Nathan Fields was greatly impacted by several Master Gardeners before he knew anything about the Master Gardener program. While working as a Special Education teacher in a Metro Nashville school in 2017 he volunteered to help in the school garden project, and that is where he first met some Master Gardeners, learned about the program, and developed a love of gardening. Before becoming an intern in the MG class of 2025, he had also worked alongside Master Gardeners in community gardens and has now been part of 6 different school garden club programs. He loves the way gardening can bring people of all ages and abilities together, and how it can impact both individuals and whole communities. His favorite parts of the class have been when interns were divided into teams and collaborated on a project, such as landscape design. 

His initial love for gardening in general grew into a more specific desire to garden for wildlife, choosing native plants based on their ability to provide food and habitat for a multitude of species. Although he has a small urban yard, he estimates he has over 100 different varieties of native plants growing in his 1,000 square foot of planting space. Along with others, he also co-founded a company called Plant for a Change in 2020. The company’s  mission is focused on selling quality items made by quality people, including some with intellectual disabilities. Beautiful native seed packets, butterfly houses, bird feeders and bug hotels are some of the things you can find on their website and at their booth at the Nashville Farmers’ Market. The company has a registered USDA farm, is a certified nursery and native plant farm, and is licensed to be a certified seed and plant dealer. Another part of the  company mission is to provide greater access to affordable and fresh food to the community, especially those impacted by disability. If you would like to read more about Plant for a Change, the website is plantforachange.com.

Although Nathan did not grow up gardening, he does remember his grandfather giving him seed packets to sell when he was 7 years old, and how excited he was to earn a quarter for each sale. He also sold petunias in college, so maybe it was just a matter of time before he combined his passion for helping people with disabilities with his college minor in field biology  and his love for selling things that help wildlife thrive. 

Spending time with his family is a high priority, and Nathan and his wife have twin girls, age 9,  and a son who is 11. He has helped in Garden Clubs at their school, and they all stay busy with softball and baseball practices and games. He also enjoys Beaman and Shelby Parks and identifying over 2,200 different species (so far!) with his inaturalist app.