On September 26th, five YAYA’s travelled to the Campesinos’ Garden in Fellsmere and although the Fall season had just begun that week, you would not have known it that day with just how hot it was. This is Florida, right? Or so the joke goes. But getting knees deep in dirt with new and old friends on any day, hot or cold, is an honor
Upon arriving at the garden, Maru and Daniel showed us the plots we would be working on for the afternoon and we quickly got started on tilling the soil and pulling pesky weeds. Throughout the afternoon, we worked on a few beds, tilling, weeding, and laying seeds. This is not the say that it was just us volunteers working, but also our guides which included a few of the kids! I was blown away not only by how much we got done with the many hands we had, but by how easily and quickly everyone began working together. Only a few hours had passed, and together we got four beds ready for the Fall harvest. Afterwards, when we were sufficiently layered in dirt, we were treated to an amazing meal.
As far as gardening experience goes, I was severely lacking and I felt like I was able to jump right in and start learning. While my last visit to Fellsmere was over two years ago, I felt to blessed to have been able to go back and even be invited back next month. I look forward to fostering deeper connections with our friends in Fellsmere, learning more about the community and gardening, and helping where I can.
Thank you, Nico for always extending the invitation, thank you to my friends at the Campesinos’ Garden, and thank you to those that gave donations for new gardening tools. See you again on November 7th!
In solidarity,
Shelby Radcliffe
Central Florida YAYA
