Goodness Weekly 8.10.26
“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies, but grows to the enduring happiness that the love of gardening gives.”
—Gertrude Jekyll
WHAT’S GOOD
🐦 Ornithology Workshop – Saturday, August 15th
Curious about the birds in your backyard and beyond? Join us at Charis Park on Saturday, August 15th from 10 - 10:45 AM during the Farmers Market for a free ornithology workshop with Alfredo Paul Llamas! Learn about bird habitat, migration, conservation, host plants, and more in this casual, engaging session. No registration required—just show up and discover the fascinating world of birds right in your own community!
From Seed to Seed
Amy Lynn Johnson, Communications Manager, Sunset Ridge Collective
I had the pleasure of following Sunset Ridge Church’s VBS kids around for several days at the beginning of July to take photos of all the fun things they were up to. It was sweet watching them sing as they gathered in the mornings, and arts and crafts was fun, but I enjoyed following them out to Charis Park the most.
On one of those mornings, our Farmers Market manager, Sarah, did a lesson on seeds. The kids got to package their own wildflower, sunflower, and clover seeds to take home and to donate. As their little fingers packaged them up, they were introduced to the concept of seed to seed—the idea that the endlife of a seed isn’t the fruit or flower it produces, but the new seed that comes after that full lifecycle of the plant. Such a simple concept, but one that takes a mindset shift in our world of buying most of our produce from the store without any connection to the planting and growing of anything ourselves.
Packaging seeds at Sunset ridge Church’s VBS last month
Earlier this year, I shared about being invited to help myself in a friend’s overflowing zinnia garden. After a failed attempt to plant my own zinnias last year, I doubled down on my efforts this year. I prepped an area in my backyard that had rich soil and plenty of sunshine, and planted my store-bought seeds with an abundance of hope. I spent every morning going out and watering the garden from my rain barrel before my first cup of coffee. It was a great wakeup ritual. I tasked my boyfriend with tending them while I was traveling and leapt for joy when he sent me pictures of them sprouting.
I also got the itch to start a vegetable garden again for the first time in nearly a decade, and tending to my potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs became another part of my morning garden routine. Two months in and I was picking my own fresh blooms, and they eventually towered nearly as tall as I am. I’ve enjoyed my own fresh flowers all summer long and they’re still eking out a few new blooms each week. They’ve also started drying up as they age and I’ve been collecting seeds. It’s so satisfying to pluck the petals with their seeds attached.
Fresh zinnias from my garden this year
I’m storing plenty for next year, but also decided to try my hand at planting some of them in another spot by my front porch—the same spot I tried to grow my first zinnias in fact. I’ve added them to my morning watering rotation and can already see them sprouting up. I have high hopes for more blooms well into fall. I’ve learned a lot since my first attempt at growing zinnias, and it feels like a full-circle moment both for myself and my garden.
We use metaphors like ‘planting seeds’ or ‘reaping what we sow’ pretty frequently in life—but it’s often with an end goal (or consequence) in mind. With a garden, there is no end goal if you’re taking the time to not only harvest the fruit but the seeds as well. Going from seed to seed helps continue the cycle of growth and abundance not only in our gardens, but in our lives as well. Chances are you can trace back to the original seed of a fruit in life you’re enjoying now. What new fruit might come if you continue to plant seeds from the current garden you’ve grown?
Coming Up…
Daily, NYX Yoga & Fitness
Daily, One Another Coffee
Wednesdays, 11 AM - 1:30 PM, Open Studio Painting
Wednesdays, Mission Compost Pick Up
Wednesdays-Sundays, Scott’s Pizza, Charis Park
Saturdays, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Sundays, Worship at 9 AM and 11 AM, Sunset Ridge Church
Friday, August 14, 5 - 9 PM, Parents’ Night Out, Sunset Ridge Church, Open to kids up to 11, Register here
Saturday, August 15, 10 - 10:45 AM, Ornithology Workshop, Charis Park, Come learn about the study of birds in this free workshop during the Farmers Market
Friday, August 28, 7 - 9:30 PM, Full Moon Friday, Charis Park
Event Rentals - Interested in hosting your event at Charis Park or in our facilities? Please email rentals@sunset-ridge.org
Community Partners: For updated schedules and events please follow One Another Coffee, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, NYX Wellness, Scott’s Pizza, Mission Compost, Sprouts School, Good Acres, and Community First Food Pantry.
