November

I'm back. It's been a couple of crazy weeks, busy-busy but nothing much new.

Here's what happened: it frosted. I came back from a brief trip to Seattle to find the dahlia patches severely damaged; yet we still had to provide florists with special orders! It was depressing and frustrating trying to hunt for good stems amidst frost-bitten blooms. At the same time I think that the death and decay showed a different, bitter beauty. Even the dying plants give off a sweet, earthy aroma. Nature and its processes are so strong and overwhelming in the country. I feel the earth falling asleep; at the same time it is brilliantly ancient and enduring ... like the cold clear night sky.

Almost the only fresh flowers are the ones that are protected under hoop houses. We are narrowing down to a lot of autumn/wintery plants. Berries, willow, mums, peppers, kale, grasses. Lots of dryable plants. We've begun making these beautiful wreaths. We are selling a lot of pumpkin bouquets, too.

After Sunday's market, we have completely changed pace. End of season tasks are cropping up. Today we dug dahlia tubers to be cleaned and stored. This is a more labor-intensive method of propagating dahlias (they can also be propagated as cuttings). At the end of the day we harvested the rest of the pumpkins. I will try to take pictures of the pumpkins because there are many varieties and they are very beautiful!

Last night I went to the All Saints Vigil at the priory in the Dominican House of Studies across from CUA. It was beautiful. They did readings from the lives of saints, interspersed with chanting, and closed with a meditative litany of saints while we made a contemplative procession through the halls. I met a girl there who lives in Warrenton (the town near Jeffersonton), she graduated from Franciscan a year ago and is really neat. Very excited to make a friend. She's thinking about moving to D.C., like me.

I got a used SLR on ebay and am slowly learning how to use it. So, photos are here at last!

If you believe you'll come to know Love's power.

Keep us in the harbor of your peace.

Morning Verse

I look into the world
Wherein there shines the sun
Wherein there gleam the stars
Wherein there lie the stones
Where living plants are growing
Where sentient beasts are living
Where man to Spirit gives
A dwelling in the soul
I look into the soul
That living dwells in me
God's Spirit lives and weaves
In light of sun and soul
In heights of world without
In depths of soul within
To thee, O Spirit of God
I will now turn my heart
To seek that strength and grace
For learning and for work
In me may live and grow.
-Rudolf Steiner

This verse is recited each morning in Waldorf classrooms grades 5-12. Hence, it was a daily recitation for me for 7 years! Now it has been popping up in my head during the day. It must be the sun shining, plants growing, and Spirit weaving.


P.S. Thank you all for your comments! I love them! It makes me so happy to know that I am connecting with you, and that you are finding these entries interesting.

You've Gotta Read This

Grafting is a method of asexual plant propagation widely used in agriculture and horticulture where the tissues of one plant are encouraged to fuse with those of another. It is most commonly used for the propagation of trees and shrubs grown commercially. -Wikipedia

OKAY. So I should really just refer you to a primary source. Instead I cite Wikipedia and rave about the exciting parts that I remember, so that you can get a taste of this PHENOMENON of propagation.

This is how it was explained to me today as I was cutting zinnias with a friend: Grafting is when you have a 3 or 4 year old root structure in the ground, and a 1 or 2 year old scion (stems/leaves/flowers) and cut them to fit perfectly together, and bind them together, and THEY BECOME ONE! Each plant is wounded and vulnerable, but if done right, the wound heals and a symbiotic relationship is formed. (See the V shaped wound in the picture.) The fact that it's possible just knocks my socks off. It occurs in nature, too. Why would one do this? For example: grapes. You want a Chardonnay grape that needs well-draining soil, but you live in Piedmont Virginia which is mostly slow-draining clay. So you grow a different grape that grows well in Virginia, a Cabernet Franc or something (I don't know if that's right, but pretend). You can use this rootstock as a base for the desired grape, the Chardonnay. WOW. They become one plant. The concept is so beautiful to me, and it blows my mind.


So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out. There's so much left to know and I'm on the road to find out. (Well in the end I'll know, but on the way I wonder.) Cat Stevens

This Old House

The other evening, Bob (Bob Wollam, the farmer) was telling me about the farmhouse we are living in. It was built in 1780. That's right! Have you ever lived in a house that old? When he took it over there were no bathrooms or heating in the house. (As it stands now, the only heating is a gas fireplace in the living room.) It is a beautiful house, inside and out: wood floors, solid doors in slightly off-set frames, unusually cut angles and formatting you just don't see anymore. It feels old, and I like that. In fact, I have sort of a ghost story....

October 1 was an extremely gusty night, the first winds of Fall. I awoke that night because I thought I felt a cat on my bed. There was no cat, but when I looked to the bedroom door I could have sworn I saw the silouhette of a person exiting the room and closing the door. I was so sure of what I'd seen that I went out on the staircase landing and called "Who's there", trying to sound confident so they would know that I saw them, and reveal themself. No one was there. No one! My roommate sat up and said she had been hearing sounds for a couple hours. It was so creepy; it was the most I have ever feared or believed in ghosts. I prayed, gathered the Holy Spirit, my guardian angle, and St Michael, and fell back asleep. If it weren't that the wind was blowing so hard, I would have been hard pressed to convince myself that nothing paranormal had occurred.

***

"Do not be afraid to allow yourself to be personally and profoundly known, so that the love within you that you receive from God, may be known in you and experienced through you."

Fall Turkey Shoot

Every town needs a community center, I suppose.

Not five minutes' walk around the corner is Jeffersonton's own, combined with the smallest Post Office you ever did see. When the winds start to change and evenings become crisp, you may one evening come to hear frequent consecutive gunshots over yonder. It's the annual Turkey Shoot. And no, they're not shooting turkeys.

