We’re working hard at creating space for a diverse array of organisms at Quiet Farm. We want plants blooming and flowering and setting seed, plants in every stage of life, throughout the season. We want our plants and trees to provide food and pollen and a home for all manner of things. We want to be a welcoming haven for songbirds and bees and insects and hummingbirds and toads and raptors and every other winged and crawling creature. We want not monoculture but polyculture, a place that mimics a natural ecosystem as closely as possible. We want life, and lots of it, everywhere we look and listen.
If we spent all our time spraying poisons and pulling “weeds,” or removing plants that didn’t fit a perfect garden aesthetic, we’d have none of this. No birdsong, no beneficial insects, no pollinators. Instead, we have a farm that bursts with color and vibrancy and life.
The world is furious and raging right now. In response: plant something colorful. Grow something delicious. Create something beautiful. Cook something nourishing. Wishing you and yours a calm, peaceful and healthy week.
Finding Quiet Farm 
Elizabeth, I just watched a wonderful film called Biggest Little Farm. I think you would strongly identify with it. Highly recommend.
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Hi Sally, thanks for your comment. We’ve seen that film, and they have a spectacular operation. It’s definitely not a “little” farm though – that’s a multimillion-dollar enterprise! Hoping you and yours are safe and well.
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So far my garden is much better than the last few years. Spinach is bolting after many dinners, lettuce and radishes just keep coming, tomatoes have flowers, squash and nasturtiums are coming up, and my little perennial garden is starting to bloom all over. I decided to not mess with the dandelions this year for the bees. There were quite a few bees. On “the neighborhood “ there was a lady who takes her walk around the area complaining about those that ‘don’t take care of their yards and those awful weeds’. Hahahahaha!! She was Not well received. Have a great summer!
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Thanks, Susan! Glad to hear your garden is thriving. Dandelions are typically one of the very first flowers that appear, and are necessary food for bees and other pollinators after a long winter. We definitely disagree with the suburban ideal of annihilating every “unacceptable” plant that pops up in the standard home’s Kentucky bluegrass monocrop.
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Thanks for the uplifting message! N’s photos are gorgeous! We are trying to do the same but have a long way to go. N’s photo of the purple iris makes me think of a Georgia O’keefe painting……love it! What is the plant in the last photo?
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Thanks, Kathy! We love having all of the different flowers around the farm. I believe the last photo is a type of salvia – but I’m not certain of the specific variety. It’s such a vibrant purple and the bees love it!
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