Day 8, 9

• Wet feet are better than soggy sneakers. I learned very quickly that sometimes a hose leaks or a puddle seems to appear out of thin air and your shoes get wet, so I have opted for sandals. Most days, I wear my chacos in the garden, although it is at my own risk and is usually not recommended. Good work boots are your best bet, however they are hot and heavy so I avoid them at all costs. When it is cooler or I feel more comfortable in closed-toed shoes, I've designated an old pair of running shoes to play in the mud with. 
• Sugar snow peas are my favorite veggie to harvest. 
• Though it's past Memorial Day, I do not advise one to wear white to the garden. It will leave smeared with orange and red soil, dirty yet beautiful. 
• I find weeding extremely enjoyable. Some of the best conversations I've had (about rabbits, Christianity, and coal) have happened while tediously picking at a bed. 
• Three fourths of an acre is a lot more work than I could have ever imagined. 
• Before I started at TLA, I never paid any attention to how often it rains / how much, but the garden has thrived during these two damp days and that is really cool to see (especially the broccoli heads and sprouting squash we direct seeded last week)
• I'm having a really great time. 

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Day 6, 7

This morning we began a routine morning reflection. Every day, one of us is expected to share a quote, a poem, do yoga, or really anything we would like to act as a preface to the day. If it is a poem or quote, etc. we can talk through it, go off on tangents... in simple terms, reflect. (Imagine that, reflect at a morning reflection?) Today Susan shared a quote from The Little Prince. I've never read this book, but after looking up some more quotes, I've added it to my to-read list.

“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”

One can obviously see how it relates to working and teaching in the garden, and I find it to be very much the truth. If this internship was just another job, I can honestly say I wouldn't last a week. It's hard, physical labor outside which is not something I entirely enjoy. However, the knowledge I'm gaining from conversation and the internal growth that is happening makes it all worth it. It's very rewarding to harvest food and give it away (it's one reason the Share Market is my favorite). I get to see the food go someplace good and watch others appreciate what we are growing. Or the Welcome table, where the produce we nurtured is made into something truly delicious and everyone enjoys eating it! There is a passion needed to farm, and without it, I don't think I'd be here. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes, it's better to share your love and passion for something, so others can be moved to do as you do, than it is to assign tasks to make it happen.

Friday, we harvested two kinds of lettuce and a few other veggies to give to the G.O. kitchen. We took advantage of the beautiful overcast morning and did some work in the hoop house. We weeded and amended the beds, in which tomatoes and ginger were planted this morning. I spent much of morning watering corn, while more okra and corn were planted. Today, squash, lettuce, kale, and onions were watered, sweet snow peas were harvested, and the rest of the tomato beds were mulched.

Day 4, 5

Wednesday night was volunteer night! We encourage the public to come help up prepare beds, plant, and sometimes harvest. The turn-out was smaller than I expected, but then again I had no idea what to expect. We had lots of help no less! Sugar snap-peas were harvested, beds were dug and fertilized with composted manure, and the educational garden received some love as well.

Working at night was a different experience. The weather was much hotter, muggier, and the mosquitoes were out. It's fair to say I'd rather wake up early and work at 7 a.m. than 7 p.m. hehe. The executive director, Susan, says everyone is hungry for something and I love that. On Wednesday night, you could see it. Conversations flourished and it was awesome. There were some great people there! If you are ever in the area, drop by Joe Jenkins Road on Wednesday nights from 6-8p.m. and give us a hand.

Today was much like last Thursday, however, we had many more hands to help. We harvested lettuce, spinach, kale, rhubarb, and herbs. We washed and bundled and loaded the truck full of the free food and made our way to the Share Market and Welcome Table. A cook at the kitchen and garden volunteer donated a book called Carrots Love Tomatoes. It's all about plant companionship and using it in our best interests to keep the soil fertile and pest-free. I started grazing through it while at the market and have already learned a number of things (1. potato bugs don't like horseradish, 2. cabbageworms don't like thyme, and almonds are in the rose family— who knew!)

Almost done with the first full week of internship, maybe tomorrow I'll be ready to reflect.

Day 1, 2, 3

Last week I arrived at The Lord's Acre not knowing left from right (that hasn't changed) but I couldn't tell you how potatoes grow or how to harvest radishes, either and now I can, in addition to kale, spinach, lettuce and peas. Thursday, we planted tomatoes and on Friday, it was eggplant and watermelon. In most cases, the beds were proactively prepared, but when it was time to plant to melons, I learned to hoe, measure, and seed the bed.

Today, I met three other interns. We will all be working side by side at the garden this summer, and all come from different walks of life: UNC... Agriculture... Asheville... Divinity... City planning... Chapel Hill... Environmental Studies... New Jersey... Florida...Wake Forest and WPCC. More on that later.

Most of the morning was spent weeding cover crop, picking peas, and folding the Agribon row cover. Later, we took a field trip to Flying Cloud Farm, picked up donated plants, met the interns, and made our way back up the road. The day ended with talk of expectations, plans, and any questions.

I'll get better at the reflection part as the summer continues, but for now, that is all. 

12 Week Committment

Welcome to my intern blog— a space where I can share my toils and triumphs in the fields of The Lord's Acre. TLA is a non-profit garden on 3/4s of an acre in rural Fairview, NC. I will be working four days a week harvesting, planting, and collaborating with volunteers and other interns to distribute the tons of food to the surrounding community.

I have very little garden experience, limited to a day planting and mulching at a local community garden in Wilmington, NC. However, my love and appreciation for food security and education began several years ago when I worked at a kids' art camp at Vance Elementary. There, a school garden offers fresh produce and a place for curiosity to flourish. Watching the kids' eyes sparkle as they picked blueberries or found a green pepper ready for picking was so inspiring.

And so, I'm back in the garden two years later; a much larger garden, for a much longer period of time, but still doing the same: learning, growing, and sharing. Stay tuned.