Meet Kim Aman | Program Director Grow Garden Grow

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim Aman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, how does your business help the community?
Working with over 3,000 students a month, we teach kids to take care of the planet and themselves. In Dallas County, there are 10 year olds with Type 2 Diabetes (a disease that typically impacts middle aged adults). Kids from all communities are eating poorly and don’t get enough exercise. We are working to change the health outcomes that arise from these behaviors. Our goal is to grow healthy kids and a healthier planet through garden based education on school campuses across North Texas. Children are agents of change and we see some very positive outcomes when they rally for the environment and each other.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I thought that my dream job was being an educator for 30 years, however, my passion for environmentalism, raising healthy kids and growing tasty food collided and today, I am truly living a dream. I come from a long line of farmers, but grew up in the city. That did not stop me from farming. I planted in every patch that I could find and when the school where I worked wanted a garden, I was a natural fit. Working with parents and connecting with local and national organizations helped us launch Moss Haven Farm, a nationally recognized school garden program that has become a sustainable model, growing through the last decade. Learning from the ground up and creating a garden program led me down the path of creating Grow Garden Grow, a school garden support organization that helps other schools and garden leaders to create garden programs of their dreams. Today we connect curriculum and school communities to garden based education, reaching over 3,000 students each month. School gardens are amazing places to learn and grow, unfortunately they are difficult to sustain. In public school, they are not widely funded, so a campaign to change that is happening across the country. In North Texas, we have started the NTx School Garden Network to build a system of support for others who are engaged in this work.


Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spots around the city are connected to the food system and close to the environment. There are several spots in North Texas that I love. I would definitely stop in to some of my favorite school gardens (Moss Haven Farm, Lakewood Elementary and John Neely Bryan are sweet spots). We would go to one of the few truly local farmers markets in town (Good Local Markets, Coppell Farmers Market or Cowtown Farmers Market) We would eat at some of my favorite farm to market spots ( Garden Cafe or Harvest in McKinney) We would take in some local flavor at BBQ (Lockhart Smokehouse or Pecan Lodge) or Tex Mex (Joe T. Garcia’s in Ft. Worth, Mesero or Chuy’s). Exploring at Trinity River Audubon Center, Cedar Ridge Preserve or biking around White Rock Lake is always a fun way to spend the day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to Grandpa Peterson, a farmer from Central Ohio. He taught me about the harmony that dwells on our planet and the beauty of a bite from a red, ripe tomato.

Website: @growgardengrow.org

Instagram: @grow_garden_grow

Linkedin: @KimAman

Twitter: @TheFarmer_Kim

Facebook: @growgardengrow

Youtube: @Grow Garden Grow With Farmer Kim