Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WRKF/WWNO Newsroom.

‘I’m Gonna Have To Grow It’: New Orleanians Are Gardening Through Isolation And Economic Hards

Mina Seck in her garden during the COVID-19 lockdown. New Orleans, Louisiana. May 21, 2020.
Ben Depp
/
National Geographic Society
Mina Seck in her garden during the COVID-19 lockdown. New Orleans, Louisiana. May 21, 2020.

The pandemic has hit the gardens of New Orleans.

All over the city, people are renewing and doubling down on their gardening efforts, or planting and growing their own food for the first time.

A rising number of organizations, individuals and pop-up gardening collectives — like , Lobelia Commons, and Docville Farm, to name just a few —are sharing and distributing free seedlings, advice and other resources.

And people are not gardening simply because they have more time. They’re gardening because they are worried about food security, they want to avoid grocery stores, they shorten the food chain, and they want to become more self sufficient. They want to help their community.

See the full photo essay at Crescent To Capitol

Copyright 2021 WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio. To see more, visit .

Ben Depp is an artist and National Geographic Society Explorer living in New Orleans. See more of his work from South Louisiana at www.bendepp.com.