October Field Note – Growing with a changing spring
Across the Earth, conditions are changing in ways that can no longer be understood only as something ahead of us. Some changes are already here. Some losses cannot simply be reversed by returning to an earlier way of living.
At BROOMHILL, we meet those changes in very practical ways.
This spring has again begun colder and wetter. Usually, the conditions outside prompt when we begin sowing inside, but increasingly the challenge is the widening fluctuation between days. A beautiful warm day can be followed by icy winds and cold rain, while the strengthening spring sun is already gaining considerable power.
For a grower, this creates new encounters: when to sow, when to plant out, when to protect and when to trust. So we observe, adjust and keep learning what growing food in this place now asks of us.
This year, our new six-metre tunnelhouse gives us another layer of protection from those extremes and, we hope, more summer abundance to share.
For now, spring belongs to the greens.
The gardens are offering them generously. Leafy greens are among the most nutrient-dense foods we can grow, and their real value comes from having enough close at hand to eat them frequently and in season.
While the spring greens are vibrant and plentiful, we have space for a few more people who would like to share in the harvest. Get in touch at [email protected] if you’d like to join us.
October also brings stewardship mornings, our first Moon Harvest, herbal exploration and slower spaces to spend time on the whenua.
See what’s happening at BROOMHILL this October:
https://broomhill.nz/calendar