Community supports 7-year-old’s plant business

BUDA — A budding Buda gardener with an entrepreneurial spirit experienced firsthand the power of community.

In January, 7-year-old Annabelle Devries decided to use her Christmas money to buy plant seeds. For the following two months, she grew watermelon, snap peas, sunflowers, peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupe and squash, taking more than 100 plants outside every morning and inside at night once the temperatures began to drop.

Inspired by her love of plants and wanting to start a business, Annabelle’s mother Cindy Devries said she started selling her plants during the first weekend of March and was sold out that Sunday afternoon.

“People from our neighborhood and all over Buda came out to support her by buying her plants and the rocks her sister, Lucy, painted to help label their gardens,” Cindy said. “We received numerous supportive messages from people in the community saying how proud they were of her and her business.”

One woman was so inspired by Annabelle’s story that she gifted her money to save to purchase seeds to start next year’s business, suggesting she grow herbs in addition to fruits and vegetables. The owners of Doc’s Drive In Theatre also purchased several of Annabelle’s plants, sent supportive messages and offered free movie tickets and popcorn to Annabelle and her friends.

“Annabelle was overjoyed,” Cindy said. “The amount of support the Buda community showed my daughter completely blew us away.”

Stay tuned for Annabelle’s next gardening adventures, as she said she plans to continue her plant business next year and has already set $50 aside for seeds and other expenses, as well as taken notes on what went well this year and what to do differently next season.