WILMORE — You won't find 18-year-old Katie Taylor sleeping in like many teens do on Saturdays during the summer.

Surrounded by vegetables and flowers, she's hard at work underneath a canopy in downtown Wilmore.

Almost every summer Saturday since she was 8, Taylor has sold vegetables and flowers that her grandparents Marvin and Patty Taylor grow on their Circle T Farm in Nicholasville.

"I will say that it takes pure dedication for a young person to wake up every Saturday morning," Katie Taylor said.

The Saturday activity has its roots in the death of Taylor's father, Marty, in a car accident when she was 5 years old. After that, she began spending a lot of time with her grandparents; they wanted to help her mother, Tracie, who was working a full-time job to support Katie and her sister.

"Going through the death of my dad, you realize that you have to really appreciate family the most," Katie Taylor said.

As she began to spend more and more time with her grandparents, her fondness for the farm grew. Her grandfather said he could tell that she was the grandchild who loved to farm.

After seeing how much she enjoyed her time on the farm, Marvin Taylor thought it would be a good idea for her to get involved in growing and selling the vegetables.

Starting at age 8, Katie began helping on the farm and hawking their crops at the Wilmore Farmers Market on Saturdays.

The family picks the vegetables on Fridays, then washes, crates and loads them, typically ending around 10 p.m.

Katie Taylor says she loves what she is doing and feels it has been a huge part of her growth during the past decade.

"It's something that has been a part of overcoming everything," she said, referring to her father's death.

Of the many lessons she's learned from the farm, a strong work ethic is top among them, Taylor said.

In addition to working on the farm, she has four other jobs and will attend Midway College in the fall. She intends to study nursing.

While she doesn't know all that the future holds, she knows it will include farm life in some form.

"I grew up on the farm, and that's probably where I will be for the rest of my life," she said.

Even when she isn't working, she loves to stop in and spend time with her grandparents. And as much of a blessing as she says it is for her, it's a mutual feeling.

"Her grandpa loves her dearly," Marvin Taylor said. "She keeps me going."