Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
~Viktor E. Frankl
Dear Reader
Dragging the silage tarp between fields in the Gemmo Forest is no one’s favorite task; just ask any volunteer or intern. I am certain it would never make a top ten list. On the other hand, repositioning one, securing it, and walking away knowing a transformation has begun is quite satisfying. Placing tarps is more than just a task; it is a commitment to the land beneath it. You’ve entered into a relationship, and the most honorable way forward is to be in response.
The phrase, in relationship with the land, once rang deep with meaning but has since been reused and diluted so many times that all value was lost. Instead, I prefer to say that in the Gemmo Forest we are in response to the land. In practice, that means we observe before interacting and always ask the land in question, "How do you wish to support our work?"
The slowing down of the current growing season has prompted me to take stock and consider next steps in collaboration with the land. It’s now a fall ritual, repeated for the past four years. It is how decisions are made. There was never a five-year plan for the Gemmo Forest; instead, there was a vision. How that vision evolved was only revealed season to season.
This approach has allowed us to adjust and pivot as needed in the face of harsh weather, lack of rain, changes in grant programming, or availability of volunteers. Surprisingly to those schooled in best business practices, the model has worked. Each year we observe and respond to a new parcel of the 12.5 acres of land, and something quite beautiful emerges.
In 2023, we developed the first guilds in conversation with the land about how we might begin this huge undertaking. Organized around Gemmo production plants, the small gardens demonstrated a permaculture practice and allowed us to gently experiment with what would be possible. Within that season, guilds were designed for Black Currant, Lingonberry, Sea Buckthorn, and Crab Apple.
The feathered edge began to take shape in 2024. It was an answer we received when we asked how large groups of trees and shrubs could best serve the land. The first 50 x 100-foot section of Gemmo trees and shrubs was planted and formed the start of an edge that was also a wildlife corridor, eventually running the length of the forest land. Planted in five rows by mature height, Virginia Rose, Hawthorn, Hazel, Hornbeam, and Field Maple made up the original section. The feathered edge would soften the transition from the conifer perimeter to the fields below, which we hoped would take shape in the future.
The addition of the tea garden in 2025, with concentric circles of hugelkulture beds, was an answer that emerged when we considered growing medicinal herbs. The garden allowed us an opportunity to experiment with hugelkulture growing, known to reduce the need for watering, at a time when the potential installation of irrigation was still unknown. We introduced a variety of herbs that first year, and by the end of an extremely hot, dry summer, several proved their endurance.
The tree nursery, also added in 2025, was an answer to how we might lower the cost of our tree and shrub installation and eventually provide a service to the community. Shifting it from a temporary location to a forever home in the entrance field brought meaning to the yet-determined space. Several permanent beds 50 feet in length were created for the existing tree babies, with plenty of room for more in the future.
This 2026 season began with a functioning pond pump and the realization that irrigation was no longer a dream but a reality. After four seasons of hauling five-gallon buckets of water, this was an answer to a long-held prayer. This vital addition changed what was possible. The first response was to add a fruit orchard of 17 trees bought using funds from a local grant and planted in the entrance field, parallel to the expanding tree nursery. We were thrilled to learn that the grant agreement requires us to donate the future fruit to our local food pantry. To benefit the many pollinators and the health of each tree, a selection of perennial support plants was clustered around their base. Once established, we seeded the remaining stretch of land with a bee foraging perennial cover crop to keep them fed all season long.
Ready to expand our herb production mid-summer, five permanent beds became home to three different medicinal herbs: comfrey, yarrow, and spotted bee balm. This production field would be the first of many to come but how many and the lay out was yet unclear. That was true until last week.
It was only fitting that in the midst of earthy Virgo season the land would indicate the location of the next fields to be cultivated. It began with some annual brush mowing maintenance, and suddenly a series of future fields were born. Which brings me back to silage tarps and why I was dragging them around this week. After observing this newly opened space and conversing with the land the first tarp was placed. It now forming a new relationship with that particular patch of land and securing our commitment to once again observe and respond.
Being in response certainly does not only apply to growing. It is applicable to all relationships, including human-to-human, where it can become tricky and requires constant practice. I do believe, however, the skills gained are transferable, and the more practice I have in observing and responding to the land, the more agile I will become in all the relationships I cherish.
Energies I will be noting in the week ahead:
Now through Monday the 14th, the Sun will continue through Gate 47. I'll be tapping into my internal tools to steady the ride through what could feel like a restrictive stretch of time.
Tuesday the 15th, the Sun begins its transit through Gate 6, with 5.5 days to practice my diplomacy skills, notice when I feel reactive, and pull back and pause.
Thursday the 17th, Chiron, the planet of the wounded healer, retrogrades back into Aries until mid April. It's a time for introspection to re-evaluate core wounds with great potential for healing.
Until next week,
Follow the Sun September 9-20
