Asheville, NC

Harold Vance retired as a math teacher. However, his true passion in life is raising gardens. His love for farming and gardening began when he was a child, and he cannot speak about raising fruit and vegetables without talking about all the times he spent with his grandfather in the fields near his childhood home. As you watch him walking through his garden, pulling weeds and checking progress, you can see the joy on his face. This joy not only stems from knowing that he will be eating food that he grew, but from the memories he has made throughout his life farming and raising fruits and vegetables. Every time he walks through his garden, he sees his grandfather. Harold even uses the tools that his grandfather left him. On one occasion, as he put miracle grow on a plant, he joked that if his grandfather saw him doing this, he would tell him that he needs to work his ground better. As he gets older, it is getting harder for him to maintain his garden. However, he tells his wife that if he is able, he is going to continue to work. One of his biggest challenges is keeping animals out of his plants. One of his solutions is to keep a bb-gun near his door. He says his goal is only to scare them, and at his age, he could not hit them even if he wanted to. As Harold continues to work, his family and community is grateful that he keeps them stocked on home-grown fruit and vegetables.