"Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow,
All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground."
David Mallett
This year, we have increased our garden space hugely, and I mean HUGELY! We've disked up some ground in front of our old finishing building, and tilled up yet again the space that was Gordon's grandmother's and mother's garden.
When these strong German women gardened, the rows were straight and long, and the harvest bountiful. Every edible product of the garden was carefully sealed in jars and processed, feeding family and friends throughout the winter months. The floor-to-ceiling rows of shelves in our basement "vegetable room" are proof of this!
In my time on this land, this productive space has survived several experimental gardening enterprises - ranging from a weed extravaganza, to wildflowers, to a spiral labyrinth planted with giant sunflowers. These experiments were fun to play with (with the notable exception of keeping the sunflower labyrinth weed-free), but did not always honor the intent or story of this old garden.
What I am finding this season is an enhanced appreciation of this land, and the potential for body and soul nourishment that lies within it. I need the sweetness of this rich soil to be a part of the food that fuels my body, and the healing balm of time spent in the garden to fill my soul and connect me to women through millenia who have fed themselves and others from the land. I also want to consciously share the goodness of this land, and all it produces.
My hunch is that many of you are also gardening in a more 
deliberate fashion this season. What are the hopes and dreams of your garden? What stories of gardening rest in your heart? Respond with a comment and let us know!
---mary
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