-submitted by Catherine Hammond
The great thing about gardening is that you always have a chance to correct earlier mistakes. Each season is another chance to do it right. And there’s plenty of people around to help us out if we ask. It actually took me three years to get the hang of it; to allow the whole experience to seep into my bones.
Gradually, I began to realize that the turning over the clay soil, feeding it amendments, waiting for the cold and rain and then the heat and sun to have their effect on the earth and plants, was opening my awareness to the eternal turning of the seasons. This process was reconnecting me to the great repetitive cycles of time and nature. But most importantly, it was reconnecting me to the vast web of life of plants and animals and to our human belonging within it.
Gardening can bring us home to this earth where we belong…
The first year was particularly rough; I lost half of my veggie and flower plantings from improper water and heat balance. But, what seems to do best here are squashes, salvias, day lillies, tomatoes, sunflowers and herbs. Lots of herbs.
And, I learned to keep the so-called weeds that volunteered here; medicinal calendula, plantain, California poppy, and of course, dandelion. During the backbreaking work of pulling out half an acre of 3 - 4 foot high weeds, I decided to create a medicine wheel; To pray over this depleted and neglected patch of dirt until it came alive again. It only took 30 days…
Well, a medicine wheel needs medicine, so the idea of teaching the process of basic herbal gardening came forth. I asked my wonderful herbal teacher, Donna d’Terra from Willits to give the class on my land. But, she didn’t have time as she is starting her yearly women’s herbal apprenticeship program… So, she encouraged me, even as a beginner, to give the class myself. So, I am and it feels great.
We’ll have handouts and we will talk about each of ten healing hers. Then, after lunch, we will plant all the seedlings I’ve started into the medicine wheel after praying over them to send them into the earth and light. And finally, each participant will have a plant to take home and a lot of basic information to start your own medicine garden.
The dates for the all day classes in the medicine wheel are Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, June 12, 2011.
The class is by donation this first time and bring a notebook, a lunch to share, and wear loose clothing and bring a sun hat. We’ll have fun! My phone is 707-994-2872 in the mornings, for directions to my house. Thank you to TLC for giving us a chance to express our skills and learning…
The great thing about gardening is that you always have a chance to correct earlier mistakes. Each season is another chance to do it right. And there’s plenty of people around to help us out if we ask. It actually took me three years to get the hang of it; to allow the whole experience to seep into my bones.
Gradually, I began to realize that the turning over the clay soil, feeding it amendments, waiting for the cold and rain and then the heat and sun to have their effect on the earth and plants, was opening my awareness to the eternal turning of the seasons. This process was reconnecting me to the great repetitive cycles of time and nature. But most importantly, it was reconnecting me to the vast web of life of plants and animals and to our human belonging within it.
Gardening can bring us home to this earth where we belong…
The first year was particularly rough; I lost half of my veggie and flower plantings from improper water and heat balance. But, what seems to do best here are squashes, salvias, day lillies, tomatoes, sunflowers and herbs. Lots of herbs.
And, I learned to keep the so-called weeds that volunteered here; medicinal calendula, plantain, California poppy, and of course, dandelion. During the backbreaking work of pulling out half an acre of 3 - 4 foot high weeds, I decided to create a medicine wheel; To pray over this depleted and neglected patch of dirt until it came alive again. It only took 30 days…
Well, a medicine wheel needs medicine, so the idea of teaching the process of basic herbal gardening came forth. I asked my wonderful herbal teacher, Donna d’Terra from Willits to give the class on my land. But, she didn’t have time as she is starting her yearly women’s herbal apprenticeship program… So, she encouraged me, even as a beginner, to give the class myself. So, I am and it feels great.
We’ll have handouts and we will talk about each of ten healing hers. Then, after lunch, we will plant all the seedlings I’ve started into the medicine wheel after praying over them to send them into the earth and light. And finally, each participant will have a plant to take home and a lot of basic information to start your own medicine garden.
The dates for the all day classes in the medicine wheel are Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, June 12, 2011.
The class is by donation this first time and bring a notebook, a lunch to share, and wear loose clothing and bring a sun hat. We’ll have fun! My phone is 707-994-2872 in the mornings, for directions to my house. Thank you to TLC for giving us a chance to express our skills and learning…
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