“People often ask me what one thing I would recommend to restore relationship between land and people. My answer is almost always, ‘Plant a garden.’ It’s good for the health of the earth and it’s good for the health of people. A garden is a nursery for nurturing connection, the soil for cultivation of practical reverence. And its power goes far beyond the garden gate — once you develop a relationship with a little patch of earth, it becomes a seed itself. Something essential happens in a vegetable garden. It’s a place where if you can’t say ‘I love you’ out loud, you can say it in seeds. And the land will reciprocate, in beans.” –Robin Wall Kimmerer, in Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

The photos are of The Justice Garden outside of Hartford Community Court.

You now know as much about this as I do. Possibly more.

I noticed this awhile ago, and then forgot about it. The court area is not where I tend to spend my time, but last month the honor of my presence was requested for Jury Duty. Noticing the end-of-season flowers and vegetables was the least annoying part of that experience.

I’ve never seen anyone gardening, but you can see that the beds are tended to. They are jammed into a space between the court and a parking garage. I’ve wondered if this is better or worse than if community garden beds were installed across the street on the park/traffic island where Columbus was taken off his pedestal. That space is begging to be activated, and some friendly competition among gardeners would not be the worst thing.

Climate Possibilities is a series about climate mitigation, along with resilience, resistance, and restoration. It’s about human habitat preservation. It’s about loving nature and planet Earth, and demanding the kind of change that gives future generations the opportunity for vibrant lives. Doomers will be eaten alive, figuratively. All photographs are taken in Hartford, Connecticut unless stated otherwise.