"The Seeds We Planted Grew!"

So the kids and their parents came pouring into my garden again for Open Garden, and one little girl saw it immediately. The little seedlings from seeds the kids had planted several weeks ago.

"The seeds we planted grew!" she exclaimed.

Someone else discovered that the sorrel was growing again, and the kids descended upon it, munching the tart, lemony leaves they love so much. I told them it was growing in two other places as well and challenged them to find it. They did.

We made paper with leaves and sticks and recycled newspaper that they all gathered and added to the blender for pulp, in which we also added seeds. They each left with a little cup of soil with a piece of the seeded paper buried in it, to see if it would grow. I asked them to report back on what happens, so we can learn together what works and what doesn't.

The kids planted onions all around a few beds, like little green guardians to keep the rabbits out. They painted. They made bird feeders in honor of The Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. And, mostly, when I looked around the garden, they worked in little teams, doing what needed to be done, or simply having fun, without having to be directed quite as much as before.

Although I tell the kids when it gets a little out-of-hand to bring it down because "plants are sleeping in the beds," they know as well as I do, now that they know the garden--the plants are waking up. To their now-trained eyes, they see what would have been barely perceptible before. And when some "new" kids showed up and started throwing hay around--a veritable hay free-for-all--they got a bit upset. One mother emailed me to tell me that her daughter felt "territorial" when that happened.

And I guess that's what it's all about. Feeling a sense of responsibility. Ownership. Pride. Caring for a piece of earth--perhaps for some, for the first time in their lives. And seeing the results of their efforts. And knowing it matters.

And so, off we go, to another week on our FoodShed Planet. I can't wait to tell you about some folks I've found who are doing some amazing things, and some new products I love!

This week on FoodShed Planet:

* Tea, chocolate and wine!
* The question on everyone's mind: What is Farmer D up to?
* Team Pattie Victory Garden update: Meet new gardeners from Hawaii and England!
* A daily email that can change the course of your day
* And a book (and its authors) that can change the world!

Ah, it's good to be back.