MANSFIELD, Ga. — A gardening workshop, cooking demonstrations and live music will be part of Love is Love Cooperative Farm's annual fall plant sale Saturday, Sept. 10.

The 70-acre farm at 101 Loyd Road in Mansfield also has teamed up with nonprofits Wholesome Wave Georgia and Food Well Alliance to encourage families to grow food at home — especially those receiving SNAP benefits — as part of the annual event.

The plant sale will feature 50 varieties of vegetable, herb and edible flowers for the fall and winter garden. A full list of plant varieties available can be found on the farm’s website at www.loveislovefarm.com. 

Through the partnership with Wholesome Wave Georgia, all seedlings are 50% off for SNAP and EBT customers, a news release stated. 

In addition to shopping for plants on Saturday, visitors will be able to enjoy:

● A fall and winter gardening workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with Lelo Jones of Outdoor Fresh Farm and Chris Lemons of Gratitude Botanical Farm;

● Farm tours with worker-owner farmers Demetrius Milling and Russell Honderd;

● You-pick flowers;

● Popup Chef Kiyoka Nishikawa of Cheffrey's Kitchen;

● Live music with Johnathan Coody of Ninja Gun;

In addition to discounts on edible plants, SNAP customers who purchase three or more plants will take home free gardening kits — including trowels, gloves, containers, soil and plant care guides — courtesy of Wholesome Wave Georgia and Food Well Alliance.

Love is Love Cooperative Farm is a certified organic, worker-owned cooperative farm in operation since 2021. It focuses on growing hard-to-find varieties of high quality, certified organic seedlings. 

Worker-owners Demetrius Milling, Monica Ponce, Russell Honderd, Joe Reynolds and Judith Winfrey founded Love is Love Cooperative Farm — which grew out of a farm business operated by Winfrey and Reynolds in Douglas and DeKalb counties since 2008. 

Its current owners worked with The Conservation Fund’s Working Farms Fund to acquire the farm site in the city of Mansfield and plan to place the land in a permanent agricultural easement. 

Their vision is to create a farm that will remain agricultural and continue operating in perpetuity, create greater access to food by growing on scale; and provide living wages, equity, resiliency and quality of life to workers of the farm. The Fall Plant Sale is an annual tradition for Love is Love farm and draws home gardeners from throughout the region. 

In addition to offering vegetable, herb and edible flower seedlings every fall and spring, the farm offers subscriptions for veggie and flower shares.

“We are honored to be farming on our forever-farm in Newton County, growing vegetables, flowers, herbs and plant starts for our neighbors. We believe this work is good for us, good for our community and good for the planet,” said worker-owner Judith Winfrey. “We hope to see lots of new faces at the farm on Sept. 10 and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Wholesome Wave Georgia — an organization I helped to found — and Food Well Alliance to make food producing plants accessible to as many people as possible,” Winfrey said.

Wholesome Wave Georgia connects food-insecure families with fresh food and health education through partnerships with local farmers markets and healthcare providers. 

It also offers free SNAP benefits assistance through screenings, enrollments and renewals. Their programs support urban and rural farmers and contribute to Georgia’s local economy, including more than $3.8 million since 2009.

Food Well Alliance is a collaborative network of local leaders working together to build thriving community gardens and urban farms across metro Atlanta. Its mission is to provide resources and support to local growers to connect and build healthier communities.

Launched in April 2020, Georgia Plant 2 Plate was developed in response to families on SNAP benefits facing limited shopping options for fresh local food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Will Sellers, executive director of Wholesome Wave Georgia, said, “Across Georgia, each of us experience rising food prices caused by inflation. 

"Georgia’s SNAP recipients feel this pain even more. Georgia Plant 2 Plate allows our neighbors to grow food at home with confidence and increased health outcomes, while creating memories with loved ones,” Sellers said.

Georgia Plant 2 Plate encourages households on SNAP to adopt healthy eating habits by learning where fresh food comes from, how to eat seasonally, and trying new foods through home gardening. The program also provides economic support to small farms and markets by boosting EBT sales of locally grown plants.

For more information, visit www.loveislovefarm.com.