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Maddy and Rich have a house that backs up to an old railway line, now a bike/walking path. Because of this, the lots are generous and they have essentially a double (triple?) sized yard. Luckily, Rich is a garden guru and Maddy a curator of all things "food" (seedlings, bunnies, canning, hosting, creating, you name it!). After many years developing and nurturing their garden-they've decided to share the wealth. Twenty of us have been invited to join the first shared-crop venture of Wahl Farm …
Maddy and Rich invited us all to a kick-off inaugural dinner in June. After a very stormy morning and searing heat the day before, the afternoon skies cleared, the humidity dropped, the bugs flew away and we were blessed with a perfect evening.
Maddy had a friend who sells wine host the wine tasting during happy hour, and another set of friends assisted with dinner (tenderloin and salads galore). Rich and Maddy gave us tours of the garden.
“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.”
― Abraham Lincoln
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| Rich is initially uncomfortable sharing his wealth of knowledge, but soon warms to his subject :D |
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| He created a "service bee" hive by boring small channels in an old tree stump-an invitation to move in and service his garden by pollinating! |
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| The garden has grown! He uses clover as ground cover because it is a nutrient rich plant that shares its nutrients when clipped (which he does weekly) |
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| This raised garden bed has a lower layer of bedsheets. Rich pours water into an upper large tube on the left, and when it flows out of the smaller tube on the right, he knows the sheets are saturated, This will water his garden for several days to come. Oh, of course the water came from the rain barrel |
Beyond the raised garden is a plat of earth approximately 4 feet by 10 feet under which Rich (and Amy!) buried old trees and limbs and bark. This is a pure level area (confirmed with a level) so that the rain naturally lands, sinks into the earth and is captured by the woody bog creating a passive watering system for a long narrow adjacent herb garden. Completely untended and very productive.
Rich has designed a "sun catching" circle of tomato plants all around a center of old discarded cement blocks. The blocks soak in the sun's warmth all day and radiate it into the evening among the tomatoes. In this way, he enriches their vine ripening period for the world's best tomatoes! He is truly incredible and innovative :D
“If you wish to make anything grow, you must understand it, and understand it in a very real sense. 'Green fingers' are a fact, and a mystery only to the unpracticed. But green fingers are the extensions of a verdant heart.”
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| Maddy in front of the hops. Rich designed a pulley system that raises the vines as they grow. This also lowers the vines for harvesting in the fall. |
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| A garden table set for dinner |
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| The rabbits are the powerhouses of Wahl farm, fertilizing their earth year round in any climate! |
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| A garden bench that has seen its share of work--is beautiful to me |
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| This.is.Love. |
A big surprise to me and the most incredible joy (after the garden, the genius, the food, the wine, the evening) was the company we shared. Every age, every walk of life and most unknown to us, the guests were equally interested and interesting. We delighted in getting to know all of the folks in this inaugural CSA class and, mostly, how we all knew Maddy and Rich. It was fun!
Below are Rick Ellis' photos of the event
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| Such wonderful salads |
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| friend, masseuse, chef…to be so talented! |
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| Maddy and Lydia |
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Maddy and Rich--the garden gurus!!!
THANK YOU
“By bringing a soulful consciousness to gardening sacred space can be created outdoors.”
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