Bare root strawberries waiting to be planted.
We did it! Yesterday, almost all of the 80,000 bare root strawberry plants got planted by late afternoon, beating the arrival of this week’s anticipated rainstorms. All of us felt a sense of relief and well deserved accomplishment now that next season’s strawberry crop is safely planted.
After 20 years of farming, I still get nervous trying to time crop plantings in such a way as to achieve the best set of growing conditions while juggling the demands of so many other farm activities and priorities going on at the same time. This is especially true right now as many preparations are underway with the seasonal transition and the weather becoming more unpredictable.
The challenge of growing food is to continuously improve one’s ability to listen to nature – respecting rather than exploiting the land we farm. We get all caught up in buying and selling things we consider our property, and thinking that ownership is progress and economic growth is the ultimate indicator of well being. In truth we don’t own any of it; we are just guests on this beautiful planet and the crops we grow are but a gift for us to enjoy. It would seem less stressful at times to view ourselves as the ones who belong to the land, instead of living under the false impression that the land belongs to us.
Newly planted strawberries for next Season’s harvest.
As we pause to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, I like to believe that the meals we prepare are more than just food but reflect the common thread that links us together as a community.
The Live Earth Farm team has worked tirelessly to care for and nurture this land, and I am filled with thankfulness for all who contributed to making this another successful season.
We are grateful for your commitment to this farm, and invite you to continue celebrating with us the journey of Live Earth Farm as we start our 20th Growing Season in 2015. Happy Thanksgiving!
