Weeding, watering and growing plants are more than just gardening tasks at this program; they're therapy.

Sow 2 Grow is a summer program run by the University of Tennessee Gardens for teens with disabilities, from age 13 through high school seniors. Participants work with plants, growing both their vocational and horticultural knowledge.

It began three years ago as a pilot program, and is now in its second full year, offering a level one course and a level two course for those who have gone through it before.

The program is based on practices rooted in horticultural therapy, which uses plant-based activities to help folks work on and improve a variety of skills, including their cognitive abilities, language proficiency, socialization, coordination, balance, endurance, problem solving and ability to both follow directions and work independently, according to the American Horticultural Therapy Association.

Sow 2 Grow participant Ani Monday, left, works with horticultural therapy intern Karin Bailey, right, to plant zinnias in a raised bed at UT Gardens in Knoxville on June 18, 2025. Sow 2 Grow is a summer program for teenagers with disabilities that uses gardening activities to help participants build life skills.

What do participants 'sow 2 grow'?

Those enrolled in the program take part in various gardening activities. On the first day, participants sowed seeds, and each day after, they check on them in the greenhouse, measuring them before documenting and charting their growth.

Outside, participants work in an area with different styles of raised beds, which were built with a grant from the National Garden Bureau. They weed, water, harvest and plant new vegetation, whether that's flowers or vegetables.

"What we're trying to build is skills that are transferable to any job that they might have," said Derrick Stowell, UT Garden's Education and Horticultural Therapy Program administrator, who leads the program. "And also just the social interaction, which is a really important skill that everybody needs, is knowing how to interact with other people in the community."

In addition to traditional gardening activities, participants also work with plants indoors. Recently they created fairy gardens using succulents.

There's also a stress management portion to the program that teaches skills for coping with stress, which is helpful in all aspects of life, and is a key vocational tool. In addition to receiving experience that sets participants up to work at a garden or greenhouse, Sow 2 Grow also invites guests in to speak about different jobs that participants are interested in.

Cultivating job skills, flowers and friends

For participant Kai Saylor, who is 15, that's law enforcement, which he's "really into," although he's loved his experience gardening, too.

"I really enjoy that, like, being outdoors and just working on plants, and I think this is a great opportunity for me, because not only that I'm helping the environment, ... this is a good job opportunity."

The garden he's been working on with partner Alex Pasternak is named "Bearden Garden" after Bearden High School, which Saylor will be attending starting in the fall. Their raised bed features marigolds, bachelor's buttons, zinnias and tomatoes.

Ani Monday, 18, has enjoyed both the social aspects of the program and the informational portions.

"I like it because I can meet new friends and learn new plants that I never knew," she said. "(It's) definitely more fun to go outdoors and have crafts to do and just spend time with each other."

Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Sow 2 Grow has teens growing skills and plants in this UT Gardens summer program