And now a few words about our sponsor...

I had watering duty today.  This might come as a surprise, but the plants don't have any concept of "weekend", so someone has to water the ones in greenhouse and some of the ones still in pots outside.  After taking care of that, I wandered around the garden.  Here's some lettuce I helped plant a few weeks ago:

I am still amazed that these were grown from tiny seeds.

Remember those sunflower seedlings from a few weeks ago?

 It seemed very appropriate to be in a garden today as my wedding took place in a botanical garden in Richmond, VA on this date 12 years ago.  Mike and I chose a reading from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, that was dutifully delivered by My Favorite Cousin, Susan Otolski, during the ceremony.  It described the strong pillars of the temple standing together yet apart, and the oak and the cypress growing not in each other's shadow.  We didn't fully realize at that time how well those words described our relationship, but they certainly have rung true over the past 4 years in particular.  We've been apart much of the time as Mike travels for work, but he was in my corner through my emotional departure from Food & Friends and again with my subsequent decision to pursue a more agriculturally-oriented career path.  This internship would not be possible without the financial freedom he has given me, and I feel very grateful to have such a supportive and enthusiastic partner in life.   Thank you, Mike.

So, while we're on the subject of vitality in relationships, look at this beautiful crimson clover that is growing in some of the beds that are resting in the garden.  In order to keep the soil healthy, beds need to be taken out of production every few years or so to give them time to restore their fertility.  Known by the charming term "green manures", legumes like clover, alfalfa, and peas help restore nitrogen to the soil.  Clover and alfalfa also have the added benefit of being a "biological subsoilers", which means they both have root systems strong enough to break up compacted soil far below the surface thus allowing subsequent plants to have greater access to deeper supplies of water and nutrients.  Clover also attracts bees: another great reason to have it in the garden.

Speaking of bees, another hive swarmed on Friday, but I missed it.  I think I was bringing the horses down from the pasture with Elexis when half of the hive known as Sophita decided it was time to find a new home.  According to an old saying, "A swarm in May is worth a bale of hay.  A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon.  But a swarm in July isn't worth a fly."  If you can determine the origin of this adage, I'll send you a prize.