02/28/2025
When LaTasha Timberlake founded Lillian Timber Farms, she was planting more than just seeds—she was cultivating a legacy. Named after her grandmother, Lillian, and carrying her own surname, Timberlake, the farm is deeply personal yet universally impactful.
The journey began unexpectedly. While studying in Peru, LaTasha embraced The Artist’s Way technique, journaling daily and pouring her ideas onto paper. A year later, those ideas led her to Hawaii, where she worked on a sustainable farm and fell in love with the community-driven approach to growing food. But the vision truly came to life back home in NE OKC, where food insecurity and health disparities were urgent issues.
Lillian Timber Farms isn’t just about growing food—it’s about growing people. It’s a platform for self-empowerment, healing, and education, providing access to fresh food and traditional agricultural knowledge. Working with neighborhood associations and community members, the farm offers free classes for children and adults, centering food sovereignty, wellness, and sustainability.
LaTasha’s grandmother instilled the belief that, even in difficult times, fresh food was essential. That wisdom now guides the farm’s work: “If we’re dealing with food sovereignty, how do we break down barriers and give people ownership over their own lives instead of just what’s happening to them?”
Lillian, LaTasha’s grandmother, is ever-present. “She’s always around. I have her hands. I have her feet. She’s always walking with me.” The farm’s logo is a tribute to her, a reminder of the past and a guiding force for the future. Located near Lottie Avenue, the very street LaTasha grew up on, the farm is a full-circle moment—a return home to uplift the community.
Black farmers have long been stewards of the land. “People tell me, ‘Oh, you have this garden,’ but this is nothing new. We are keepers of the land.” The farm’s monthly work program connects Black agricultural traditions to sustainable practices, teaching why and how crops grow the way they do.
The farm’s logo colors are intentional: red for the blood of the people, black for the rich culture of Black and Indigenous traditions. The interwoven Black and Native practices of cultivation and eating in season reflect a deeper history. “Our people are sick because we are out of balance with nature. Eating in season helps us stay in balance.” That philosophy shapes the Literacy in the Garden program, where children’s books written by people of color inspire activities tied to the land, bridging culture, education, and agriculture.
Lillian Timber Farms started with an empty lot, but today, it flourishes. “When I think about that space, I think about Black history—it’s the history of all people. You can’t have other histories without Black history. Black people have always had to navigate spaces that weren’t made for them, but we are still here. We still grow.”
Despite barriers in policy and resources, the farm secured grants that allow for meditation and healing programs in an area considered one of the most challenged in the state. “That’s the story of Black folk. Regardless of what we’ve been given, we still grow. We are those seeds. If you’re not growing, nothing else around you is growing.”
The vision for the next five to ten years is expansive and transformative. The Serenity Blooms mental health program will offer free therapy sessions in the garden. Wellness programs will bring tai chi, yoga, and meditation into natural spaces. Urban farm expansion will introduce community gardens in multiple neighborhoods. Workforce development training will help people re-entering society after incarceration.
“Change begins with what you eat. If you want to create change, start with what’s on your plate. Build the consistency muscle. Everything you want to happen outside of yourself—you’ve got to program that first.”
Lillian Timber Farms is more than a farm—it’s a movement for healing, sovereignty, and empowerment.
Visit Lillian Timber Farms at https://www.lilliantimberfarms.org to be a part of the growth.
