LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Because of cold, freezing temperatures, Eneitra Beattie’s urban garden wasn’t very green earlier this year. Now, the patch of land is lush and filled with homegrown goodness, including tomatoes, peppers, wild garlic and sweet potatoes. 

“I got some red Russian kale, yellow watermelon ... basil, callaloo,” Beattie said. 

Beattie has been an urban agriculturalist for about the last four years and said she loves it. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, urban agriculture contributes to 15-20% of the global food supply. 

Beattie said she encourages others to get their hands dirty and start an urban garden, no matter where they may live. 

“It’s important to teach people that you can grow food where you’re at; you don’t have to be on a farm,” she said. “If you’ve got land and you’ve got some soil, put some seeds (on) the ground and get you some food.” 

Beattie also owns an e-commerce business, “Greenz N Tingz,” which she said is booming. She’s no longer working out of her kitchen; now, she’s in a commercial kitchen. In addition, she often appears Saturdays at an Iroquois Park farmers’ market. 

“It’s fantastic,” she said with a smile. “It just makes my heart feel really, really warm and fuzzy,” 

Every time she harvests, she gives the food away to people in her community, such as cucumbers every two weeks and, eventually, tomatoes about every other day. 

“I just love the fact that God has given me (an) abundance to share,” Beattie said. “That’s the whole point of the garden. It’s not just for me and my daughter. It’s for my community.” 

Beattie added she will speak Oct. 22 at the Governor’s Conference on Energy and Environment, where she will appear during the “Game Changers at Work” session.