Fully Committed - June 3, 2015

Thanks to the amazing folks who worked on their hands and knees for some hours over the weekend removing weeds, rock, and clods of grass from the waiting sweet potato hills, today's planting of the slips was a breeze.

Karen & MA with the sweet potato slips

We had so many early volunteers that the work was finished by the time the latecomers arrived, and they weren't really that late (no one was docked). Everyone helped give the new plants a dose of water from the barrel, though the good soaking from yesterday's storm made my boots go schlurp, schlurp with every muddy step.

All our community crops and individual gardens look to be planted - now it's a matter of keeping ahead of the weeds and the bugs. We stand ready to water, but we're counting on the blessing of ample rain and abundant sunshine - all in the right proportions at just the right time in the season.

June 2, 2015

June 2, 2015

Blessings for Our Garden

Every single time it happens, I'm amazed when a seed pushes through the dirt, drinks in drops of water, reaches for the sun, and emerges as a stem, pre-leaves, then leaves, vines, flowers, and glory. I once heard this wise question, "If you came upon a watch laying in the road and it was keeping perfect time, tick tock, tick tock, would you for one second doubt the existence of a watchmaker? Who is the maker behind the bounty of our natural world? Aah, that's the mystery of life, beyond our knowing. But not beyond our appreciation.



Without naming the source of love and wisdom that is providing us the resources and strength and camaraderie to build our garden, we offered our thanks this past Saturday morning. Susan Marlan's inspirational words helped us connect with the spirit of new beginnings as we planted our garden sign and moved forward.

Thanks to Doug Harris for crafting the sign, Su Snyder for painting it, and Jim Goodnight with a little help from Mike Willen for erecting it so people zipping by on Rte. 191 will now know whose little farm is growing. A special thanks to NC Mountain Realty for allowing us to grow in their front yard.