Old timers in flannel shirts grab their guns, young men in Levi's grab their guns (and their girlfriends), and shoot at paper targets to compete for prizes such as a huge ham hock or a football-shaped container of cheese and salami. (Traditionally, the prize was a frozen turkey...hence "Turkey Shoot", but that doesn't seem to matter anymore.)

Last night we wandered over with hot mugs of tea (and wine) to experience a bit of the local culture. The lane was so dark on the way over, that the brightest thing was the sky painted with stars.

Today we're looking at a full day of cutting and bouquet-making; sunny with a high of 72. It feels good to see Fall finally on its way to the Virginia countryside!

Good Soil Is Like A Kitchen

...You can make the most amazing anything!

So an internship is meant to be an educational experience. Since I've been working here it has been heavy on the labor and a little light on the education. But today...

We visited a real organic produce farm some 45 minutes away called Tree and Leaf. The farmer, Zack Lester, sells at a couple of the markets we attend so I've seen him around and trade with him regularly (flowers for food: it's the best!) Through a steady afternoon drizzle, he gave us a thorough tour of his greenhouses and veggie crops. He is a soil genius. I never realized how important and complicated soil balance is. It may seem like a no-brainer, but there are concrete chemical reasons for the appearance and texture of soil. This year is his first year on this land, and he is loving the soil with all of his might. Basically, soil needs an intricate balance of compounds in order to yield healthy, nutrient-rich plants. Growing the same crop year after year, eking out every last bit of a particular resource, will leave soil depleted. It then needs to be nurtured back to a rich balance by introducing purified mineral elements and by planting crops that are complementary to the previous crops. For example, he said that a row of lettuce should not be covered by another shift of lettuce or leafy crop, but perhaps a seed-heavy plant like beans. In some wondrous way I'm only beginning to grasp, strategizing upon the diverse four-fold rhythm of plant growth can renew soil. Wikipedia: on cover cropping.

Zack took a brief digression on the negative repercussions of Roundup, a heavy herbicide used to control weeds in commercial growing (and, in fact, in small doses at Wollam Gardens). On the issue of soil: Roundup used in large commercial quantities, with crops that are "Roundup ready" (genetically modified to withstand the herbicide) yields soil that is stripped and poisoned. And I think this just scratches the surface of the problem.

And now for a soapbox session. I have been quick to condemn non-organic methods, but I have never taken the time to research the facts about their long term negative effects. Now I am only beginning. The issue is deeper and more important than we think, when we stand in the grocery store and try to manage the $2 different between an organic tomato and a conventionally grown tomato, or even a non-food plant like a sunflower. It's deeper than preference or fad. Nourishment of the earth, our food, and our bodies is a virtue we need to promote and defend. End of soapbox. Thank you, Tree and Leaf Farm!

Love (and nutrient-rich food) to all!

The Beginning (Week 6)

Almost everyday, some flower, bug or remarkable moment stirs my desire to document my experience on this flower farm. I have been working as an intern at Wollam Gardens for almost six weeks, with four weeks remaining. I am learning a lot, from propagation (the fancy term for reproducing plants) to extending flowers' vase life. I would like this blog to serve two purposes: a) to share some secrets and practical advice, and hopefully inspire people to grow! And b) to offer updates on my life (I am horrible about keeping in touch, and if I get it all written down here, if you're reading this, then the next time we talk it can be all about you!)

Love to all.
Miranda

The Situation

I live with two other interns in the historic farm house, work on the farm five and a half days a week, and attend two different farmer's markets in D.C. My day begins at 8 o'clock (luxuriously late, I can say!), breaks for a 30 minute lunch, and ends anytime between 4:00 and 6:30. The hardest part is working through the hot, late hours of the day. The best part is the peace of growing flowers and trees and the quiet countryside. Living in the country has been simple and refreshing! Moments of inspiration and blissful wonder are renewing my soul. God is steady, present and loving in solitude, loneliness, wide open nature, delicate beauty, the nitty gritty challenge of toil and community life.

The Farm

The farm is 11 acres of flowering plants. Sprawling rows of sunflowers, bright zinnia beds, hills of multi-colored dahlias, packed patches of fragrant basil, crates of glossy lilies, mint patches buzzing with bees, havens of leaning hydrangea shrubs, clusters of many-varied plants, colors, colors, colors! There are flowers that we cut to be bright eye-catching centers; there are modest stems of small, cute flowers to fill in the spaces. I have been surprised many times, when instructed to cut from a plant that never stood out as a "cut flower" plant. I've really come to appreciate those small, modest, or even gnarly plants, as I have come to see them up close.

Markets and Selling Flowers
The day is set in two parts: 1) cut flowers, 2) prepare flowers for sale. Usually we get all our cutting done before lunch, leaving the afternoon open to assemble 12-16 buckets of bouquets (5 bouquets per bucket). Yes, do the math...60-80 bouquets! Our customers are: florists, several Whole Foods stores, "special orders" (i.e. weddings), and FARMERS' MARKETS. The week has a rhythm, i.e. cut for all florists on Monday, deliver Tuesday. Cut for markets on Saturday, attend market on Sunday. Markets are one of my favorite experiences...for so many reasons...this will get its own post one of these days!

Life Outside the Farm

It has been awesome to have a work-is-over point everyday! Keeping in touch with friends and family has been a challenge, as cell phone reception on the farm is limited to a small nook by the far sunflower field. After a 9 or 10-hour day, my focus is spent and my body tired. Still, there have been many opportunities to make the easy enough 75 minute drive into D.C., either for a market, or in my free time. The Quincy House is a mecca of music and Catholic culture. And the Boynes are going to be sick of flowers and produce by the time I'm done here! I love them and their two kiddos so much!

Pictures are my next priority (contemplating a new camera). So stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Love to all.
Miranda