Mid-late Sept Update: Todo hay un razon

It's been a while, but things have been in motion.

Quick update on growing plants:

• Tomatoes- are still growing, giving us their all until they complete their season cycle.
• Amaranth- something is wrong. Our prized crop has been invaded by critters. There are pockets missing from majority of leaves, we suspect hungry-hungry catepillars. We plan on getting rid of what's necessary and salvaging what we can. More info to come on that process
• Beans- some are growing and flowering! That is exciting, some aren't doing so well, but we are watching them.
• Squash- Doing it's thang, there are small yellow flowers, so we suspect some baby squashes soon. <3 font="">
• Okra- (upper left corner) looks so tasty. Some are a deep purple and others bright green, I am excited about these! They feel so fuzzy :)

Saturday 09/14 Update:

We love having new fresh energy in the Jardin. We were blessed with overwhelming male energy, it made up for a long summer without hombres. My brother Roland and his workers (amigos) came to help us get dirt from A+B Soil (down by Telephone & Bellfort). Go, call, and/or check them out!! (713) 649-0747 7425 Bellfort ST 77087

We debated how much soil we needed/wanted, but decided on one (1) cubic yard for a raised bed and had plenty excess. It was just shy of half a bed of a pick up truck. They dumped it straight into the truck, and upon arrival at the Jardin the guys kindly removed it from the truck. Besides resuming the "womanly" duties of offering water, we supervised.

We gave them a quick tour and prepared for other people to come volunteer. An old friend of mine from college came and brought a friend with him. We went straight to business from the moment they came out of the car and just to work! Wheeling new cynder blocks no joke! The plan for the day: welcome newbies to the jardin, tour of what we had growing, what we grew, why we grew, what the mission for the day was (building a raised bed) and plans for the fall. [We mean business!!]

We were able to prepare the new bed in this order: 

1. A layer of BROWN cardboard boxes broken down (minimal ink is key, if there is some, no worries just make sure you have brown up and ink down to the ground. Don't fret about weeds, the cardboard takes care of that.
2. Followed by cynder blocks to hold in the soil, be fun and creative, we stuck to a rectangle for our Fall crops.
3. Add soil and fill. We used a blend from A+B which consisted of dirt, mulch and manure. We also used some of our supply and enriched it as much needed. The key to a healthy garden is GOOD SOIL! Don't cheap out.

Hours passed as we laughed, joked, built with each other, shared knowledge and I daresay opened our hearts to hear the faint whispered the cosmos meant for us to have. It was beautiful thing, and as I sit here reflecting on it, the high from that day carried me through the next week.

Real Talk:

The connection we gain from working the earth is UNREAL. I cry every time, not because of sadness, but because this mission for our own self-sustainability is reaching people. Igniting fires. Inspiring. Educating. Decolonizing. Allowing them to have a place to reminisce on their ancestors and make connections to the history of their people and blood that flows within them. It's a beautiful thing. I was happy to hear their stories, about the knowledge they had, and laughed at hearing some of the things they knew were things we had to research. If only we had known each other before, but we didn't and we do now. #superfeliz Definite connections made and I am happy about that.

Tlazokamati / Gracias / Thank You / Shout-OUTs:

• Gina and her baby Bella, your boxes did us good! Gracias hermana de mi hermana! 
• Roland, Rene & the other hombre, mil gracias! Your time, energy, truck and sweat was well appreciated and won't be forgotten.
• Ruben & Josh, you own this garden too! Communal love and good spirits to each of you! You guys sent me on that good ol'natural high for a minute. I am happy to have spent the time with each of you and invite you to come back.
• Dee, como siempre, thank you for allowing the space, knowledge, good vibe and for being a trooper that day.
• Obaid, plant your seeds! Our seeds are siblings from the same lot. So we want to see progress, don't let us down. Happy belated birthday too!

BTW - we planted since and as of 09/22 Things have sprouted!!! More info in a new blog soon! 

Marigolds & Tears

Peace. I say this time and time again, but working with Mother Earth (Tonantzin) changes us. It ignites this fire within us that we just can't ignore. Bear with me as I speak of  something close not only my heart but my soul. 

As the summer comes to an end, we have been talking about phasing into our Fall crops, which dee expanded on in our last blog. (Tlazos a dee!)


