My Community Garden. (I)

I am having such a blast this spring

filling my little house and every spare corner of rocky yard with pots full of life and green.

 My four different kinds of basil. I can't get enough dude. There's more inside, too.

It's such a cliche, especially a Pacific Northwest cliche, and especially a Christian-20-something-social-justice-ish-girl-in-Birkenstocks cliche...

but growing things myself, even just my tiny little bits,

has been so exciting, inspiring, and life-giving.

And picturing the people I love,

some close and some (too!!!) far,

doing that too,

working with their hands in the soil and coaxing life out of seeds and eating flavors they watered and getting joy from flowers they've nurtured into bloom...

makes me feel extra connected to them and extra life-is-good happy.

So.

I present. Emily's Community Garden. Part ONE, because I KNOW I'm getting MORE PICTURES FROM PEOPLE. :-D

Kelly sent me pictures of their beautiful garden in Maryland...

especially impressive considering she is 9 months pregnant! Go Alec and Kelly!!

This year they're growing tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, green beans, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, rosemary, basil, and mint. Baby Pax is going to be eating so well!!!

Amy and James just bought their first home in San Diego... so excited for them!! They already made this beautiful plot. (I get to go visit soon!)

Claire is brightening her Washington D.C. house with this potted loveliness.

In North Carolina, Tim and Ash and her parents are rocking OUT a garden, which is its whole own story. I will put more pics of it up later, but here is one to start. This entire structure is new this season, and it's been so fun to talk to her about it and hear how excited they are to be enjoying the earth this new way.

I love this picture from Marty... He and his dad planted this tree together in Texas!

In his email he wrote, "Gonna grow up to 80ft in the next couple decades! Hopefully will provide ample shade for (hopefully) my future brood of kiddos." I love that.

Sarah has two gardens in D.C.- a big community one and this front-yard kitchen herb garden...

...in which she is currently growing parsley, cilantro, sorrel, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, thyme, peppermint, lemon balm, mint, lavender, basil and nasturtiums.

Underachiever.

She sent this picture of the "results" of her community garden:

It grows mustard greens, Red Russian kale, turnip greens, and apparently diamond rings.

0:-)

Miss Rach and her crazy happy self on her Arkansas farm. For real. Girlfriend is so happy every time I talk to her- I love seeing her English major mind thriving in the dirt and the green.

She, her brother Peter, and three friends are loving living on two acres and growing (in this picture): potatoes, herbs, lettuces, kale, cabbage, arugula, a few early tomato and pepper plants, onions, and garlic.

Beautiful girl and Rockefeller the rockstar dog!

My sweet mom in Maryland is doing her usual plot of gorgeous flowers full of color... I'm leaving this photo uncropped to show that she is also enjoying the weather by kayaking. Of course. Crazy lady.

Nate is growing spinach, a few beets, lettuce, and tomatoes in Durham. He told me he had a salad from his garden the day he sent the pic. Nice!

Here is some Caleb cuteness in Michigan!! Hans and Lindsay just moved into their new house last week!! She wrote that they were excited to find some things already growing for them when they got there.

Locally... I love getting to see these Oregon gardens in person often.

Bryan, Leah, Wellington and baby Pearl are growing a gorgeous one just down the street from me. Welly as you can see is quite the gardener. Here he is helping start their tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, carrots, cucumbers, and beans.

What a helper!

Brandon and Korie's BEAUTIFUL backyard was a huge factor in my deciding to plant flowers this year. So lovely.

I'm hoping their gardeners (and firefighters, slas, Mr. and Mrs. Claus) will come over and help me with mine, too.

Check out these garden models.

Friends, thank you for sharing the Life you are cultivating with me.

I love your flowers, your food, your babies, your dogs,

and trying to know what I can about pieces of joy in your days,

no matter how near or far we are.