Welcome to the Red Oak Garden

 

Around a campfire in December, 2020, a group of friends and neighbors started talking about the need for people to come together and the joy of working on the land. From this conversation Red Oak Garden came to be. Our garden is situated on the Helping Hands and Hooves farm. The garden is an inclusive environment for individuals to work the land, enjoy each other’s company and learn from one another.

In 2022, we also added a Fun Friday on the Farm Day. In addition to horseback riding, individuals gather at the garden and participate in activities of their choice. These activities include: beeswax candle making; drum circles; yoga; art; singing; the list goes on….
We aim to empower individuals to be the best they can be. Ultimately we want our participants to share their passion and talent by leading their own group at Fun Fridays.

Mission Statement:

  • We are friends and neighbors, of all ages and backgrounds, coming together to work and learn in our garden.
  • We will try to respect and receive from the earth and each other.
  • We aim to cultivate healthy soil and nutritious produce, by studying nature’s wisdom.

Goals:

  • Visit a local educational resource, Round the Bend Farm educational center, for mentorship (teaching organic growing methods) and some supplies.
  • Learn about the “soil food web” approach to understanding the living system in the soil.
  • Have a group day to make “prayer flags”, find other ways to acknowledge our community and thank the land.
  • Plan an outdoor screening of “Fantastic Fungi” this summer! (on hold for another summer!)
  • Practice Yoga outside and mindfulness

Values:

  • Grow our plants from seed as much as possible
  • Use our resources wisely
  • Reuse and Repurpose what we have or what we gather from others
  • Let nature do as much of the work as possible
  • Share our expertise and skills
  • Learn new things about gardening, try new things, it’s OK if it doesn’t work out ~~ we will learn, adapt and try again
  • Reflect, Smile, Laugh and Have Fun!

Looking ahead:

After a year together, it’s clear that we enjoy playing in the dirt together! We look forward to our new season in 2022, as we welcome new bees and chicks, heat our greenhouse with compost, start composting with worms and add some new vegetables and flowers to our garden.

We want to expand our learning activities to include learning folk arts and traditions:

  • harvesting honey
  • dyeing fabric from the flowers we grow
  • canning and preserving our veggies
  • making jam
  • knitting cotton dish towels and embroidering napkins.