Austin King originally decided to grow crops as a way to feed his hungry family.
Austin King, or 'The Young Urban Gardener,' as his Facebook and YouTube followers call him, remembers a time when all his family had to eat were beans and rice. “I took my mamma’s beans out of the cabinet because we didn’t have much to eat… All we had was rice and those bags of beans… It was like a very small bag of beans, not even enough to feed everybody, so I had to make enough.”
It was then that he decided that he had to do everything in his power to ensure his family would never be this hungry ever again! Naturally, this event was a defining moment in Austin King's life, and resulted in him growing up much faster than other kids his age.
Austin King's first attempt at gardening was just to dig a hole and dump beans in it.
“All I knew was water, dirt and sunshine. That’s all I knew. I didn’t know nothing else” he said. One week later, his first bean shoots started sprouting from the ground. Needless to say, Austin King was overjoyed, and shortly after added a wooden stake alongside the bean shoots so that they could grow taller. Incredibly, these plants provided Austin King's family with beans for an entire winter, and since then, his family has never needed to buy a single bag of beans again!
Three years on, Austin King now has an entire garden of his own, complete with herbs, bell peppers, raspberries, and much more! He's also started up his own YouTube channel, where he provides the world with useful and informative video tutorials on how to grow a range of different garden fruits and vegetables, such as this guide to growing sweet potatoes:
Austin King now has even bigger things on his mind, and believes that his gardening can help eradicate his city's hunger problem.
When he discovered an empty lot in his neighborhood that was littered with overgrown weeds, he decided to get permission to turn it into another garden. However, this time the fruits of his labor won't just be for his own family, but for anyone who needs them. In fact, Austin King's philosophy is "I'll grow it. You'll pick it."
This brilliant project is creating far more than just fresh produce, though. It's also enabling a strong sense of community spirit for the people who are helping him. Many of Austin King's neighbors are forming wonderful friendships, as they all work together towards the common goal of feeding Indianapolis' hungry.
However, the end still isn't in sight for this inspiring fifth-grader, since he has far bigger dreams! “My first idea was that I could stop world hunger from this,” he says. Well, since he's already come this far, who's to say where this project will end up?
Learn more about Austin King and his projects in the video below:
