root to rise

gardening

This homestead is an ode to spiraling centers, the ecosomatics of body and land. There is a conversation here between person and earth, a cocreation with light and the pulse of the ground. From this responsive corregulation springs forth what this land offers. Home to over one hundred mulberries, strawberries, raspberries, black berries and elder berries, the land is abundant for all critter and people who visit our little oasis amongst the agricultural sacrifice that is monoculture. Visited by swallowtails, lightning bugs, monarchs and dragon flies, the air is often abuzz with some friend or another. The humans cultivate hugelkultur mounds to shift what would be yard waste into nutrient dense soil for years to come. Layers.

We are here to show our children we can grow food with our hands. I was raised in the suburban desert and growing my own food feels like a miracle.

Permaculture with Beginner’s Mind

Five acres of food, animals, family. Each year, we layer new dimensions of biodiversity through plants & animals, allowing what was to coexist. Scattered amongst patches of goldenrod and mullein, four doeling goats browse and forage, offering clearing & fertilization. Eight hens wander the land or kick it in the tractor trailer, shifting the earth and offering eggs.

  • In the heartland, Lawrence, Kansas.

  • Keeper is our guard dog, Lila is our cattledog. Merri is our Pomeranian chihuahua princess. Tilly is the mother goat to Pixie Rodeo. Rilo is the mother goat to Cutie. Smudge cat hitched a ride with us from Vancouver, Washington and earns his keep as a mouser. We have two bunnies named Hux & Leigh. Our hens go by usually just “the girls”.

  • This is my partner’s homeland and Lawrence is a best kept little secret. With deep familial roots & support, we know this is the place for us to be raising our kids.

  • We build raised beds in the shape of huge, glorious mounds, fertile voids of possibility. By layering felled logs, cleared brush, old grass, bedding hay, we create a ecosystem of decomposing wonder to grow in from years. This is a germanic style of gardening that we love replicating out on the prairie. We take the time to build the soil layer with a mixture of compost, dirt & natura fertilizers.

  • We love moon gazing over here at Spiraling Snake and are invested in learning biodynamic methods. We plant based off the Maria Thun calendar. We look forward to experimenting with more methods as we continue to complexify.