and reap the benefits.” Healthy, organic food directly from the earth tastes better, is better for us, and the endeavor could reduce hunger, save us money, and we would enjoy quality, fresh food daily.
Darian learned there are many varieties of each plant. For example, he’s growing a white cucumber, called White Wonder, an average pickling cucumber that changes the color landscape of his garden. His chocolate bell peppers go from the average green to a dark brown and have a sweeter flavor. At peak ripeness, they’re higher in minerals and vitamins. Scarlet kale is at first a light purple; then the heat enriches the color, making the plant both ornamental and edible, like his purple green beans. Cherokee purple tomatoes are large heirloom tomatoes, sensitive, but taste like a true tomato, taking over the taste buds. Glass gem corn has richly multi-colored kernels great for steaming, frying or making popcorn. Having a diverse landscape in his garden is essential, both in flavor and color. His amaranth produces reddish-burgundy leaves, and the red okra is more practical. The typical green okra, if grown too long, gets hard. The red variety can stay on the plant longer and is still tender. Darian enjoys diversifying people’s flavor palates, challenging what they’re used to. In stores, we only see one type of banana, but red bananas and baby bananas exist. Darian’s goal is to keep the genetics of plants diverse. In his efforts, he’s discovered certain varieties of common plants are more pest-resistant. Plants have their own immune systems, and certain scents repel bugs. Darian will plant his dinosaur kale and scarlet kale alongside his curly kale. The curly variety acts as a deterrent to common garden pests, preserving the other two.

He also invests time in the common plants for their nutritional and medicinal value. Tomatoes have a high-water content, hydrating the body, and are high in Vitamin A, good for the eyes. He grows squash, cantaloupe and chard. Watermelon is 92% water, another good hydrator, and high in Vitamin C, necessary for the body to adequately absorb iron. Darian grows and eats a lot of cayenne peppers, insisting they’re helpful with circulation. He invests a lot of time in herbs. Lavender acts as a de-stressor, helps people wind down, which is the reason many people tie a bundle around their shower heads. Oregano and thyme are natural antibiotics. Spearmint and peppermint combat a sore throat. Basil helps with acid reflux; simply chew a few leaves after a meal. And like his fruits and vegetables, he dives into unique herbs. He’s currently growing chocolate mint, as well as berries and cream mint. Burdock is a healing herb. He harvests the roots which act as a blood purifier and to clean out the liver. Burdock is also high in minerals. Darian grows plants with the most benefit. T & T Plant-ery’s motto is: “Grow your own food; Grow your own medicine.”

Darian does recommend companion planting, inter-planting flowers and herbs with other vegetables. Marigolds pair well with peppers, nasturtiums with eggplant, and basil with tomatoes. Some plants grow well on their own: amaranth, kale, watermelon and squash. The bees and butterflies help pollinate. His heirloom tomatoes are sensitive and must be watched more closely. He prunes them often because any small disease on the leaf can take out the whole plant. He hand-pollinates his peppers and cucumbers. The strawberries are a favorite of birds and squirrels. He constructed a perimeter of crates and surrounded the fruit with potted plants, creating a maze to confuse any critters. Darian insists, “Plants are alive, they have feelings, they get stressed.”
Darian and his planting partner Jordan Dunn created the Urban Garden Project. They build gardens free of charge for members of the community. You can contact them via Facebook or email. Darian and Jordan also shoot how-to videos on their YouTube channel with tutorials on planting seeds, harvesting, hand-pollinating and discussing the benefits of the plants. The twosome helped construct a community garden for The Children’s Coalition and one for families at The Wellspring. Darian believes as a society, we are too far removed from the food cycle. T & T, is named for his daughters, Taylah and Ta’Niyah, who he calls his little helpers. He is showing them how to nurture something, watch it grow and reap the benefits. He wants the same for our community.

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