Please tell us a little about yourself.
“I was born and raised in Centerville, Tennessee. I currently reside in Hendersonville.”
Current career position?
“I am currently a retired veteran. I retired at the rank of colonel with 40 proud years of service, spending my last year in the military in Afghanistan.”
Married, children?
“I am currently married to Brenda. I have one son, and Brenda has a son and daughter with two granddaughters.”
Education?
“I have many schools I attended over my course of time in the military. I graduated from Cumberland University with a bachelor’s degree in business.”
What was your first-ever job?
“I started working with my dad in construction when I graduated high school.”
What is the Labor of Love Garden at Charlie Daniels Park?
“I got involved after being introduced to the garden by Jan Littrell in 2016. Jan is the founder of the ‘Jan Littrell Labor of Love Garden,’ which was started by Jan as a very small garden just at the upper end of the park in 2010. As the garden grew the park was gracious enough to give us a much larger area in back of the park.”
How did you get involved with working on Labor of Love Garden?
“I desperately needed work hours after graduating from the Wilson County Master Garden program in Lebanon. Jan invited me to the garden to work and get all the hours I needed to remain active in the program. And trust me, I have never had to worry about hours since.”
What is your role in the garden?
“I was asked to share responsibility as a Project Manager after Jan left in the early part of this year. I plan, prepare (approximately 30 raised) beds and coordinate activities with the best gardeners I could ever ask to work with. We are not just a working group; we consider ourselves one big family.”
How many volunteers?
“Currently we have 12 full-time volunteers. We do have additional help from other members of the (Wilson County Master Garden) throughout the year.”
What are the three goals of this garden?
“1. Provide produce for people in need. 2. Exceed our production of vegetables from previous years. 3. Make the garden an educational garden for everyone who comes to the park.”
What do you grow there?
“Tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, peppers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, beans, kale, cauliflower, okra, garlic, green onions and broccoli. We ended up very close to 2,000 pounds after counting all the greens we harvested in September/October. All produce is harvested and weighed prior to delivering to our donation locations.”
Can anyone volunteer?
“Due to liability issues, we can only have people who have graduated from the WCMG program. Once they do, they have many opportunities to work with our close family in the garden. We provide pamphlets in front of our garden telling anyone who is interested how to become a Master Gardner and who to contact.”
How do you choose the recipients of the vegetables?
“We have members of our group who are familiar with organizations in Mt. Juliet that need fresh produce. We look at the organizations closely to ensure they are providing to Mt. Juliet citizens who need our fresh vegetables. We have a rule in our group that we cater to Mt. Juliet only. Currently we give the bulk of vegetables to Mt. Juliet Help Center, Brooks House and SCAN. We are currently looking at another organization who provides food boxes for the elderly and disabled.”
Where do you get the money to buy seeds and plants?
“We are funded by the WCMG in Lebanon. Each year we submit a budget request which is reviewed and approved. Needham’s (Nursery) in Mt. Juliet is also very generous at giving us plants and garden soil.”
Have you delivered vegetables to recipients?
“I have not personally got to deliver just yet; however, it is such a great feeling of pride hearing the stories from those that do deliver and how the residents have smiles and comments about how happy they are to receive our fresh vegetables. Best story was when we delivered tomatoes and an older gentleman just took one straight out of the basket and bit into it with a big smile on his face. This story always brought Jan to tears when telling it.”
Best piece of advice you’ve received?
“Retire when you can and enjoy. I did and love every minute.”
Hobbies?
“Gardening and then boating/fishing.”
If you could spend an evening with anyone, past or present, who and why?
“My mother. She was the woman who taught me all about gardening. She was at her best working in her garden and flower beds. I really miss her good advice on things in life.”
Pets?
“I have a big fat cat named Mollie.”
Where would you like to travel?
“Spain and Ireland.”
Your favorite family time activity?
“Working puzzles and boating on the lake.”
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