A Reflective Walk in the Garden
December 1, 2009
Greetings to all of you,
As I write this, I am anticipating Christmas and New Year’s, as well as Hanukkah, Al Hijra (Islamic New Year’s Day), Winter solstice, Kwanzaa (African American Cultural Celebration), Human Rights Day, Forefathers Day, and many more. As I walk in our gardens I recall all the significant moments of the past year while I simultaneously envision the hopeful future. Walk with me for a moment to give thanks and learn together how to approach the coming seasons.
I see the fruit trees go dormant with their changes of colored and frost-burned leaves. We planted dozens of pomegranate, fig, Asian pear, quince, apricot, apple, pear, persimmon, almond, nectarine, paw-paw, peach, plum, Chinese jujube, grapefruit, olive, and others. Some are set up with grey water/rainwater harvesting techniques and are thriving in their new environment. Others are planted to also create shade and windbreaks. In a few years they will all produce. We are planning to plant hundreds more using permaculture designs as part of a food forest.. I encourage you to plant many fruit trees which are so essential to sustainable living.
We gave workshops to the University of Arizona School of Anthropology in partnership with The President’s Good Neighbor Environmental Board, Cochise College Sustainability course, UA Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, and others. Through power point presentations, touring, hands on gardening and building, we showed them how we have developed our eco-village, particularly in relationship to the gardens, food production, and water conservation practices. We are planning to work in alliance with many other schools and organizations to improve and develop all of our towns and neighborhoods. Think about how you can develop some of these techniques in your garden.
I touch the soil and reflect how it responds to loving care. We have applied our own compost, Effective Micro-organisms (EM), woodchips, straw, and other mulches. We used both heavy cultivation and tilling as well as no-till methods and cover cropping. The life force has increased all around and one can feel and touch it. We are planning to intensify our experiences and techniques, and experiment with new ones as well. Beneficial weeds are increasingly becoming a part of the landscape. As the soil improves less land is needed to produce the same harvest. Give your soil the best attention this coming year and the benefits are manifold.
I am harvesting some of the greens and am pleased with the taste—so fresh and power-packed with vitamins and minerals. We have been selecting many seeds in order to test which varieties can adapt to our specific desert climate; and from these saved seeds, we will continue to observe and select. There are thousands of varieties, and by planting and saving seeds, we are ensuring their survival for future generations. One project undertaken was to renew our seed stock of native/indigenous plants. We were blessed with an abundant harvest of Hopi multicolored corn, Hopi lima beans, Mayo Kama/Sonoran segualca winter squash, Tohono O’odham watermelons, sunflower roots (Jerusalem artichokes), amaranths, chiltepin and other hot peppers, and many others. Your closest resource of indigenous seeds is Native Seeds/SEARCH. Get their catalog, choose some seeds for planting, and then experience their great flavors and beauty. They have facilities in Patagonia and a store in Tucson.
Our vegetable harvest was very good, increasing our acreage and developing different techniques to overcome Bermuda grass, insect infestation (grasshoppers), and drought. We expanded our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program into Tucson and Patagonia. For twenty weeks we participated in the Santa Cruz River Farmer’s Market (sponsored by the Community Food Bank) in Tucson. Talking to our CSA members and customers on a weekly basis was a very rewarding experience. We were certified to accept many vouchers for those in financially difficult times: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Woman-Infant-Children (WIC), Senior Assistance, and CashValueVouchers. We also participated in and built many more alliances at the Local and Heritage Foods Market at the Tucson Meet Yourself festival, a pilot Farmer’s Market in Nogales, and the Sabores Sin Fronteras workshops. We have started a Farm Stand at the Tubac Plaza every Saturday from 11am-1pm and hope to keep it going year round. We hope to encourage more individuals and groups to start a garden so more of the freshest food is available in our beloved Santa Cruz River Valley. Plant more than you need and share your abundance with those who need and enjoy it.
We visited many other gardens, farms, nurseries, research facilities, greenhouses, and even aquaculture farms. This brought up many ideas on how we can improve our greenhouses and maybe even develop our own fishponds.
Our non-profit Personality Integration Rehabilitation Program for Teens and young Adults was able to assist many souls find new purpose and hope. Your many contributions—financial and material donations as well as buying our vegetables—made this possible and all participants thank you.
As you can see we were blessed this year, and I hope I was able to share some of our excitement and experiences so you in turn can begin or continue to practice sustainable ways of living. Check out our website at www.avalongardens.org or call (520) 603-9932 to arrange a visit with us.
Thank you again for making this year very special. All of us at Avalon Gardens are very grateful to have you as our neighbors and friends. If you have any new ideas, would like to participate, volunteer your time, or form alliances, send us an email at csa@avalongardens.org or write to Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm and Ranch, P.O. Box 4910, Tubac, AZ 85646.
Have many blessed Holy-Days and an inspiring New Year to come, Tarenta Baldeschi
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