What the the garden brings...

From my last post, I haven't been fortunate enough to take part in much bonding with the maize due to many factors. Tonight I was offered that opportunity.

Merely walking by the maize compels the my natural urge to enter the world of our maize and enter it's beautiful rows to simply admire the stalks in a strong and green state as well some stalk's weak and fragile condition. This garden has been staring at me through the window and calling out to me. Seeing the maize grow from afar has been an interesting experience, but having the offer of entering it, and creating a bond with it is phenomenal.

This evening we went in to release the freshly de-refrigerated lady bugs to help control the maize pest problems we have been experiencing. My job for the evening was to take an inventory of the maize and take note of the condition each stalk is in, particularly looking out for which stalks we lost due to the children. At first it was overwhelming. Seeing the corn in such fragile conditions weakened my heart. I counted and looked at each stalk to get a better map and update on our stalks.

As I went row by row counting and examining each stalk, the discussions I have been involved in about building a relationship with the maize became so obvious and strong to me. As the groupo finished up our mini session we watered the maize and drenches and called it an evening. A very significant evening I believe because it showed us clearly that when unfortunate things happen, we must continue to work towards our goal and that we did.

Pictures coming soon... hopefully from someone who had a camera this evening :)
Mexica Tiahui

Sky is falling Aint no need to panick.

I'm writing on the blog, because we cant all be enlightened or informed by deecolonize all the time.

When I heard the news on Monday morning concerning the garden, I was enraged. Not the bad type where you think of revenge on the other party, the type that makes you think of all the hard work you did to get them there. All of the seeding, weeding, cleaning, watering and now ever so carefully putting every stalk that cried for help back together. Does that make sense? I thought about all of the hours they had laid on the ground unrooted and needing water. Sigh... We tried to save all of the stalks that had babies like we would with pregnant mothers, attending to them first.

It was best to work in pairs because of the delicacy that was needed to sustain every stalk. I guess you could say it was like operating on a real person. It pained me so much to see them fallen that every time I saw one I wanted to run to it and help it.

But we did as much as we could, talking and giving them love.

This was a lesson that was needed to learn along the way of our jardin. Like in life whenever we think we got shit going sometimes you get these setbacks. Its scary. However we must continue with our purpose as our jarding is to continue its purpose. And that is to live. We must continue to live and spread our seeds.

I've been thinking of a name for our garden. But I guess when we agree and decide we'll keep you posted.

peace out.

Mendings & Manifestations

Yes. All things happen for a reason. / Si. Todo tiene razon.

I likened the 3 sisters in the jardin to children recently- expressing how I felt like a parent who's child had a traumatic experience, and having that weight of just wishing there was a way to turn back time, and make it all go away. Reflecting on how many situations and ordeals i've faced where I have felt this way. Having to learn acceptance, peace, and the light and lesson to move forward.

So, as we wait out the week (ending later today) to see what stalks were able to survive the storm, I've been shifting my energies to concentrating on creating new projects and thinking about how to make the entire space into a community-friendly and open environment.

So, as of today, I'm including a small series of stalks that will not be what they ever were again & a some that are fighting the good fight...and maybe a hint of a project idea. Tlazokamati for all the good thoughts and prayers. It perks the maize in the jardin... it really does.




the fight for land and life continues - and sometimes great warriors must fall. just a part of the cycle.










still lovely











learning about loss - learning about value











........?...... :)

Loss & Gain

I don't know how to write this- but a blog that is supposed to be about keeping you up to date on the jardin has to be truthful- has to maintain the reality of what is happening- to the food and to the people that plant it..and today, we suffered together.
Over the weekend, kids that were next door to the garden for a party, apparently went unsupervised and destroyed a portion of the jardin while no one watched them.


