Tulsa urban farmer Earl Stripling grew up with his hands in the soil, stewarding his own small Garden of Eden — his passion rooted in north Tulsa’s legacy of farming.
Stripling died suddenly Jan. 29 at the age of 69. He was known for growing vegetables, fruits and flowers but also community.
“If you ever visited his garden, you likely left with fresh produce, a plant clipping, and a lesson you didn’t know you needed,” his family posted on Facebook. “Teaching others how to grow, nurture, and care for the earth brought him so much joy, and he shared that joy freely with family, friends, and anyone willing to learn.”
Stripling’s family described him as a devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, treasured friend and a true master gardener in every sense of the word.Lukas Vodicka, owner of Inheritance Kitchen & Juicery, created a GoFundMe to help his wife and daughters pay for funeral costs. Vodicka said Stripling was helping the company build a garden, and this is their way of helping with his “final harvest and return a small part of the care he showed so generously to all of us.”
“Mr. Earl was a dear friend and mentor to many people in the community and throughout Tulsa’s local food system. He was a master gardener who shared his knowledge, time, and kindness freely,” Vodicka said.
Experiencing Stripling’s farm
Grapevines wind down metal trellises. In a small mesh greenhouse squeezed right into the middle of the yard, broccoli seeds germinate on an electric heat mat.
2021 Oklahoma Eagle article on Stripling’s Garden
More than 300 onions sprout from a flowerbed packed with phosphorus-rich soil.
During a tour, Stripling speaks uninterrupted for 10 minutes on soil technology and the earthy chemistry at play between phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium.
In 2021, Stripling planted more than 30 different types of fruits and vegetables, like hillbilly potato leaf tomatoes, turnip greens and bok choy.
He turned a 50-by-70-foot plot of land into thousands of vegetables each year, sharing the harvest with family and friends. In the last months of 2025, he added an orchard to his property so his wife, Rhondia, could enjoy more fresh apples, peaches, pears and dragonfruit.
Shortly after his death, Rhondia called him a dream maker.
“He will wake up in the middle of the morning, and he will go, ‘I just had a dream,’” she said. “I say, ‘OK Martin Luther Stripling.’ And he goes, ‘God gave me another vision’. He didn’t care what time of morning it was. He would go sit down and draw it.”
She said that was usually followed by a trip to Home Depot for more supplies.
As he continued to build his garden, Stripling preached food as medicine and pushed people to grow their own for personal health. It was a cause that was personal to him as he suffered from Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH), which is the hardening of ligaments and tendons along the spine, leading to stiffness and pain in the neck and back. The right mix of organic foods and a healthy diet helps reduce inflammation.
Tulsa FreshRX founder Erin Martin worked with him on their common interests in health benefits of eating organic.
“Earl inspired his community to grow food,” Martin said. “He was a believer of our program. He had an immaculate garden and all sorts of tricks and interesting things that he created. We hope that people will continue to be inspired by his story and be inspired to grow their own food, because ultimately that’s the most empowering thing for people to do.”
Stripling also used Facebook to share gardening guidelines and advice. He had amassed nearly 7,000 followers from around the world. Hundreds expressed sympathies and sadness, but dozens sent messages of gratitude for Earl’s teachings and support for others in building the garden of their dreams.
The gardener’s upbringing
Stripling was born in Tulsa Oct. 13, 1956. He was a 1975 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School where he played football and wrestled, according to his lifelong friend Kirk Mosley.
Stripling was a three-year starter on the football team, taking all-city and all-state honors, winning the state championship in 1973. He was inducted into the Tulsa Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame in June 2025.
Stripling first learned to farm at the corner of Cincinnati Avenue and Pine Street in the 1960s in a massive garden tended by his uncle Merle, a firefighter who grew crops behind a pair of rent houses he owned.
As Stripling began to help out, he would also visit his grandma’s farm in Okmulgee, learning valuable lessons about agriculture.
“I will grow only what I eat,” he told the Eagle in 2021. “It would be a waste if you grew something, and you nurtured this thing for months on end and you don’t even eat it.” His family said Stipling’s passion for growing his own food and teaching others was only outpaced by a love of eating it.
Service details
A viewing is set for Monday, Feb. 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Butler-Stumpff & Dyer Funeral Home, 2103 E. 3rd St. in Tulsa. A “homegoing service” will be held at the same location Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m.
Rhondia said their children, led by their daughter Jasmine, plan to keep the garden growing and Earl’s legacy alive.
