Why is it important to be good soil? (and don't forget to wash your your soiled hands before you enter the library)
We have a library garden. As a master gardener who got her training from Oklahoma, I am accustomed to red clay and extreme temperatures. My current experience in the Piedmont of North Carolina has taught me that nothing I know can be trusted. Even though the Carolina clay is much like our Okie clay, the climate is much milder, wetter, and different things grow better and longer. I have gardened in the Kalahari desert, both with school kids and for myself, and that was kind of easy: sand instead of clay. Water conservation, keeping the water in, instead of busting up the surface, providing drainage: opposite gardening. I have hijacked the landscaping (complete with a foot of topsoil) and planted cilantro, tomatoes, mustard greens, basil, green peppers, peas, radishes, gourds, and cucumbers. Oh yes, and loofah.
A great piece of conversation this summer and fall with my patrons has been the loofah. Our neighbor donated two loofah sprouts to us, and I chose a spot which I thought would be plenty big. This thing started climbing up the library walls! And it's in the gutters! And the loofah prize that finally emerged is bigger than my forearm. All this would have never happened in my garden at home, which is primarily Carolina clay amended just barely with some homemade compost. Good soil is paramount for a healthy, thriving, useful garden.
I was recently asked by a dear friend, "Why is it important for you to be good soil?" After we had a discussion about the meaning of life, our purpose within, fulfilling divine will or perhaps our destiny, I realized it was going to be important for me to think about this and answer the question for myself. As someone who serves the public in her profession, both with a tangible garden and with a set of emotional skills, it is important to be a good steward of resources, and to show respect for constituencies. "I think one of our greatest resources in a library are the librarians. They’re able to help people track things down and make connections, and really bring the skills of a community together in one place." Jessica Reeder, 2011. And an experienced gardener knows that healthy, aerated soil is paramount for any successful growing, and good soil produces good fruit. We all like that, right? I want to know the fruits of my labor are not rotten or falling off the vine before they get a chance to ripen, to nourish and be enjoyed. Just don't forget to wash your hands when you're finished for the day, no matter if you're tending the garden or the public.
A great piece of conversation this summer and fall with my patrons has been the loofah. Our neighbor donated two loofah sprouts to us, and I chose a spot which I thought would be plenty big. This thing started climbing up the library walls! And it's in the gutters! And the loofah prize that finally emerged is bigger than my forearm. All this would have never happened in my garden at home, which is primarily Carolina clay amended just barely with some homemade compost. Good soil is paramount for a healthy, thriving, useful garden.
I was recently asked by a dear friend, "Why is it important for you to be good soil?" After we had a discussion about the meaning of life, our purpose within, fulfilling divine will or perhaps our destiny, I realized it was going to be important for me to think about this and answer the question for myself. As someone who serves the public in her profession, both with a tangible garden and with a set of emotional skills, it is important to be a good steward of resources, and to show respect for constituencies. "I think one of our greatest resources in a library are the librarians. They’re able to help people track things down and make connections, and really bring the skills of a community together in one place." Jessica Reeder, 2011. And an experienced gardener knows that healthy, aerated soil is paramount for any successful growing, and good soil produces good fruit. We all like that, right? I want to know the fruits of my labor are not rotten or falling off the vine before they get a chance to ripen, to nourish and be enjoyed. Just don't forget to wash your hands when you're finished for the day, no matter if you're tending the garden or the public.
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