We have come to develop guiding principles which govern our stewardship of the land. First: “treat the land the way we’d want to be treated.” The simplicity here is almost silly. But here’s the test: Do our rhythms and practices bring life? If I were a honeybee, would I stop and forage in the abundance? If I were a grapevine, would I produce good fruit?

The second conviction has to do with manual labor. If we didn’t like work, we wouldn’t have started a farm. That said, I deeply despise rhythms that constantly pit me against the land, especially when the routines don’t bring life. For example, nothing thrives on endless mowing, spraying, weeding, etc. Not me, and certainly not the land.

Cover Crops

Today we planted a cover crop as way to reflect both of these guiding principles. The Organic Growers School concisely notes that “a cover crop is a crop you grow for the soil, instead of for your plate (emphasis mine). Cover crops add organic matter to the soil, and add nitrogen in a slow-release way that plants can handle. Cover crops can also act as mulches if managed correctly, improve soil physical properties in just one growing season, and attract beneficial insects and pollinators to your garden.”

We have chosen to plant two proprietary mixes from Kamprath Seed. The “Vineyard Mix” was sown between the vine rows and is composed of radish, mustard, oats, peas, and beans. This will be mowed at maturity and will decompose into the topsoil. The “Dryland Pasture Mix” is primarily composed of rye, clover and vetch. This blend was sown in the areas that will eventually contain our livestock, and will grown into a nice organic snack.

A Little Theology

All of this “work” feels more like a privilege. With the help of others, we’re literally breathing life back into a physical space. There’s a Biblical principle here. Isn’t it interesting that Adam was given the responsibility to “work and cultivate” the Garden of Eden prior to the serpent’s deception? The sequence of events tells us something; namely, that work was never intended to be viewed as a punishment.

Work isn’t just “not punishment.” Our ability to tame wildness, introduce order, and navigate complexity are all indicators of what it means to “bear God’s image.” And when we bear God’s image, we are breathing life into the world around us, just like God breathed life into us.