By Kia Brown, Community Garden Manager
As I sit down to write this post, I keep thinking about the cycles that come with gardening. The ebb and flow of planning, planting, tending and harvesting. And just like planting a garden, our work is cyclical- with a constant desire to make next season a better season, to reflect on all that we’ve learned and put that into motion for the next year.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve once again come upon the conclusion of another community garden season. Gardeners and staff have spent the last 6-8 months laughing, learning, and growing together, and now we come to a period of rest and reflection. How did the year how turn out and were expectations met? Exceeded? Was something new tried? What would we try again or change?
In the spirit of reflection, we invited community gardeners to share their thoughts about the year.
“It has been an incredible year gardening with the Nashville Food Project’s Wedgewood urban garden. This is a place where magic happens: delicious food is grown and community is built! I learned so much through digging my hands in the dirt and with the help of guidance from Kia and other veteran gardeners, I was able to successfully grow my own food: tomatoes, radishes, peppers, eggplants, spinach, lettuce, and so much more! I’ve cherished my time spent in this urban oasis and look forward to continuing learning and growing with the skills I’ve gained here. Thank you for providing the ideal environment for our plants and selves to grow!”
“I’m glad that I joined a community garden. I’m glad because I’ve learned so much about gardening and myself since becoming a member. Three years ago I thought that if I planted seeds, then watered and seeded, that my garden would grow. On a basic level that is exactly what happened. When I decided to become invested in the garden (helping other gardeners, trying my best to combat the heat, humidity and garden pests, etc.), I realized that time, care and patience are the real elements to growing a garden and maybe growing up a little.”
We’ve been saving seed this year -- mostly flowers and herbs. There’s so much that goes into making a seed, so much that goes into creating that potential for future life. And as a plant prepares for the end of its journey and carries with it hope for the future, we too are cultivating the seeds of our future and growth.
