Forest Garden Update July 2020

With summer here, the way to beat the heat is certainly to be an early riser. It is wonderful to have the heat here though, as the warm weather crops are loving the consistency of the warmer temperatures. The Pole Beans are enjoying wrapping themselves around our wattle fences as they form delicious green beans. The tomatoes of all varieties are growing taller every day, and the bush cucumbers have sprawled out nicely. The peppers of course are really enjoying the heat, but the okra flowers are hard to beat. The zinnia and sunflowers are in full bloom, and it’s neat to watch the hummingbirds zoom!

The heat of the afternoon is often spent with the indoor gardening task of processing all of the seeds that have been harvested. Making sure that they are all clean and dry before they go into jars is a relaxing and meditative task. With the large quantities and varieties that have been saved, it is starting to look more like a seed vault then a seed bank!

Amidst these uncertain times, we are spreading seeds of hope, joy, and love here in the gardens. Although we are unable to host guest members this summer, we hope that the time is being well spent cultivating individual gardens throughout the community. These are not the times to fret about the things we are unable to do, but to take solace in what we are able to accomplish. Gardens are a wonderful way to help the Earth, our personal nutrition, and mental health. In the words of Mother Teresa, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”.