Starting a garden in my own backyard is an inherently solitary endeavor. Will I find that, as Roxanne Swentzell noted, it’s “hard and lonely to work in a field without others to talk to and work alongside”? If community is so important in committing to a place and a way of life, where should I seek it out?
Anywhere, of course. I live in the heart of Albuquerque, and there are all sorts of organizations around that would welcome my participation. For starters, I’m signing up to work in the Resilience Garden at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, where staff and volunteers cultivate a mix of indigenous and post-contact crops as part of the nonprofit’s mission to educate visitors about Pueblo history and culture. What better way to get involved, give back, collaborate with others, and learn even more about the region’s agricultural heritage as I go?