Every mid-summer session of the Horticulture Practicum ends with harvesting. Prison gardens don't have knives, so we pinch and pluck produce, collecting our bounty in 5-gallon buckets and re-used greenhouse trays in the shade. Each student collects their radishes, turnips, herbs, lettuce and strawberries before lining up at the door for 'movement' and returning to 'the unit'. Its a sweet reward.
Notes from the Field
It's Planting Season!
Its planting season. Each week our incarcerated students are preparing ground, turning cover crops and seeding spring annuals. Peas, radish, and lettuce have germinated. Heat-loving transplants will be the next wave of crops to go into the ground. Our students in state prison facilities remind us of time's deliberate passage in the garden and the satisfaction of watching our hard work come to fruition...
Erika Rumbley Featured in MA Farmer Network
This Spring, TNGS Co-Founder, Erika Rumbley, was profiled by The Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts. "She values the immersive, mindful experience of harvesting cabbage with her crew for seven hours in the fog. At the same time, she also values a more social practice, sharing the transformative power of her work with others. She is aware that on the inside and outside, she is deeply privileged to do this work." Read on for Erika's thoughts on stretching, social justice and building regional farm infrastructure for the long haul...