We change, we move, it changes, it moves, but we must find the balance. Balance.

As we continually do our tasks, we step back each time and think of how things have changed, express our words of gratitude to the cosmos, to each other, shed a tear or two because we are overcome with emotion for the tasks we have completed that has no words to express/share/even write.

Last week we sat down to plan our crops for the upcoming season, and if you know me on any level I have talked about this at one point or another, greens in the fall, phasing, etc. As we thumbed through the pages of our catalog, did some on-the-fly research, the day began to escape us. We literally became CONSUMED in the work that we do. It was an eye-opening thing because we were gifted with the opportunity to do such work and we made so many plans. We debated, we giggled, we talked about things we wanted to offer our households and our community to enrich our lives.

Altar decorated with Cempasuchil flores

In the midst of discussing companion planting, herbs to repel pests, etc. We came across Marigolds or Cempasuchil in spanish. (Which is the flower of most used to decorate during dia de los muertos, Nov.1 & 2, a sacred day for many brown people that honors our past loved ones.) I began to become short of breath and had to turn away from my sister because F*#%! We talk about being in tune with things, building connections and there it was staring at us in the face.

Our ancestors knew these things, and somewhere along the course of history this knowledge wasn't shared with us. It moved me because I know in October I need marigolds. I see them in art, in stores, on altars, in cemeteries, and I know that it is a sign of acknowledging my ancestors, paying homage to the dead and respect. I didn't know it was used to keep Fall crops healthy. It sounds funny now, but tears are filling my eyes as I try to type.

I feel such a strong connection with muertos, and it just moves me that we will have the opportunity to experience Marigolds in the Original Jardin. I feel truly honored and gifted by the cosmos for this.

Paz,
Gritona 

Mictlancihuatl y Mictlantecuhtli

Above you can see the different energy representations from the underworld, Mictlancihuatl is the female represntation and Mictlantecuhtli is the male. The light/dark dark, the feminine/male to balance themselves. I felt it would be appropriate to share that part of myself here. It has been burning in my mind since Saturday.

July 10 & July 13: Talacheras y Okra

July 10: Wednesday we met to do some light work in the garden. While I was making executive decisions on the fly about our new soil to be added, my sisters were preparing to come in to the garden for work.

We kept it light:

• lifted weeds
• scoped out the area for okra areas
• bagged the sunflowers to ensure we were saving as many seeds from birds/rodents, etc.
• make sure to cut small holes/slithers for sun to poke through!
• took the Amaranth that was ready out.

• The best way to tell is to see how the inflorescene (tassel like top) becomes too heavy it weighs the plant down.
• In order to take out the amaranth you cut the steam about 1-1.5 ft off the ground and it will regrow itself.
• We harvested seeds by saving the inflorescene to dry out and shake out seeds
• We saved leaves for eating and put the stalk in the compost.100% useable

July 13: Saturday the plan was to create a space for okra that gets at least 8-10 hours of sun.

How it went down:

• First things first, we needed to get tools out, we pulled out almost every tool we had. ha! 
• Next to pick a spot to place our okra, we initially made plans for a particular area, but based off Dee's research found out it probably isnt the best place. so we moved on to a different area.

• Creating Patches: 
• Using the Talacho. I don't know what the proper term for the tool is in English, but I can say I can pick it up and use it! I think it's called a pickaxe. It was such an experience as I literally used almost every muscle in my body to properly use it and create spaces for us to use. 
• We picked down about 6- 8 inches of the ground so we can create a area to make a nice rich 
• Soil mix: After making a small basin we decided to mix the following ingredients. With this we were able to make a mound that gives the roots a little bit over (1) foot to grow in rich soil.

• compost mulch
• manure
• our collective compost
• O.Jardin's finest dirt ;)
• planting of the seeds
• The matron of the house (Dee's Mama) usually comes out to visit us in the garden, this time she came in to plant seeds! special moments 
• Put more soil down to support growing Squash
• General clean-up weeding, picking up branches, etc.
• Cleared patch of weeds under the tree [took a quick nap...hehe]

Sentimientos: Well, if you don't know me personally, I am a relatively private person, with the exception of those closely surround me. This past week has been so emotional for me. Experiencing life, watching our garden grow, sharing laughter, having deep conversation and understanding what it all really means. As I/We continually strive towards Mexicayotl we are constantly evaluating what we are doing in relation to this life. I put my sweat and tears into this and watching things grow is truly an amazing experience. We are watching seeds form into food that goes into our mouths. I always leave with a heart full of accomplishment and a step toward creating sustainability in my communidad. I am excited about the okra. I love the way it was tastes and can't wait to share it with my father.

