Welcome to my fundraising page! I am so excited to be riding for Resilient Roots, a local nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and enabling all people across the Cape to grow more of their own food and to include more native and edible plants in their landscapes as a way of regenerating our ecosystem's health as well as our own.
Like many people, I grew up with a small garden that the family ate from. The fertile ground of Lancaster, PA gifted us lushious yeild of zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers and some herbs. I'd find my mom canning jams and sauces in the heat of summer, and I remember thinking, "I want that to be me some day. Growing and canning my own food." Growing food, as far as I remembered, was simple. Except for our experimental year with brussel sprouts, that were promply eaten by cabbageworms, gardening, as far as I was concerned, mostly involved weeding. Not too bad!
As a young adult, I flexed my celadon thumb and had a go at some potted green beans, pepper and tomatoes on the porch of my 400sqft studio. The bounty was underwhelming, and the first lesson really sunk in...plants really do need to be watered! Specifically, watered regularly and not when I remember about it all of a sudden.
When my husband and I bought our house, I finally had a yard to play around in, and we put in our first raised bed.
Compost, check! Water, check! Plants, check!
My next lession was that gardening on the Cape is not the same as Lancaster, PA. Ultimately, I found that there are many puzzle pieces to a successful garden, and each season put one more piece into place. We eventually put in some apple tree because, why not! I knew they'd need special care, and in searching for information about pruining, I stumbled upon Resilient Roots. That first fruit tree purning workshop got me hooked! Everything about it was perfect! Not only was it extremely informative, but it opened my eyes to many other gardening puzzle pieces (such as nature-based practices and concious gardening) and started showing how they all fit together.
After other workshops about berry plants, garlic/tumeric/ginger, acorns, seed starting, shiitake mushroom logs, sheet mulching, permaculture, natives/pollinators.... I eventually hosted a permablitz which helped accomplish about 2 summers worth of gardening projects for my husband and I into 1 day (not kidding!). Now, gardening is an important and integral part of our lives.
The fruit tree pruning workshop got to me come to Resilient Roots, and thier mission of gardening alongside nature and creating a supportive community got me to stay.
Thank you for your support. Every small donation adds up!