Grace’s Garden🪴

Photo: Café Flower in Full Bloom

Here we are again,
Beginning a veggie garden from scratch
Having first done so during the Summer of 2009
Shortly after moving from Arizona🌞 to Maui🌈.
That was the first garden of many to be established
Upon that Beautiful land of Maui.

Spring 2026,
Land is being cleared
For what will be the Community Garden,
Aka “Grace’s Garden”,
Situated upon the land we are stewarding
In Palmira, Boquete, Panamá🇵🇦.
The garden is across an interior drive from the “Orno”,
The café drying house,
And adjacent to the container,
Convenient for tool and equipment storage.

A small plantain patch blesses the garden to-be,
Along with a couple of small guavas.
A Dulce (sweet) Banana🍌 tree
Has been planted in the vicinity,
With more fruit bearing trees to be planted
In what will be a small orchard.
For those familiar with an Apple Banana,
The Dulce Banana is even more flavorful!

Leaves were raked into a large compost pile,
Branches and sticks placed in another pile for long-term composting,
A backhoe hired for the removal of café tree stumps,
Which will be burned and used for biochar.

Given the abundant rainfall during the wet season,
A greenhouse is being constructed,
So as to reduce the amount of moisture
The plants within receive during the rainy season,
As well as protect, from what can be,
Fierce winds during the dry season.
Insect deterring / repelling plants such as
Lemongrass, Rosemary, Chrysanthemums,
Nasturtiums, Rue, Sage, Citronella
Will grace the exterior boundary of the greenhouse
With the intention for assisting
With a bug-less environment
Within the protective covered habitat.

We are excited to once again
Harvest from our own garden,
Given our devotion
To the practice of organic techniques
We utilize in tending the soil and plants,
Recognizing we (once again!)
Have much to learn
Considering local insects🐛 and
Variable climate at this 4500-foot elevation.

Mostly, I am desirous to co-create
With our budding🌷Community
As we invite those
Who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear
That there is something happening on this planet –
We are at the precipice of Awakening
To that which is meaningful:
Connection,
Connection with one another🫂,
Connection with the land🙏

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Next Friends Journal: Greenhouse Manifestation🪴