Gracias/Tlazos:

A Juan! We got a cool weed/grass tool to use. Juana, thank you for helping us plant the okra. To our sisters, thank you for either contributing to the compost, coming to learn, weeding, conversing, listening and/or sharing your palabra, your words, sweat and hearts help us reaffirm the work that we do!

Other:

Peace to Trayvon Martin, may your soul rest and continue to be one of many who opens our eyes to be proactive in our communities. There is NO JUSTICE, there is JUST US.

June 15: Clean-Up, Ears & Hojas

Earlier this week, I went out into the garden and was overcome with what I saw. Through all the research I had been reading about stinkbugs, I realized that what I feared was happening to our garden. Last we learned that if Stinkbugs take over your garden it can potentially ruin your crop. Anything sucked of its nutrients can wither and die.

Our garden looked in bad shape! Saturday (June 15) we went out to the garden to do and discuss a few things: survey damage, cut down dead stalks, decide what we would do with corn, figure out what was salvageable and make a plan to keep what we could do to maintain a healthy garden.

Here are some notes of the day:
Corn

• Many stalks were damaged, however once we viewed them closely quite a few were salvageable. So we removed what we felt like we had to. 
• To remove the corn, we decided to cut the base instead of pulling out- to ensure new squash/bean seedling roots weren't interrupted. Reminder: squash/Beans can both grow without the corn stalk.
• The corn we chose is absolutely beautiful! When you look at it it shines, literally, it looks shimmery, it was so beautiful to hold.
• We have hojas to save for Tamales!

Amaranth

• Is big! The inflorescenes (tassel-like parts) are getting huge!
• Weeds grow really fast! Gotta keep an eye on the imposters...

Sunflowers

• The 1st sprouted sunflower, although wilted looks like it can survive with more care and water. We will leave it as is.

Tomatoes

• We need to watch out for the Caterpillar attacking the tomato. However in the time being we have quite a few small bulbs!!!

Onions

• Are growing, need to do reserach about harvesting.

Seed Saving

• We need to figure when/how to seed save for amaranth and corn!

Pests

• Ants! They can be nasty little things with their friends Aphids! We found 1 stalk that had damage from Aphids (no we didn't put it in the compost), but we do need to treat with grits/coffee more
• We need to get more coffee grounds from people... 

Compost

• This is hard for me to do, because in my home we eat every inch of a vegetable, except the little colitas of fruits and vegetables... Either way, I thought I would attach a friendly link of items you can compost for reference.

Watering

• Decided that we needed to water more. The damage had to be a combination of both lack of enough water and the stinkbugs. 
• Solution: Dee will water in the morning, and I will (most) evenings.

Juanes- Thank you for trimming the weeds around the garden. We appreciate both you and Juana's patience with us and for the space! Jane- Thank You for the wisdom and experience you have shared from your gardening. It is much appreciated.

Stink Bugs!! & Other Things

There were three main tasks on this visit: clean/replenish (with compost) Amaranth bed, do something about stink bugs, and compost.

Pests: STINK BUGS!!
Last time I wrote I briefly mentioned stink bugs. We have noticed there has been a large number of them on the corn. After some research on both parties we learned quite a bit, here are the essentials.

Stink bugs use their clypeus to penetrate and suck nutrients out of crops!! (similar to what a mosquito uses to suck blood.) No es bueno. Some of their favorite crops to eat are sweet corn, amaranth, okra and tomatoes (three of which we have!)

We actually saw a baby stalk have the life sucked right out of it. It was so sad to see it go from green to pale yellow and crusty. We decided we would remove the stalk, and possibly put it in the compost.

