Local Gardening Store [Gramling's] is a Treasure: Letter to the Editor

Sunday, June 15th 2014

Dear Editor,

I’ve been growing food since I was 8, when I became known as “that boy with the garden.” These days, folks know me as the “Man in Overalls.”

Though I like watching things grow, gardening for me has always been about more than aesthetics. It’s a survival skill-set against hunger and food insecurity, something — thank God — I have not truly needed.

Starting when I was a child, I began visiting Gramling’s on South Adams Street for seeds, starts, organic fertilizer and environmentally safe pest products. They learned my name and watched me grow up. These days, when I stop by, Wayne, their store manager, greets me, “Overalls!” and then says, “Dirty deeds done dirt cheap,” under his breath. Every time. It still makes me smile.

I write, generally, to encourage us to spend our dollars locally, to invest in Main Street, to reclaim our hometown gems, to support the businesses that know our names. Specifically, I propose that we honor Gramling’s with our wallets. More than any person or institution I know, they have enabled us to preserve and further the art of food gardening. For Tallahassee’s health, for wealth, and for true food security and hunger prevention, we need Gramling’s around for another 99 years.

[Pay them a visit or give them a ring: 1010 S. Adams Street/Tallahassee. 850.222.4812.]

NATHAN BALLENTINE