Steve Koontz, Winona Lake, relaxes after a hike in the great outdoors. He loves all growing things. He enjoys teaching Master Gardener seminars on indoor gardening to the public. He grows edibles, such as lettuce, arugula and herbs, indoors at home in his Tower Garden. Photo provided by Steve Koontz.

By Laurie Lechlitner
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — “Growing plants points me to God,” stated Steve Koontz, Winona Lake. “It not only points me to God but gives me the privilege of working with him. It’s God Who makes the plants grow. As a gardener, I only provide the environment.” Koontz is a Purdue Extension Master Gardener.

With a chuckle, Koontz remarked, “I think my love for gardening was sparked when I grew some gourd plants from seed that took over the driveway and front door. It’s incredible to me that God has placed all the instructions needed to grow a plant in a tiny seed.”

When he grew a sequoia tree from seed, a gift from his daughter, he realized he was leaving a legacy for continuing generations. “These trees look like tiny pine trees when they’re small. But given the right nutrients and environment, in 1,000 years they grow into 300-foot trees.” Koontz eventually gave the tree to a school in Southern Indiana because Northern Indiana winters are too harsh.

In 2012 Koontz was introduced to a Tower Garden, a vertical, soil-less gardening system. “That’s when I became fascinated with growing edibles indoors. Plants are grown in rockwool and placed in growing ports. Twenty-eight plants can be grown in a typical Tower Garden. No soil is used. Water, mixed with nutrients, is pumped through the center, watering the roots. The Tower Garden is in my office/plant room at home.”

Koontz has traveled to area schools teaching students, from kindergarten through high school, gardening on Tower Gardens. “Here in Kosciusko County, we’re fortunate to have the K21 Health Foundation. The foundation provided funds for over 35 Tower Gardens in Kosciusko County schools.”

He especially enjoys instructing elementary students. “It takes about six weeks to grow lettuce. After six weeks, students get to try the fresh lettuce. We grow lettuce, arugula, and some herbs. I love watching the children taste arugula for the first time. Arugula has a growing, peppery flavor that you can see on the kid’s faces. Young people are bound to eat the vegetables they grow themselves.”

In 2015, Koontz entered the Master Gardener program. “Six times a year we hold training seminars for the public. I enjoy teaching the seminar on indoor gardening.” To find out more about the Master Gardener seminars, email [email protected].

This September Koontz began working as part of the landscaping team of Grace Village, a retirement community in Winona Lake, where he and his wife, Christine, live. “My focus is developing and maintaining the flower beds.”

Realizing that to the younger generation gardening is becoming a dying art, Koontz encourages them to try it. “It’s really a lot of fun. It gives us the privilege of looking past the plants and discovering more about the creator, the one who makes things grow. I find gardening relaxing. Even pulling weeds.”

Even those plants that don’t require much muss and fuss are fascinating in their own way. “Millennials often prefer succulents. They water them once a month and they grow.”

Besides gardening, which has become a way of life to Koontz, he and his wife enjoy hiking in state parks, going to botanical gardens, and playing games. He also leads a small group at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church. Check out his website.