Weekly News, 6.23.21
Happy National Pollinator Week!
Sometimes it’s hard to see the impact we’re making from our efforts to do good, whether in the garden or in life. Yet “little strokes fell great oaks” as Benjamin Franklin once said, and we will eventually see the fruits of our labor.
With the 4th of July almost here, I thought this quote by Benjamin Franklin, one of our country’s Founding Fathers, was fitting. I had never heard of it, so it was fun to do a little research to find out what it means. Here’s what I learned. It’s considered an epigram, or a very short poem, and was included in Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1750. It’s saying that a series of small acts can make a big change. National Geographic describes the saying as “a smart, serious commentary on the power of isolated, “small” individuals or groups of individuals. Years after this epigram was written, the “little oaks” of the American Colonies (Franklin, George Washington, other Founding Fathers and “Minute Men”) would fell the “great oak” of the British Empire.”
I think that the saying is also fitting for Pollinator Week. As many of us individuals or small groups around the country do a small part to care for our pollinator population, together we can make a huge impact. It’s been fun to follow the reports from the work of the Pollinator Partnership over the years and watch the impact taking place. If you haven’t already, check out some of their resources or follow them on social media to learn more.
Here are a few great things to know and reasons to visit us soon–
- our current homegrown produce availability includes tomatoes, zucchini, blueberries, microgreens, lettuce, spinach, arugula, and beet greens.
- stay tuned for a new weekly produce bag program to begin the week of July 12. It’s kind of like a CSA (community supported agriculture), but you can opt in week to week, and we will advertise exactly what you will be getting. Pickups will be every Saturday from 10am – 2pm beginning July 17.
- a fresh crop of perennial container gardens just got stocked from our back production greenhouses. They each have 2-3 perennials that attract pollinators and will look great on a porch, patio or set in a garden bed. In the fall, plant the perennials to enjoy them for years to come.
- new plant arrivals this week include more perennials for shade, as well as more Asclepias tuburosa, (butterfly weed or milkweed), the beloved host plant for Monarchs.
- the Fields to Fork wine dinner with Di’Anoia’s on August 21 is sold out, but we have another great dinner lined up with Scratch & Co., so stay tuned for tickets to be on sale soon.
- our store hours will change beginning July 1. For the rest of our season, (July – December), we will be closed on Sundays. We’re looking forward to working hard during the week but having a regularly scheduled day of rest on Sundays.
Gardening is a series of small steps that can make a big change. Just doing a little each day makes a huge impact, right? Pulling weeds, fertilizing, moving plants around to other areas of the garden, adding in new plants, a little pruning here, a little deadheading there… it all adds up to create something beautiful. Wishing you JOY in the process.
Take care,
Melanie
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Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health and is taking place from June 21st-27th. It’s a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them.
Pollinators keep the environment healthy and blooming with beautiful and colorful flowers. Over 80% of flowering plants rely on pollinators for reproduction. Seeds, nuts, fruits, and berries produced from pollination are used by a vast array of wildlife for food, and pollinators themselves are also an important food source for other animal and insect species.
Pollinators are affected by habitat loss as there are fewer areas for them to find flowers. But you can help! One of the best ways to protect pollinators and ensure a healthy environment for future generations is to plant a native habitat for them. Check out and share the following links on the Pollinator Partnership’s website to plan, source, and plant your own pollinator habitat!
Ecoregional Planting Guides
– https://www.pollinator.org/guides
Pollinator Garden Recipe Cards
– https://www.pollinator.org/gardencards
Regional Native Pollinator Mixtures
– https://www.pollinator.org/shop/seeds
Pollinator Garden Signs
– https://www.pollinator.org/garden-signs
