ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) -A local community garden became a classroom this weekend as families learned the basics of growing their own food.

The hands-on event at the 5th Avenue Community Garden aimed to give people, especially youth, experience learning how to grow their own crops. Fredando Jackson, known as “Farmer Fredo,” organized the event.

“What we do is kind of explain to people what we’re growing, what we’re growing into the future,” Jackson said. “Show them our different techniques that we use and give people a hands on experience so they can see how easy it is to grow food in their backyard or in different urban communities.”

At the event, people learned how to grow different plants, including potatoes, along with techniques that help crops thrive in any environment or weather conditions. Jackson said the most important part for him is the sense of connection and shared learning created through the event.

“Well, one it brings neighbors together. So it’s just something about an open space, raised boxes, growing food that you have, like a diverse group of people coming to hang out for about two hours,” Jackson said. “This is what makes up our community, this diversity. The different ages, like working out and doing things together.”

Many families who attended said they were grateful for the chance to learn how to grow their own food, especially as grocery prices continue to rise and concerns grow over added preservatives.

“This was a great event. This was so good for the community,” said Antonique Luke, a community member. “We came out and we learned how to plant potatoes, how to start our seeds, how to water them. It was very informative for the little children. And we all got involved and it was just awesome.”

The farm day provided families a chance to come together and learn about agriculture, helping many members of the community start their own garden.

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