It's happening! It's so very true, many hands - no matter their size - do make light work. I'm blown away at how much further ahead my garden is than it was just a few days ago. So many little hands and 5 gallon buckets full created layer upon layer of manure, leaves, compost and so on and so forth. By the end of the day, there was even a little bit of planting with some very dear little girls who were eager to do so, and told me stories all the while - about their own gardens, their school gardens or gardens they've visited. They practiced their newly learned cursive on my garden markers. Oh my heart. Full of gratitude.
I'm asked so often about my favorite gardening books. I have a shelf in our library bursting with gardening books, but there are a few that I reach for over and over again. The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch continues to be my most well-loved and often-referenced encyclopedic source. I finally replaced my water and soil stained and duct taped together copy last year for a new one (soon to be water and soil stained and covered in duct tape in a year or two, I predict). Another beautiful source is Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway which is a really great and accessible introduction to the idea of working with nature instead of trying to fight it in the garden. And covering the area of growing and using herbs, I love Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide (as well as anything by Deb Soule, both such inspiring women!). And for the littles, one can't forget Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy (which has me considering another sunflower house this year!). There are so many more to mention, but those are a few of my favorites. And you? Do you have a favorite gardening book that you call upon often?
Thanks to all of you who have reached out with interest in the garden series once again this summer - I'm so eager to get that started and will be in touch soon. And if you missed that first mention, do drop me a line if you are willing and interested in sharing your garden in this space with us this summer!
Happy Gardening, Friends!
