When the whole world seems to be in the grasp of violent people drunk on power, what do we do? One can feel powerless. Some people shield themselves from all bad news as a defence mechanism, maintaining a veneer of unrelenting positivity. Others fall into despair.

While recognising such huge questions are beyond me, I wonder if in the growing and the caring, and in connection, we can reframe the question. In the reframing, our power emerges. The world has always been changed by ordinary people caring and staying engaged.

There are many kinds of power, and some power can never be taken away from ordinary people. This is the power we can lean into today. Acknowledging that injustice and power-mongering also results in actual death, my writing has serious limitations. There are no trite answers to be written in 30 minutes on a Monday morning, right?

But there is always hope, and one of the best ways to enact hope is to plant, harvest, and eat together. Not as a way to opt out of the system— we are too connected for that— but to give our hope physical form. Physical form that grows out the earth and spreads like a flower tsunami. Hope is deep understanding of the most basic laws of growing, which we get just by careful watching. Hope is wisdom on how to maintain a healthy body without becoming obsessive or exclusive. This kind of hope is grounded, rooted, solid. Hope is unshakeable routine that keeps you caring and available when everyone else is spinning. Hope even takes the form of resilience, so you don’t need water or electricity to keep growing.

So in that hope, some practical suggestions:

Growing in early Autumn

• There are still some hot days to come. Getting beds cool and moist is high priority this time of year.

• This is the time of lettuce, spinach, brassicas (kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), and peas, as well as beetroot and carrots and turnips and radish. If you plant seeds and seedlings now, the seedlings will grow quickly before the slug and snail population starts to increase. So I’m keen to start as many beds as I can this month.

• Even though there are hot days, this usually will not cause bolting in very young plants. By the time that plants get larger, the weather is cool enough for growth rather than bolting.

• But: climate change takes the form of random unseasonal days when we least expect it. Adapting to climate change means planting more often, so that you hedge your bets. Seeds are relatively affordable and I am sure one can never have enough carrots and beetroot: keep planting so that your beds have multiple aged plants, then thin as needed.

• As the rain begins, irrigation needs fall away, and this is just about the best time to expand your garden. Remove a new section of grass. Go wild. you can eat a LOT of broccoli. Trust me.

• Gardening advice says “grow what you eat”. It’s good advice. But also, grow what you don’t eat YET. You never know how your taste buds will change in your growing. I’m constantly surprised by how much my preferences have expanded just from having lots of something in the garden. Surprise yourself.

• Grow more than you need. When there is rain, maintenance is manageable.

• Gift as much veg as you can afford to. The health benefits of growing can be shared. Giving is a gift to you as well. And a healthy neighbour makes you more healthy too.

• Remove diseased leaves quickly. If you can slow the growth of snail, slug, and cabbage moth populations, your yields will be exponentially larger.

• If you get overwhelmed, pull back to safety by direct sowing some radishes or carrots. But don’t stop growing. We’re all here, cheering you on.

Coming up:

18-19 April Our son Eli Emerson Adams (13) will be having the first exhibition of this year’s paintings, right here at the farm. Save the date!

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