Gardening tip from The Call of the Land

Are you interested in growing your own food to promote family togetherness and help fight the rising cost of groceries? You should read The Call of the Land by Steven McFadden. Here's an excerpt:

John Kimmey is a seed planter with the scope of a visionary and the skill set of a community developer. In the 1970s he became acquainted with the traditional Hopi elders at Hotevilla, Arizona. At their request, he settled in to assist them in communicating with the United Nations and various national governments. He became a student and traveling companion of the late Hopi messenger and village leader David Monongye.

“When I associated with Native American elders, they encouraged me to grow gardens. Grandfather David gave me blue corn seeds and asked me to grow them out. He said, ‘I want you to experiment. The first experiment is to divide the seeds, then to grow two separate plots: one right next to where you are camped, the other further away, out of earshot.’

“I planted both plots of corn on the same day, and did normal irrigation and cultivation with both. Grandfather told me to sing to just one of the plots, the one closest to where I slept. I awoke each morning at dawn and sang to the crop nearest, and I also sang whenever I cultivated. I asked what song I should sing, and Grandfather said to sing any song that is meaningful to me, and to sing every day.

“As it turned out at harvest time, the sung corn matured a week earlier than the control corn, with more ears per stalk, and the ears had transformed from the more typical dull blue to a rich, vibrant purple color. I went back and gave Grandfather David the results, and he nodded with understanding. He said the ancestors always sang to their crops, especially during drought. ‘Song makes them stronger,’ he said.

“Grandfather said that your cultivars—the seeds you save and grow—become part of your family. ‘Treat them with the same love, care, and attention that you show to your children.’

“What I hear from the land now is a theme of ‘resolution.’ We have through split consciousness created severe polarities, and they are constantly trying to resolve themselves to balance. Our consciousness is the key to resolution. When we resolve ourselves, the land does, too.

“Begin your relationship with nature and farming on a personal level. Grow your own backyard garden, no matter what else you do. The garden will serve as your mentor. Any questions you may have you can answer through your own experiments in the garden. From that you can begin to achieve a relationship with the land and the plants and the climate. That will be your source of guidance in the future. You can consider that as your main teacher.”