About
Buds of Little Rose introduces children and adults to organic gardening practices, healthful living, and nature stewardship through hands-on education. The program is part of Buds of Little Rose, which includes Little Rose Nature Adventures, Little Rose Organics Farm, and Little Rose Cottage and Gardens, a venue for small events and concerts.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Buds of Little Rose operates under a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is fundraising for environmental preservation, conservation, beautification, and education on 21 acres at Little Rose Creek in Oconee County, Georgia. The land was previously a cotton farm with many unique historic features, and Melissa and Michael Steele have restored their 120-year-old farmhouse and turned an old cotton field into a verdant paradise. The 94-acre property is temporarily saved from residential development, and the land is graced by two creeks and a wetlands that are tributaries to Georgia’s largest watershed, the Upper Oconee; Little Rose Creek is an integral part of the Upper Oconee Watershed. Melissa Steele founded Little Rose Nature School in Watkinsville, Georgia in 2014, and she and Michael created their small farm, Little Rose Organics, in 2015 after living in Watkinsville since 1993. Over the past 24 years, Melissa and Michael have restored their farmhouse and Melissa hopes to shield the space from further residential development that has increased in the area; after 28 years of renting the 94 acres, they now own 21 acres. Their community involvement includes selling organic vegetables and free-range eggs to local chefs and a network of friends, and they state a wish to connect children and adults to nature and support their community with locally grown organic produce, music, and events, as well as a hope to find partners to help them get back the remaining 70 acres when neighbors decide to sell.
The leadership team for Buds of Little Rose consists of Melissa Steele as Founder and Chair, Michael Steele as Vice Chair and Treasurer, and Diane Beeler as Secretary. Melissa is an artist, designer, and organic farmer who headed her own interior design firm for 30 years, with design expertise featured on numerous television shows and in national publications, including advisory columns. Michael is a professional musician, producer, and organic farmer who tours in the United States and overseas with singers Randall Bramblett, John Berry, and Chuck Leavell, and his studio and television performances appear on hundreds of recordings created in Nashville, Atlanta, and the surrounding music community. He served six years in the United States Navy working as a computer programmer at the Pentagon on missile guidance systems, graduated from Old Dominion University with a Horticulture/Greenhouse Management degree, and single-handedly constructed and installed a USDA grant-funded greenhouse with extensive interior raised beds. Diane Beeler is a licensed massage therapist with a practice in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Last updated April 24, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
Buds of Little Rose operates under a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is fundraising for environmental preservation, conservation, beautification, and education on 21 acres at Little Rose Creek in Oconee County, Georgia. The land was previously a cotton farm with many unique historic features, and Melissa and Michael Steele have restored their 120-year-old farmhouse and turned an old cotton field into a verdant paradise. The 94-acre property is temporarily saved from residential development, and the land is graced by two creeks and a wetlands that are tributaries to Georgia’s largest watershed, the Upper Oconee; Little Rose Creek is an integral part of the Upper Oconee Watershed. Melissa Steele founded Little Rose Nature School in Watkinsville, Georgia in 2014, and she and Michael created their small farm, Little Rose Organics, in 2015 after living in Watkinsville since 1993. Over the past 24 years, Melissa and Michael have restored their farmhouse and Melissa hopes to shield the space from further residential development that has increased in the area; after 28 years of renting the 94 acres, they now own 21 acres. Their community involvement includes selling organic vegetables and free-range eggs to local chefs and a network of friends, and they state a wish to connect children and adults to nature and support their community with locally grown organic produce, music, and events, as well as a hope to find partners to help them get back the remaining 70 acres when neighbors decide to sell.
The leadership team for Buds of Little Rose consists of Melissa Steele as Founder and Chair, Michael Steele as Vice Chair and Treasurer, and Diane Beeler as Secretary. Melissa is an artist, designer, and organic farmer who headed her own interior design firm for 30 years, with design expertise featured on numerous television shows and in national publications, including advisory columns. Michael is a professional musician, producer, and organic farmer who tours in the United States and overseas with singers Randall Bramblett, John Berry, and Chuck Leavell, and his studio and television performances appear on hundreds of recordings created in Nashville, Atlanta, and the surrounding music community. He served six years in the United States Navy working as a computer programmer at the Pentagon on missile guidance systems, graduated from Old Dominion University with a Horticulture/Greenhouse Management degree, and single-handedly constructed and installed a USDA grant-funded greenhouse with extensive interior raised beds. Diane Beeler is a licensed massage therapist with a practice in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Last updated April 24, 2026.
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