The Move!
Our new home...
Moving a farm might seem like a shocking decision. It's certainly a hard decision. At the former property, there was an acre of perennial plants, established and producing, available to harvest from. I had seen two years nurturing these plants and they were finally producing. I knew that I would have to leave most of the plants behind. So why leave?
Since the very idea of Locust Light formed in my mind, I knew that I wanted it to be a place where people could come and stroll through the gardens. I dreamed of the gardens as a space where anyone could come and meditate or be present with the plants. I wanted to offer herbalism classes right in the garden, so that folks could see the living plants and not just see the dried bits after they've been cut and sifted. I wanted to offer a genuine connection to the plants as living beings.
The former property was simply not set up for public access. I knew that Locust Light would have to find a new home to make these dreams come true.
So when my good friend Malaika Spencer of Roots to River Farm told me that she'd be expanding to a second property, one that was designed to be a place of community gathering and education, the move seemed like a perfect fit for me too.
The past few months have been a flurry of moving farm equipment, disassembling and reassembling structures, figuring out how many plants is reasonable to transplant and how many I should start fresh from seed, and occasionally crying about the plants that I have had to leave behind. They become friends after a while.
Thankfully, I had lots of help, especially from my family. To see more pics of the transplant squad, click here.
I'm happy to say that most of the moving is behind me and I'm getting set up at the new property. I've formed beds and am beginning to plant. I'm happily working with and around the Roots to River crew. I'm figuring out the new space.
My goal is for the LL gardens to be open to the public by August. I'm excited to offer classes in the gardens and pick-your-own medicinal herbs. I'll keep you updated as everything unfolds!
The semi-circle of herbs around what will soon the be altar.
A happy transplant (Western Mugwort)