Alison's Post

Here's Alison's first post (our other awesome intern). We hope you enjoy learning along with them.

I came to the Seed Library from an organic farm in Vermont. When I first arrived, I thought that I was in the wrong place and I actually pulled out of the driveway and drove on – the vast property is dotted with dilapidated, quasi-unsafe buildings that used to house a Ukranian children’s camp. To the uninitiated, this scene is a little confusing, and happily Doug and Ken intercepted me before I could get too far off track.

My time so far at the Library has been marked by lots of seed sowing (though tomato seeds are very small, it’s sort of blissful to see them jump into their rightful place and watch as their “beards” become saturated with the soil’s moisture), bed preparation (a comically arduous process than involves many, many steps), and question-asking (Ken and Doug are so great about answering the thousands of questions I send their way daily).

It’s really very satisfying to see the wild, winterized farm tamed by our labor, and to see young seedlings grow slowly but surely. And I can’t wait to learn the differences between vegetable varieties, something they’re pretty particular about around here (advance apologies for gushing about basil and its varieties – that’s a personal educational goal and I’m simply obsessed with the herb).

In addition to farming for the HVSL, I’ll be starting a portable container garden of my own, which I’ll be documenting here on the blog. So those with a desire to grow food and who lament their lack of farmable space, I hear you -- stay tuned!