In our little section of Appalachia, Mother’s Day traditionally brings the beginning of the planting season. We celebrate our maternal elders and all they do for their families while the middle of May brings the last frost date to our planting zone. It is a very fitting connection as both our gardens and our maternal elders bring nurture and guidance to our family groups.

Our group has grown again this year. We have expanded our plans, spent hours poring cover seed catalogs, researching organic seeds grown for our area, clearing land, plowing and tilling.

Lots of training and workshops have kept our entire group engaged- a Planning Your Garden Workshop, a Planting your Garden Workshop, with healthy cooking practices . For our gardeners who plan to sell some of their produce we’ve had optional meetings with our Ag Extension Agent for Best Produce Practices Training Certification, Sampling Certification Training along with a raised bed construction demonstration for our participants who want home gardens. Our Face Book group is off to a good start but we have decided to hang on to the FB chat group just for our members to continue to have lots of conversations with each other where anyone can jump in at any time.

Our cool season crops and seeds are planted and it’s finally time for our plants to go in the ground this week. With the arrival of Mother’s Day comes our last frost date and the best days for planting are here!

The planting of seeds and plants calming and empowering representing our hope for renewal after a winter of rest. For many in our group, gardening is both exciting and peaceful at the same time, a source of income, a way to feed our families, a way to teach our children and a way to connect to our families. It brings us a connection to nature, a form of therapy, a sense of community and a source of pride.

Bring on the sun!