Grace Community Garden

The winter months have brought a flurry of garden planning, grant writing, and seed ordering as we continue creating Grace Community Garden on Potomac Ave.

Now spring is right around the corner, and as seed orders arrive we're beginning to plant! Faith and Zoe helped created soil blocks for seed starting during the after school "kid's club" last week. We practiced multiplication as the blocks were created four at a time - 4x2, 4x3, 4x4 ...



At home, the boys help rip up bedding for the worm composter, getting a hands-on lesson in recycling. The three-bin system was built by students at the kids club, and my sister was generous enough to donate the worms - thanks Beth!

The older students have created cold frames, or mini-greenhouses, that protect early plantings from the frost (clear plastic goes over the top). There werelots of measurements to make - who knew using fractions could actually be so useful!

Believe it or not the first plants have already sprouted. Onions planted in toilet paper rolls last Saturday, and kept moist in their own plastic bag greenhouses, began germinating over the last few days. They are growing in the seed starting station situated in a south facing window in Faith's room . It is outfitted with grow lights, organic seed starting soil, plenty of seeds, and soil blocks waiting to be planted. Next up are the collards, followed by tomatoes and peppers.

"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal." - Jesus

Resurrection is occurring again. The death of last fall is being recycled to give what is needed to produce life again this spring, and that which seemed dead to the world is being brought to life again. Our work with the kid's club on the community garden is just one way we are planting seeds, being reckless in our love, and seeing life - real and eternal - growing in our neighborhood.

May we all recognize and experience deeply the mystery and miracle of resurrection this spring!