By Adam Kramer
Published in March 2018
“The world of plants is vital, vigorous, and self-starting. Drop a seed in the ground and it wants to grow. The common wisdom possessed by successful farmers is that they understand how to help the seed do what it is already determined to do.”
– Eliot Coleman, The New Organic Grower
Turning the compost pile, planting seedlings, watering on a summer evening, sitting in comfy chair reading a new gardening book. Everything a grower does echoes back to these wise words from Eliot Coleman. Successful growing, whether in your yard or on 100 acres, is about being an ally of the natural biological processes at work. As Mr. Coleman would tell you, it goes well beyond the seed and involves ecosystems that are miraculous in their complexity and vivacity.
Striving to understand how these natural systems function and adopting practices that work with them, as opposed to against them, is important work for all growers. Even “expert” gardeners will tell you there is always more to learn!
Winter, when our work has less urgency, is a wonderful time for learning and planning. Figuring out ways to simplify and improve our growing practices is an ongoing pursuit and during these quieter months has the effect of reinvigorating our passion for the craft of growing local food. Now, as we head into spring and our work ramps up, we are excited to put into practice all that we have learned. Come visit us in the gardens this season and we’ll show you!
