Interplanting Community

I guess Cam and I have decided we’re deadline people. Or maybe we’re just procrastinating folks. Or maybe we are dreamers who can’t say no and end up with to-do lists that seem to be somewhat unmanageable. Regardless, we’ve made a decision: we are tackling (and I do mean that literally) the siding. Because it never snows in Minnesota in October. Right?!

Some of you know that about a year ago Cam and I purchased our first home together. You may have heard that it is a “fixer-upper.” Some of you have seen it and know that it is really more of a “falling-downer.” But it is our home and our mess and our dream. And we love it. 

Luckily, we are also very well loved. (Or maybe the primary sentiment is pity.) We have had a number of move-in, clean-up, big-project days where friends and family have jumped in to help us. This last weekend, once again, had me dumbstruck. By the early morning our yard was filled with family members who had driven miles, sacrificed an entire day, and given their all to help us achieve our somewhat irrational goal. Tearing off rotten siding, dodging woodpeckers, covered in insulation, hauling heavy sheeting . . . all while smiling and giving encouragement. Along with some endearing family sarcasm of course. 

And now I can’t stop thinking about companion planting. 

Hear me out here; I know I’m in the wrong season. Most of us cold and tired Midwestern gardeners are focused on putting their gardens to bed. (At least if they're not simultaneously remodeling.)

But I’m wrapped up in this idea of interplanting and community. I like to plant my celery at the foot of my tomato plants because, together, they get the appropriate sun and water retention. I planted snap beans with my peppers this year and I’ve never had a more abundant crop of bell peppers. So many things grow better in tandem. Basil with tomatoes, flowers in the veg plots, chamomile with onions, marigolds with . . . everything! When you have the right set of plants together, they thrive together. 

What if we too are interplanted in our communities? How are we sowing into the lives of those around us? Are we honoring the extra boost we get from those in community with us? What happens when our communities intersect (perhaps over an epic fall siding project) and begin to benefit one another? Are we truly aware of the way our lives grow alongside others?

I’m not idealistic enough to believe all interplanting is healthy. Sometimes a growing pattern just doesn’t work and leaves the garden susceptible to disease or without enough nutrients. But no companion planting works the way it should if it isn’t tended well. I am inspired to work a little harder at recognizing and cultivating my community. As we go into winter, the desire to hibernate and isolate becomes a major temptation. I am making a conscious decision now to push in, to invest, to relish in my community. And, hopefully, they feel as loved by me as I do by them.