Thanksgiving to Genevieve`s Father
Today we mulched our new rhubarb patch.
Our 1st rhubarb patch was in the north end of Hamilton – we are moving away from it because Backyard Harvest is now so blessed with people close by providing us with gardening space that we can stop working the more distant plots that we were never able to weed as well because of the unfortunate out of sight out of mind phenomenon.
That first patch was at the home of woman who grew up on a fruit farm and was always advising us on how best to care for the fruit plants. “More mulch“ she kept saying about the raspberries and rhubarb. And the plants grew huge and spectacular. Her teaching and love for fruit come largely from her father of whom she speaks often. So as I heavily mulch the rhubarb, feeling gratitude that this one garden will not need weeding again in a week`s time, I am grateful to Genevieve and her father.
My entry into growing veggies was through organic farming – 20 acres of veggies, certified organic, $5 a small bale always made mulching seem to expensive. One of the great joys of urban farming is the small scale, being able to do a good job with all the crops because we don`t have too much (or maybe it is because we have all the great urban volunteers that help it not be too much).
Happy summer solstice to all the fathers out there and all of you who have a father. Thanks beyond words to all the plant workers who have gone before us, learning best practices for our plant friends and passing that love and those teachings along. Deepest thanks to grandfather sun for helping everything to grow so well. And grandmother rain, sacred nourishing water, gratitude to you just as much.