We did some good work on Saturday morning- it was a beautiful day to be in the garden. Here’s Ron’s take:
A morning green and growing…
It was overcast and cool. Perfect morning for planting, on the eve of the strawberry moon. Connie and Taylor were in the Lower Children’s Garden planting tomatoes and more greens. Ron was making hills for the “3 sisters” in the new plot which, for the last 8 years, has been our composting area. Thick, rich and deep dark soil. Moist from the steady rain from the night before. Lots of worms everywhere.
When he got about half done, about 40 Hills, Taylor came over and joined him with the corn seed that was soaking in a smallish container. She knew well how to plant corn in preparation for the 3 sisters garden (North and South Native American plantings of corn, beans and squashes) from working with her Dad when she was a girl growing up in Alabama. While she was planting and as Ron continued with his hoe, the Schibleys- Mom, Pop and youngsters, James and Edison- arrived and set upon the strawberry patch just east of the Middle Earth Garden patch nearby. Later they delighted in feeding the chickens watermelon rinds and collecting eggs.
Shortly after noon, the 86th hill was sown. Our hands were soiled and nostrils sweetened by the morning’s labor. The Sun had broken through and Paul had returned from his very much unsweet task of separating goat manure from Beth’s barn and loading it into her trailer. Beth Corbett is our local animal husbandry-wise-woman, goatherder and source of the goat milk and cheeses we offer from time to time at the Colchester. He had worked with Nick who had to break away to perform on clarinet for a veteran’s memorial parade. It’s the same barn where a good deal of the material that we composted over the last 8 years came from.
Full circle, I guess you could say, on a morning green and growing at the Colchester Neighborhood Farm.
Celebrating the Circle, we look forward to meeting all of you,
the Maribetts
