An Amazing Volunteer
I have learned a lot over the last three years as I build out my vision for Palisade Posh. Turning a dream into a reality has its ups and downs and encounters you just don’t foresee when you decide to go for your dream. Turning what was once a hayfield into a beautiful and thriving Boutique farm is proving to be one of the biggest challenges to date. Andy and I were genuinely naïve when we started; we just went for it and planted everything we ever wanted to grow. Three years in, I’ve learned being thoughtful and intentional in what you choose to grow is a much better way to go.
With this revelation, came the decision to rebrand and move away from the concept of market garden and toward that of a Boutique farm. This shift in perspective has helped me a great deal as I am now the sole farmer while Andy continues to recover from his stroke. Rather than focus on selling at farmers markets which is something I never wanted to do and requires you to grow in bulk, I changed our focus to promoting experiences. Even with that shift, I still found myself falling behind in all the garden maintenance the farm required. As I adjusted how I planted in the spring, specifically exposing more ground surface to direct sow my seeds thus cutting away more weed barrier, I in turn allowed room for more weeds to move in! Turns out everything really does grow in Palisade including weeds! By late summer, the vegetable garden was inundated with weeds, and the cutting garden was not far behind, soft fruit section too! I found myself spending more time weeding which in turn meant I was falling behind on other chores and tasks around the farm. Those weeds were sucking the joy out of Posh Gardens, and I was beginning to doubt my vision and dream to create a place of quiet retreat and beauty for our Posh Cottage guests and visiting artists to enjoy!
It was then that God sent me the most amazing volunteer! What started as a wee bit of smart-ass banter between friends at Andy’s gym, turned into my first Posh Garden volunteer. Although he has only been volunteering for a short amount of time, the work he has done has truly been a gift. My volunteer’s name is Gary, he is retired and loves to dig in the dirt although he doesn’t currently have a place to garden. When we were joking around, he said he loves to weed and I was like oh baby have I got weeds for you! His willingness to help and enthusiasm to be back in the garden has lifted my spirts and renewed my drive to keep moving forward. The garden has always been about sharing and that includes sharing the joy of gardening, giving people the opportunity to reconnect with the earth and enjoy the fruits of that labor. In exchange for volunteering his time, I wanted Gary enjoy all that we are growing, freshly harvested fruits, vegetables and flowers! It’s a win win for both of us as I get the help I desperately needed and he gets to dig in the dirt and enjoy all that Posh Gardens is producing! Gary is even recruiting another volunteer which if it comes to fruition, they too would get to enjoy this same benefit!
It is amazing how much a quarter of an acre can produce, way more than just two or even four people can eat, not enough for mass production but more than a few people can consume! So, while I continue to promote our Garden Harvest Experiences and share the garden with our guests at Posh Cottage, hope I can, through the grace of God, continue to find more volunteers that enjoy gardening, who are perhaps retired and looking to reconnect with the earth. Gardening provides food for the soul and the body and at Palisade Posh we strive to provide both! So, if you are local and interested in gardening and perhaps learning a bit about farming and the joys of growing your own food, I’m always looking for additional volunteers. Turns out pursuing your dream sometimes takes more than one person to make it happen, it takes a village!
Are you retired? Love gardening but don’t currently have the space? Want to get into gardening but not sure how to start? Reach out to me at info@palisadeposh.com and become a volunteer we are always looking for more help!
