Teen grows mission with vegetable garden

A local family is on a mission. Isaac Carder, age 14, began to take interest in the broad world of plants a few years ago. He delved into videos on YouTube that showed how to grow various types of plants and trees.

After being gifted a small greenhouse his family installed in their Greenville backyard, he had his first touch of plant fever. He knew he wanted to take this new found love and transform it into something great.

With the support and help of his parents, Isaac began to use what he’d learned from YouTube to grow a few different plants in his greenhouse. He is the son of Michael and Emily Carder.

After outgrowing the greenhouse, Isaac upgraded to a much larger operation, now called God’s Green Earth, growing around 720 tomato plants, 50 pepper plants of various varieties, broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, peppers, potatoes, and other staple garden vegetables. He taught himself how to drive a tractor, turn over the soil, and plan where everything was to go.

Isaac then began to create spreadsheets, detailing when certain seedlings should be transplanted to the garden, so all the plants produce at roughly the same time.

Eventually, the garden was becoming like a small farm, taking up nearly an acre, home to almost every kind of common vegetable imaginable. The question of what to do with the bounty was easy to answer for Isaac. With a heart disposed toward charity, he had a clear vision of what his passion and diligence could do. He chose to start with a local ministry, Set Free Mission Bible Training Center, a division of Mission Teens Inc.

“I just wanted to donate a lot of money to Set Free because they’re always in the back corner where no one goes, no one donates,” Isaac said. “There are just a lot of people who needed it.”

Last year, Isaac donated all proceeds from his produce stand. His grandfather and father matched his earnings, and they were able to donate $3,000 to Set Free. He also donated 75 tomato plants and 15 pepper plants, so those at the training center could grow their own food.

Next year, Isaac and his family plan to grow double the amount of corn and squash, along with 1,400 tomato plants and an assortment of flowers. Throughout this project, the Carder family has made Psalm 115 their creed: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”

To see Isaac’s operation in person, look for a green canopy located at 1976 State Route 181 in Greenville.

The Carders replenish their produce table daily with fresh garden vegetables, free of charge, but with a hope to raise more to donate to Set Free and other ministries and charities.