DevaSprouts Farms

10/27/2026

I had the opportunity to spend the morning with over 150 preschoolers at Homer Adkins Pre-K helping kick off Red Ribbon Week.

We were talking about potatoes and the different foods we can make with them. The kids knew french fries and mashed potatoes but one little boy proudly said POTATO SALAD! And he was absolutely right!

One of my favorite parts of the day was our mystery bag activity. I brought different vegetables for the kids to identify and quickly realized some of them weren’t familiar with what they were seeing.

🌱 This is why early food education matters!

It’s about more than teaching children where food comes from. It’s also about:

🥕 Exposing them to fruits and vegetables they may not recognize.

🌱 Helping them connect the foods they eat to what actually grows in the ground.

🥬 Encouraging curiosity and a willingness to explore new foods.

We wrapped up our time by planting red radishes for the kids to take home and grow. For some of them this was their first introduction to a radish!

Thank you for inviting DevaSprouts Farms to be part of your Red Ribbon Week activities!

We Teach. We Grow. We Farm. 🌱

10/26/2026

A little sneak peek at what goes on behind the scenes as we prepare for our gardening activity! 🌱

Tomorrow we’re kicking off Red Ribbon Week with some preschoolers and the theme is “I Am a Farmer” which makes this even more exciting!

We’ll be exploring different vegetables, learning what plants need to grow and planting red radishes.

And of course I had my girl Devani helping me get everything ready by putting labels on our cups and filling them with soil.

Looking forward to spending some time with our little farmers tomorrow! 👩🏿‍🌾

10/24/2026

🌱 Arkansas Funding Opportunity!

The Arkansas Community Foundation has announced the $10 million Arkansas Full Table Fund to support efforts to address food insecurity across the state.

Food insecurity is about more than just growing food. It’s also about:

🥬 Helping families access fresh, affordable food
🍎 Connecting families with food resources
🌱 Creating partnerships with local farmers
🤝 Finding ways to make food programs sustainable

If you’re a nonprofit or community organization doing this work, this is an opportunity worth exploring!

And don’t overlook the role local farmers can play in these efforts. Beyond growing food, we can help with education, program planning, and developing partnerships that support long-term food access.

As both an urban farmer and public health professional, this is the kind of work I’m excited to see more of in our communities.

📅 Applications close December 7, 2026.

ATTENTION NONPROFITS!

We are now accepting applications for the Arkansas Full Table Fund Grant Cycle!

The Arkansas Full Table Fund supports solutions that help every Arkansan get the food they need. Deadline to apply is December 7.

Learn more and start your application online today by visiting: arcf.org/fulltable

10/23/2026

We spent our morning at the pumpkin patch today! 🎃

Let’s talk a little about agritourism!

Agritourism is another way farmers can generate income by inviting people onto their farms for different experiences.

🎃 Pumpkin patches and corn mazes
🍓 U-pick fruits and vegetables
🌱 Farm tours and educational activities
🐓 Animal encounters and other farm experiences

Not only does this create additional income opportunities for farmers, but it also gives families a chance to connect with agriculture in a fun way.

Just a little farm education from our morning adventure! 🎃

10/23/2026

One thing about Vani, she’s going to find her way into my garden! 😂

We finally got our new raised bed planted, and of course she had to come check everything out.

One of the things I love most about gardening with her is watching her curiosity grow. She’s always asking questions, wanting to help, and trying to figure out what’s going on.

For me, teaching children to garden goes far beyond showing them where their food comes from. It’s also about giving them space to explore, try new things, be patient, and learn through their own experiences.

And sometimes that means just letting them be kids and enjoy the garden. ❤️

10/22/2026

🌱 Don't forget to join the Farm to CACFP Social Media Challenge! There’s still time to get involved. 🥕

Share how you’re celebrating local foods, incorporating fresh ingredients into meals or bringing Farm to CACFP activities to life. Don’t forget to tag the National CACFP Association so we can see how you’re rooting for local foods!

Get inspired and join the fun at farmtocacfpweek.org.

10/22/2026

Apparently my pepper plants didn’t get the memo that we’re in fall! 😂

It’s almost November here in Arkansas, and they’re still producing!

I’m going to let them keep doing their thing for as long as the weather allows.

Anybody else still getting peppers out of their garden?

10/20/2026

🍠 What Happened to Our Sweet Potatoes?! 👀

This was definitely NOT the harvest I was expecting!

If your sweet potatoes are growing long, skinny, or oddly shaped, here are 3 possible reasons and what you can do differently!

💧 1. Inconsistent Watering
Grow bags dry out quickly, especially during our hot Arkansas summers.

✅ Try this: Check your soil regularly and keep it consistently moist, but not soaking wet.

🌱 2. Overcrowding
Planting too many sweet potato slips in one grow bag means they’re competing for space, water, and nutrients.

✅ Try this: Use a larger grow bag or plant fewer slips so the sweet potatoes have room to grow.

🪴 3. Packed-Down Soil
Sweet potatoes need loose soil to grow and expand.

✅ Try this: Use loose, well-draining soil and avoid packing it down too tightly.

So, what happened with mine? I’m pretty sure it was a combination of inconsistent watering and putting too many plants in one grow bag. Lesson learned!

And the good news? The harvest didn’t go to waste. My chickens enjoyed the vines and a few of these little sweet potatoes! 🐓

Have you ever had a sweet potato harvest turn out like this?

We Teach. We Grow. We Farm. 🫶🏽

10/18/2026