Some of the methods we read about included:

• pesticides (of course)
• spraying the plant with a lemon/water mixture
• drowning the bugs in a soapy water solution
• plant sun flowers to deter them from the crop being eaten

Some of the solutions were eliminated right away because we run an organic garden that has sunflowers in it. We strayed away from the lemon/water mixture because of the acidic properties and decided to go with drowning the bugs in soapy water. (helpful hint: they move slower in the morning)

We rolled up our sleeves, put on our gloves and got ourselves some bugs! At first my sister and I stared at each other, each anticipating the other one to begin. I don't know who did it, because the garden was soon filled with yelps and shrieks of  having to grab those bugs. If we accidentally squashed the bug with our hands we understood why they were called stink bugs. I got terrorized as one "screamed" (fluttered and hissed loudly) in my ear, it was one of those feelings, where you think they are crawling all over you at one point. *shudders*

We will have to give the garden some time to digest what's happening to it, but the research hasn't stopped! Natural predators include:

• Lady Bugs (which also fight aphids-but thankfully we don't have any of those!) *cross your fingers*
• Mini Wasps (parasitic size)
• Ants
• Ladybird Beetles
• Lacewings

OTHER NEWS:

After the dirty work was done we stopped and noticed our seeds had sprouted! All the commotion from the bugs had deterred us from noticing. It was a beautiful thing to see.

More updates soon!

Peace,

Happily Sore

This past weekend has been on my calendar for weeks. I have patiently awaited and thought of what my feelings would be like after we had the chance to get back in the garden and use the space again (thank you Deecolonize).

Friday I awaited for word of our hermano coming to town to help us on this mission we have made for ourselves. My sisters and I giggled and waited chatting the evening away, while these emotions of excitement were rolling inside of me. As predicted, once our hermano came we spent the hours of the night talking and vibing with each other. I listened intently to the knowledge in the room, and the jokes being made, and it made me feel good to be surrounded by other conscious people. We talked about health, the garden, materials to learn, made plans to exchange other information, and spoke of the past the "good ol'days".

We were going to turn the ground, change what life had sprouted since the last occasion and prepare the space for our bigger plans: a milpa of the three sisters (corn, bean and squash) and a few other foods. We made plans to do what we have manifested for so long- becoming self-sufficient.

Saturday we gathered for breakfast, my sister prepared migas (sin huevo) with cebollitas, tomate, chile and aguacate along with some tasty fruits for us so we can have a hearty breakfast before we began. There was an overcast in the air, no direct sunlight, but it was pleasant to work in. The three of us got started. Just three. We were like the three sisters, only the los tres hermanos working side by side, doing what was necessary to be done.

We passed the time joking and catching up with each other's lives. The energy was good, and flowed naturally as we worked.

The morning we spent working to "clean the area" and turn the ground, and begin to till the land.

Family and friends floated in and out throughout the day sharing either their experiences, awe or memories of farming. That was cool, we even got some of Nessa's TopCake Cupcakes (an up and coming business out of the barrio).



Meanwhile, we discovered a wide arrange of WORMS! (ewww, YUCK!!)

Grub worms: are not not good for the garden. They are usually found in grass, and signs of them usually reflects the yellowing/browning of grass.(Grub worm right)

We were curious about "Rolly Pollys", I did a little research and found out that, they are NOT good for young plants, because they like to eat them, as well as vegetation that is dying. Once a plant matures, these small pests are no longer appealed. Some solutions involve: beer, chicken grit, grits, banana+boric acid. I am still researching methods and will report soon. (pic below)

Needless to say, as most of us learned as children, Earthworms fertilize the soil to help make plants and crops healthy.

We had the chance to learn more about the decolonizing of Yolquiahuitl, and how he has come to where he is in life, as well as the significance of his name. We hand an awesome lunch and time to joke around some more.

After lunch we formed the rows of the garden, and I won't lie, towards the end we kept sitting down and the aches and pains were starting to show themselves. BUT we went onward, and when we finished the sun was gone, the dark settled in and a tear fell. We had done it and it was amazing.

This morning I woke up sore, but very happy. Yesterday, we began the chapter of a new lifestyle and I can't wait to see it.

Thank You to Yolquiahuitl, with your faith in us and willingless to lend a helping hand to be our talachero, we were able to begin. I wanted to tell you that you are a breath of fresh air and help generate the thoughts, emotions and hearts of original people in all of us. You are living up to your name, and I am thankful for all that you share. I await your return and look forward to celebrating the harvest with you.

Peace and Love, Gritona