18th and Rhode Island Permaculture Garden

We had a small group for the youth workday the other day, so Burton, Brenaja, and I left the Mission to check out the 18th and Rhode Island Permaculture garden. We met up with our good friend, Tree, of the Free Farmstand, and set to work, starting seeds, especially leafy greens, and harvesting potato towers.

This was a great task for us because we had just started potato towers at the Mission High School garden and I think doing the harvest was helpful to understand the process of the planting (although I admittedly have had much more success growing potatoes in the ground than in towers. But in tight city quarters, towers are a really good alternative to the ground space potatoes take up).

We also got to partake in the shared lunch that Tree had made for all the garden volunteers, which I think is a really lovely experience in and of itself, and one that we have been thinking about and experiencing in different capacities in the different gardening, gleaning and food dispersal that the youth program has been doing so far this summer. Sometimes it's sharing groceries, or produce, and sometimes it's sharing warm and delicious mung dal and rice with the people you've spent all morning working together with, sweating and getting your hands dirty. All are a little different but all are quite beautiful ways to share and be united over the simple, fundamental need for food.

All of these great photos are courtesy of our good friend and lovely lady of the Free Farmstand, Cristina Ibarra.