The Teen Gardener Teaching a Generation To Grow Their Own Food

One of Malon E.D. James’s earliest memories growing up in Atlanta, Georgia is of seeing his grandmother tend to her tomato plants on the kitchen windowsill.

“She had a small little glass,” he remembers. “At first it was just a plant, but [I realized] the amount of life it could have, the amount of power it could give you.” 

Today, James is 16 years old and not only one of the world’s youngest hydroponic farmers with years of hands-on experience, he’s also teaching children around his hometown of Atlanta—and inspiring others worldwide—to start their own farming journeys. We recently spoke to James about his best tips for getting kids involved with gardening and his hopes for combating food insecurity worldwide.

Offering Help in a Crisis 

In 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns initially sent the world inside, James began to look outward.

“I have a strong desire to help someone, to help anybody,” he says. At only 10 years old, he founded a campaign called Everyone Deserves a Mask, which provided masks and other protective equipment to underserved areas around the world that were hit hardest by COVID-19. Through this work, he learned that while these people needed masks, the pandemic had also left them in desperate need of something even more important: fresh food.

“I thought, well, farming is the answer,” he says. “But traditional farming has limitations. I needed something that was steady, firm, something that could really hold for a long while.” He soon discovered hydroponic gardening, which is a method of soil-free gardening that grows fruits, vegetables, and other plants in nutrient-rich water. It requires far less water, grows plants faster, and offers higher yields.

This newfound knowledge led James to Lettuce Grow, which makes hydroponic Farmstands that enable even the most amateur gardeners to grow food at home. James’s social media soon caught the attention of the team at Lettuce Grow, and they began sending him some of their Farmstands to use in his ever-evolving home gardening projects. He started with tomatoes (an admittedly difficult first choice) and eventually moved on to leafy greens, herbs, and other vegetables. 

Over the next few years, James became an expert in hydroponics, and was eager to use his skills to help others. 

Inspiring A New Generation of Hydroponic Farmers 

On his quest to teach children about hydroponics, James began visiting classrooms in the Atlanta area to teach elementary students about gardening and growing their own food. 

“I’m trying to teach them from an early age about food security and where their food comes from,” James says. He believes that gardening doesn’t just teach kids how to grow food, it actually encourages them to want to understand more about the foods they’re eating. “I want them to know how healthy it is and how nutritious it is, rather than just living on fast food.”

Much of his work involves setting up and maintaining Lettuce Grow farmstands in classrooms so that the students can observe how hydroponics work. Then, even after he leaves, the students can tend to their crops (and eventually eat them) in the comfort of the classroom. James says the best part about this approach is that the students get used to coexisting with their garden, and it becomes a part of their daily life. “You go to school every day and you see bok choy, lettuce, asparagus, oregano, thyme, whatever. It really gives you perspective.”

When asked about his plans for the future, James says that he’s dedicated to bringing hydroponic gardening to the masses. “The plan is to have a hydroponic farm everywhere,” he says. “Fire departments, police stations, hospitals, food pantries, wherever they can be. I’m already tackling schools—next, I’m just making sure everybody knows about it.” His hydroponic education campaign now spans the globe, reaching communities across Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Liberia, Nigeria, and parts of South America. 

For James, the goal isn’t just to grow food—it’s to empower a generation.

Malon ED James’s Best Tips for Encouraging Young Gardeners 

1. Try hydroponic gardening. James’s best advice? Skip the shovels and the dirt and go straight for a hydroponic garden. “Hydroponic farming is convenient,” he says. “You can do it in the comfort of your home, your job, wherever you want. It’s easy, accessible, and it doesn’t require so much experience.” 
2. Start simple. “My best advice is to grow leafy greens like bok choy or lettuce. Don’t start with mint, tomatoes, or something that will possibly take over your farm.”
3. Keep an open mind. Gardening may not be as simple as going to the grocery store to buy food, but James encourages kids to stay open to the idea of growing their own food. “[The kids I teach] are very open minded,” James says. “My generation isn’t too fond of farming or labor work, but hydroponics isn’t hard labor. It’s like magic.”
4. Let them set the pace. If kids are nervous about gardening or trying new fruits or vegetables, James recommends letting them take the lead. “I let them grow at their own comfort, at their own pace, and even choose the plant they want to grow,” he says. “They’re growing crops in the comfort of their own class, and they can try their food whenever they want.”
5. Teach them about nutrition. As they begin to grow their own fruits and vegetables, kids naturally begin to learn more about food and its health benefits. “I think if everybody had access to organic food, people wouldn’t really see a need for processed junk every day,” James says.
6. Show them where their food comes from. If you’re gardening with older kids, you can use it as an opportunity to explain the importance of understanding where food is grown and why it’s important to eat seasonally and locally. “When you go to the market nowadays, do you know where your food comes from?” James asks. “With farming, you know exactly where your food comes from.” 
7. Cook together. One of the best parts about gardening with kids is eating the fruits (and vegetables!) of your labor. “Eating your own food feels empowering,” James says. “I really feel the energy and the stability, knowing I really ate what I created with my two hands, and best of all it tastes good.” (James says he loves to make miso soup using bok choy that he harvests from his farmstand.) 
8. Exposure works wonders. If kids are too young to garden themselves, let them watch you as you garden. “It’s like when I saw my grandmother using hydroponics when I was six,” James says. “It will just be something in the back of their mind.”