This week I interviewed a widely successful, retired Wall Street woman who grew up on a farm.

I’m writing a chapter about transitions from farm to urban life. Sitting on a veranda with a killer garden view, she said that it was all about collaboration on the farm. You can’t come from THIS and not know how to work on a team.

The value in teaching children how to vegetable garden? It teaches them team work.

It’s true. Race, age, sex didn’t matter when the cows got out. Everybody chased. Everybody knew getting them back meant having beef later on.

Team Planting for a September Garden Party

Jacob and I spent today doing family work. Two cousins, from different sides of the family, decided to get married in early September.

To design for that, I reviewed hundreds of notes and old photo from the proposed wedding dates. In 102 F, we planted today. Old lattte toned, tiny Sammy Phoenix, also from that Allendale farm, cut the grass. A carpenter carpend. Mary Ruffin organized inside and brought us water.

For a September party, here’s what you can do in mid summer. We planted:

Pink Vinca
Blue Salvia
Purple Grasses
Blue Clock Vine
Elephant Ears
Rose of Sharon
Blue Perennial Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum)
Black eyed Susan vine
Purple Castor Beans

And finally, we seeded the entire place with Zinna seeds, Datura seeds and some corn for foliage.

We put a bit of Earthfood compost in every hole. Then, we strawed the entire place, going light on the seeded areas. We finished up with a light liquid fertilizer and plenty of water.

And, cause we all came from that farm, even if the younger ones of us only remember the remnants, we finished with a hazy thought of a garden party in September!