While it may be the muddiest time of year, it is also one of my favorites. There are 2717 reasons to love spring. The bird’s early morning song, the green stalks of tulips and daffodils that break through the brown earth, the wood near the glen, the beautiful cherry and apple tree blossoms, and how the wind moves from biting cold to something soft and warm. Spring feels like a collective sigh after holding its breath all winter. It is a reminder that we can endure hard seasons together as a community.
Spring also means preparing to get our hands in the dirt, sprinkle seeds and plant seedlings. We get to experience birth and growth again and be intimate partners in making that happen.
When looking at community gardens after a long winter, we realize how much is out of our control. The plans we want to make, the schedule we want to keep, and the new ideas we want to bring to life. Garden life should never be in competition or at odds with the community, rather strive to bring it into harmony with community life.
This will look like garden dinners, dance parties, poetry readings, drinks by the bonfire, herb lessons, apple picking and concerts. The game is afoot so get on board and join “The Story Garden” group on Facebook.
Beyond the gardens, the gathering schedule is a bit of botanical studies and looking towards the stories the plants in the garden can tell us. Apple blossoms in spring speak of preference. Basil gives us good wishes while black-eyed Susans stand for Justice. We planted borage for medicine, yet it tells a story of bluntness and directness. The clematis, the birds’ plant in the garden, give us the gift of mental beauty.
Our community gardens give us layers of stories and new understandings about our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the earth. We hope you will join us in the story of the community garden on corner of 35th and Humboldt this summer. It is the fabric that weaves us together and gives us the opportunity to be strength for one another.
If you would like to know more about The Story Garden, contact the garden steward, Danielle at danielle.tietjen@gmail.com.