Let The Games Begin

I think it is safe to say that the farming season has arrived in Pemberton in full force, and it felt like it happened fast this year. While I know there was a period of change over, a period of slow ramping up, I still feel like I blinked and then it was summer.

This last week marks my first week back working at Rootdown full time, which I suppose makes the change feel especially defined. I know that things were already well under way for small veggie farmers in the valley, and while before this week I had been seeding my herbs for Wild Health Herbals, and wondering anxiously if any of these minuscule seeds would actually indeed germinate (turns out many medicinal herbs have unusual germination requirements, incredibly small seeds, and/or slow or low germination rates); this past week was chock full of a myriad of tasks that reminded me strongly, once again, why it is that I love farming the way that I do.

Medicinal white sage beginning its slow germination. There has been up to a 6 week lag time in germination between these seeds so far!

Lemon balm and spearmint seeded and on the heat table at Rootdown. While they have begun germinating here, you can’t see them, as both these plants start out as the smallest seedlings imaginable.

The farm work this week past included transplanting like crazy (the fields were ready, and many transplants eager to get in the ground), weeding, seeding, flame weeding, prepping more beds for future plantings of veggies, and other general farm busy-ness. I enjoy the work immensely, and am so happy to be back spending my days outside, having my mind and muscles engaged in the good work of growing nourishing food for people. I was also, however, reminded of the pure joy that it is to work alongside Rootdown co-owners, Simone and Sarah. They are simply great people to work for and with, as well as people I genuinely enjoy spending time around. And for that – for the trust, the guidance, the camaraderie, and the engaging conversation that takes place in the fields – I am so grateful.

And so the days are hot, the veggies and herbs are growing (those finicky seeds that gave me cause to fret earlier in the spring are all showing decent germination after all), Wild Health Herbals is in the process of getting a more official logo (more on that later), and another farming season is well under way.

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