When I last spoke of the progress on the farm, the rainy season was in full force and the land was waterlogged. Eager seedlings patiently awaited their turn in the light of the sun, their roots growing rapidly in preparation for the spaciousness of the earth. The volunteers, interns and staff that work the land spent a majority of the time weeding and preparing the beds. At this point I had helped weed, one day a week for four weeks, and drew the correlation to my personal internal garden, to which I am also attending and purging undesirable species. The process may be different, as I cannot actually dig a parasite out of my system, but the content is similar. Leave it alone and it will grow to a point that it negatively impacts the surrounding biota, and potentially the ecosystem as a whole. Too much Morning Glory and Buttercup and they will suffocate and outcompete the rest of the life in the area. A little weeding is in order, and a better time than Spring, I do not know.
Although I have not managed to spend much of my time connecting directly into the proceedings of the farm (since field trips and curriculum work has taken precedence), I have kept an attentive ear to Heather, the farm manager, and her assistance, as they planned, prepared and executed the work. I’ve helped for an hour here and there, and asked questions, and gained insights into the process as a whole, as well as learned new skills specific to irrigation drip systems. I’ve also kept an observant eye on the changes of the fields, as the beds have been mapped out, constructed and fertilized, a temporary green house erected, and hundreds, maybe thousands of baby plants and tubers have made there way into the dirt.
![A bee on a pea plant, searching for an opportunity to pollinate a flower and collect its nectar. GRuB has bee hives on site, which are managed by a volunteer. The bees reliably fertilize our crops, and their honey is collected and used in the kitchen. We owe a great deal of our success to these beautiful resident bees!](http://blogs.evergreen.edu/comalt-spring-sjoukje/files/2017/05/IMG_5149-1024x768.jpg)
An intriguing technique I learned that is practiced at GRuB, and presumably many farms, is the continual planting and growing of seeds throughout the spring and summer. This has been an ongoing part of the weekly happenings of the farm, since they have a late summer and fall CSA program. It makes sense to grow the plants in a cycle, like singing in a round, so they are ready for harvest at repeated intervals over the summer. This allows there to be a consistent presence of some vegetables in the CSA boxes, like brassicas, onions, and garlic. It is brilliant and maybe obvious to some, but it had never occurred to me to do this. Again, I wish to connect this to my personal cultivation process, as we are encouraged to do at GRuB. I realize just now, that this consistency of practice, which reaps the benefit of a ongoing harvest reminds me of the need to continually plant new ideas and practices within myself, to have in my routine perpetual growth and bounty. The work is never truly done, there is always more to learn, to plant, to digest. A beautiful revelation in my path of self exploration and development.
![GRuB Crew members and interns preparing the beds by digging paths in the freshly tilled earth. The strings mark the rows, give everyone a guide as they dig. Next, soil amendments are added to the beds before planting and the laying of the watering systems.](http://blogs.evergreen.edu/comalt-spring-sjoukje/files/2017/05/IMG_5173-e1494900079765-768x1024.jpg)
Lastly, another exciting change of the season has been the reintroduction of the onsite GRuB Market Stand. Once a week, interns, staff and the high school youth come together to harvest from the farm, prepare the bounty and present and sell it to the public. It is a wonderful learning experience for the youth to have the responsibility for marketing and running the stand, as well as an opportunity to take pride in and see the fruits of their labor! I too have had marked improvements in my overall condition. I cannot fully express how empowering it is to see progress made against an unseen force. To know I am improving, rather than living in a constant state of unrest and uncertainty is greatly affirming. That my efforts have born fruit, fuels the continuation of these efforts.
I am pleased with my relationship to the GRuB farm, that I am able to assist as I please, that it welcomes beginners and encourages learning, and that I have been able to use it as a reflective presence during this time. It has strengthened my resolve on my personal journey of growth, and been a teaching platform for field trips and a learning opportunity for hundreds of students, myself included. I am grateful for the reflective relationship I have and am building with farming, for the opportunity to grow food and community in this nourishing environment.
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