I'd spent Sunday indoors painting, and Monday morning when I went to look out into the jardin, something was wrong and I looked at the floor space and saw a few stalks lying about. I took my keys and went out and found about 40% of the garden was damaged or knocked over..and I was at a loss.
My emotions turned me backwards as I looked on to something that had taken months in the making- to maintain- to build- to grow- and with a quick snap, it was hurting & I had to go to work in Gringolandia*..
Well, I sent out the text and let people know & within the hour that I was suffering from leaving the garden for 'work', comrades & familia were @ the spot with reinforcements- like bamboo sticks, garden tape, and care.
When I got out of work and to the garden, they were steady working at lifting tassels and stalks back towards the Sun to take in it's goodness.
We have a few more stalks to go, bamboo has been bought, and the jardin will be okay.
I felt loss today..and it weighed heavy. In my sadness & confusion, I reached for logic, strategy, and towards the energies that sustain us all - and said 'Mujer, everything happens for a reason.' All loss, all change, all pain..all growth.. it leads to paths that have to be walked and situations that need addressing.


So, we will be keeping a close close eye on the recovery of the maiz, and for those that will not recover- the land is still rich for more planting and planning..
We never forget to stop and remember why we planted the first seeds- because of our love and respect for the tierra y la gente de este mundo and our replenishing.

The garden is still peace.

*what I call the Galleria area - coined by Frida Khalo, when she visited America while Diego Rivera painted the Rockefeller Building walls.

what's the buzz?

So, this past week- Friday, June 5th- I went out to water and weed the garden and realized that there were quite a large number of honey bees stopping in. Since the tassels and silk are appearing on more and more of the stalks, I assumed that bees help pollinate corn and just observed as they moved from tassel to tassel quickly working.

Yet, upon some research, i've found that corn is like a grass or grain crop, which only needs the wind to pollinate and that "many wind pollinated flowers such as maple, oak, hickory, corn, and ragweed are visited by bees collecting pollen."
So, although they are not vital to the pollination of the corn, they can assist. I also learned that we should feel good about bees visiting our 3-sister rows because honey bees are disappearing off the face of this Earth more rapidly than ever before- a phenomenon that really took effect in 2006 that has been dubbed colony collapse disorder .

A Cosmos Magazine article from 2007 reads:

"In hives hit by CCD, adult workers simply fly away and disappear, leaving a small cluster of workers and the hive's young to fend for themselves. Adding to the mystery, nearby predators, such as the wax moth, are refraining from moving in to pilfer honey and other hive contents from the abandoned hives; in CCD-affected hives the honey remains untouched.

The symptoms are baffling, but one of the emerging hypotheses is that the scourge is underpinned by a collapse of the bees' immune systems. Stressed out by cross-country truck journeys and drought, attacked by viruses and introduced parasites, or whacked out by harmful new pesticides, some researchers believe the bees' natural defences may have simply given way. This opens the door to a host of problems that the bees can normally suppress."

So, lucky and welcoming is how we feel toward the honey bees. Visitors like this remind me why we've chosen to stay organic in our garden. So that natural friends- that need us just as much as we need them- can co-exist and try to reach a balance in the crazy world around them - and have a safe space to explore that possibility.

Centeotl - Mexica (Aztec) God of Maize

Visit Pollinator.org for more info on pollination and what is being done to save pollinators!

bean sprouts

andalente gente- don't you see
all they need is you and me
to plant the original seed
far away from moneys greed
a peaceful plot to center self
make sure you have food on your shelf
see your connect with all around
through those seeds we will be found
~ dee!colonize

Food for thought ... Che (Black Bean Soup) by Brazilain artist Vik Muniz.

We planted beans on Saturday and they decided to break through today. Little green sprouts poked their way through the dirt and started to show themselves. Yesterday, they were nowhere to be found, but today, they were already almost an index finger tall. I heard they grow fast & they are breathtaking.
I like the way they sprout up from my observation, they are slightly coiled and only as they develop do they extend their bean faces to the full Sun.. and from their work in growth, other sprouts will grow from their shoulders. Absolutely breathtaking.
More silk & tassels are making appearances and it seems that we have taken care of our ant problem altogether also. So, my advice is that if you are having ant issues, the best remedy I could recommend would be a mixture of coffee grounds and raw instant grits. One detracts and the other destroys, in respective order :)