As things wind down, I begin to feel the weight of leaving ride on my shoulders. I’m not fond of goodbyes, never met a person who was, but with half-empty boxes littering my room, I must face the reality of leaving this place that has become my home. I have felt lost for much of this year, out of place and on my own, but this past quarter has finally allowed me to find my spot, to discover where I fit in this massive community that we call Evergreen. And that spot is within the Food and Ag pathway amongst my Food and Ag peers, but more specifically, in the Organic Farm Herb Garden, this hidden gem that I have had the absolute honor of working within. The Herb Garden has been my teacher, my peer, my safe haven. I was so nervous at first, but now, here I am, wishing I didn’t have to leave this garden behind. I know I’ll be back soon, summer isn’t too long of a break, but missing the garden in all her summer glory is definitely weighing on me. I will forever be grateful for everything the Herb Garden has taught me this year.
Monday, 5/23
This morning in the community gardens was filled with so much planting, it was a really joyful day. We planted tomatoes, fennel, beets, corn, beans, and sunflowers; everyone had their hands in the soil working with the plants, digging holes, and layering compost.
I really enjoyed working in our Three Sisters bed, learning about the relationship between the corn, the beans, and the squash as they grow together. In each dirt mound, we planted four corn plants in the pattern above, and then added two bean plants that will eventually wind up the corn stalks, using the corn as their support system during the growing season. This is such a cool interaction between these two plants, utilizing the space and the structure of one another to provide growing support. I am excited to hopefully see it when I return in the fall!
In the afternoon, Sarah Dyer and I returned to work in the herb garden, and we got a lot of good work done! We pruned back the rose bush at the entrance and tied it up to the arbor, we pruned the yew hedge to better access the first quadrant in the garden, and then we got to work on completely weeding the entire first quadrant. It is so satisfying to have this quadrant completed! The space is looking so wonderful, I have high hopes for finishing my remaining herb garden goals by the end of the quarter.
Looking ahead, I am planning to fully weed and mulch the entire left side of the herb garden, including the inner herb spiral. I also spoke with Sarah Williams, Taste program professor, who informed me that we still have some program budget left over to be used, so I am currently exploring the idea of buying a new plant or two for the garden before I leave. I am considering valerian, an herb of personal interest to me due to its support of sleep and anxiety, but I will take a trip to the Olympia Farmer’s Market and to the Eastside Farm and Garden store to check out what else is available as well. Finally, I am also continuing to work on the updated herb garden map, and will hopefully be able to finish that at some point this weekend or early next week.
My last big step is to get back in touch with the Practice of Organic Farming students currently working with herbs so that we can hopefully create some sort of work plan while I am away for the summer. The last thing I want is for this space to go back to its wild and untamed state like last year, I have put too much work and love into this garden to let that happen again.
Thursday, 5/26
Due to lack of availability, SCARF was unable to have a community baking night on Tuesday like usual, so I was a bit nervous about the number of bakes we would have to sell. However, this week, we had more items than ever before and we made almost double the amount of money from last week. It was super exciting to see our club community come together to individually support SCARF, huge shout out to Sarah, Laura, and Carlos for pitching in some delicious bakes. It was also super exciting to connect with so many community members and students during the sale, we gained two new SCARF members and almost completely sold out of all our goods.