Earth Harmony Gardening with Heart
Terry Rader

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a strong connection to the Earth and the plants. I was just seventeen when I moved away from home and planted my first organic vegetable and herb gardens. And what spectacular gardens they were, fed daily with gentle, loving care. Time spent gardening was, and still is, some of the sweetest Medicine I know.

My family always had vegetable gardens. My Mother’s people were farmers in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and my Great Grandfather, Elijah, had two enormous oxen that helped him plow his land. His long scraggly beard and sun-carved face showed a true salt-of-the-earth man, working the only way he knew how to support his family. As the land became over-farmed, many farmers had to move to the city to take jobs and work in ways they were not accustomed to. My Mother was only three months old when her parents moved to Winston-Salem. Two years ago, I ventured back into the mountains to visit the lands where my ancestors once farmed – beautiful, rolling hills and lush green valleys. I continue to visit every few months. I know that someday my heart will take me home to live within the mountains as they live within me now.

I have fond memories of how my grandparents lived in harmony with the Earth. Even after moving to the city, they continued to have large gardens, growing and taking only what they needed to survive. My Grandmother “put up” food for the winter and I looked forward to our weekly cellar explorations to retrieve jars of pickled beets, green beans, squash and other homegrown goodies. Her home baked breads and pies were treats to us kids. She hung a row of hollowed-out gourds over the kitchen sink for drinking so we didn’t create extra cups to wash. I remember how sweet and cool that delicious well water tasted on a hot summer’s day. Who needed soft drinks? It was a simpler time and a time we may all want to consider moving towards again.

I still have the yellowed notebook of that original garden plan. I thought my first organic garden just had to be the most wonderful garden in the world. I wanted to partner with Mother Earth and all of the Earth elementals. I took the time to learn as much as I could about natural gardening methods to keep the plants happy. Today I know to simply ask the plants. If you listen (with your heart), they will teach you.

A lot of love went into those gardens and my personal connection to the Earth grew each time I put my hands deep into the dirt. How much clearer can one be than when you’re down on your knees grounded in your garden with the sun on your back, receiving all of that beautiful energy? The vegetable garden was 20’x30’ with companion planting. The herb garden was 10’x15’ with herbs arranged in a semi-formal pattern based on the colors of the flowers with paths of alternating pinks, purples, blues and yellows, all leading to the center circle – the heart. The heart is what I worked towards everyday. I don’t think I realized it then but it was my heart connection to nature that I was watering, mulching and feeding. The plants, especially the herbs, called to me and continue to do so today.

A friend of mine once asked me how you know which plants to put where. I smiled and answered, “why not let them tell you?” Just walk around the garden and see what space they pull you to. Trust your intuition and the guidance from the plants and the land. They “know.” They are the ones who dreamed you and the garden into being. All you have to do is start from the heart, allow it to be and give it a little attention.

You don’t have to have a big back yard or a lot of space to create this connection to the Earth. Your simple intentions and a small patch of ground or pots can bring about great harvests of the spirit as well as culinary delights. Even a patio garden that receives ample sunlight can be planted with staked tomato plants, basil, sage, dill, yellow and red and green peppers – all in pots–along with hanging baskets of cherry tomatoes and thyme, a window box full of sunny chamomile, and perhaps a trellis with climbing cucumbers or purple passionflower. The possibilities are endless.

There are many ways to garden and one way to practice tender mercy to the soil is with Permaculture gardening. Charlie Headington teaches Earth Matters at UNCG, conducts Permaculture workshops, coordinates and teaches Edible Schoolyards, and speaks and consults throughout the state of North Carolina. He explains. “Permaculture Design produces beautiful and bountiful gardens. The best garden design follows natural systems: worms do the tilling, water is harvested, and insecticidal plants ward off harmful insects – all with less human intervention and no toxicity. We harvest the surplus fruit, herbs and vegetables and enjoy the natural aesthetic. Permaculture works on any scale: backyards, schools, and farms. Our home, near downtown Greensboro, is surrounded by a garden. Greensboro Montessori and Day School have their own gardens and student programs. Nature wins and we win. To learn more, come to our next workshop on May 6, 2007.” See “Gardening Resources” in this issue for contact information.

Listen to the plants that are calling to grow with you and co-create your own garden with nature. If the water spirits are calling you, plant a pond garden. For a more grounded garden, plant a rock walkway lined with succulents. Bring more fire into your life with sunflowers. Start small, use your imagination, and make it your own. Let it be a lifetime project that grows a little more each year. Each individual garden increases the healing energy needed for a more balanced and harmonious Earth.

Terry Rader serves as a messenger for the Earth in her writing, storytelling, drumming, songs, and in her work connecting folks to their destiny through nature with her partner, Blair Caudle. She is also an herbalist, Practitioner of Maya Spiritual Healings and the Creative Director for a green agency. You can contact her regarding this Earth Harmony Column at ravenseesall@earthlink.net.