I’m making great progress on my backyard garden! I won’t be able to finish it before this class ends, but I’ll try to post an update later this summer. We chose a mix of native plants, flowers, herbs, and vegetables (most non-native, unfortunately — did you know tomatoes are not native to North America?) and started seeds indoors. Here’s what we chose:
- Raspberry
- Sasparilla
- Mint
- Strawberry
- Columbine
- Blueberry
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
- Beebalm
- Honeysuckle
The garden itself has been slow but steady progress. We had to dig up the primitive garden we had already (which admittedly wasn’t much) and buy new fencing materials. We also purchased greenhouse gravel to put down between rows to prevent weeds from taking over the established plants. I know some weeds are pollinators and can be beneficial, but I don’t want them to take all the nutrients from the plants! We will have a planter box for flowers that the weeds are welcome to inhabit.
The ground should be ready for planting Mother’s Day weekend, so we’ll spend the next couple of weeks finishing the perimeter, filling the planter box, and putting down gravel between the rows. This past weekend, I repotted some of the bigger seedlings so they wouldn’t get root-rot. My kids helped me shovel soil into the pots and we talked about how each plant helped the environment. They’re excited to help us plant when the ground is ready. Eventually, when the plants fill in, they’ll be a source of food and clean air for all living species in and near our backyard. In this small way, we’ll give back to our ecosystem and support biodiversity, a key ecofeminist principle.
It has been a joy learning alongside you all. I am enlightened and excited to have a new perspective on environmental and feminist issues. Thank you to all my classmates for your thoughts and engagement over the past three months. Enjoy summer!