Blog: Musings on the Earth, Mindful Living, and our Connections

Extending our Thanks: #GivingTuesday
Building Community, Caring for One Another, Caring for the Earth, Feeding Each Other, Giving Back Robin Damsky Building Community, Caring for One Another, Caring for the Earth, Feeding Each Other, Giving Back Robin Damsky

Extending our Thanks: #GivingTuesday

Next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday that brings people together to reflect on and express their gratitude for the good in their lives. Yesterday I was talking with a gentleman in the grocery store. I don’t know him by name, but he has helped me ...

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Planning Your Garden Part 4: The Fall Garden
Caring for the Soul, Feeding Each Other, Gardens, Growing Food, Organic Gardening, Permaculture, Volunteer Day Robin Damsky Caring for the Soul, Feeding Each Other, Gardens, Growing Food, Organic Gardening, Permaculture, Volunteer Day Robin Damsky

Planning Your Garden Part 4: The Fall Garden

In the last few weeks, we have harvested lots of fruits and veggies, and some plants have completed their season. The garden looks different. There are big pockets of emptiness, soil with nothing growing in it. Harvesting turnips, beets...

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Planning Your Garden, Part 2: Flowers and Veggies Together
About In the Gardens, Gardens, Growing Food, Mindfulness, Organic Gardening Robin Damsky About In the Gardens, Gardens, Growing Food, Mindfulness, Organic Gardening Robin Damsky

Planning Your Garden, Part 2: Flowers and Veggies Together

I recently learned something about why it’s great to plant certain flowers near specific vegetables. I knew a few basics: that marigolds deter pests and sweet alyssum is great next to your kale, broccoli, collards and other brassicas. But why? Well, let’s start with marigolds. And note that there are different varieties of marigolds. You can grow the average size, from about 18-24 inches high, or you might prefer, as I do, the dwarf size. These grow up to about eight inches high and make great borders, because they don’t take up a lot of...

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Planning Your Garden, Part 1: Companion Plants
Gardens, Growing Food, Mindfulness, Organic Gardening, Permaculture Robin Damsky Gardens, Growing Food, Mindfulness, Organic Gardening, Permaculture Robin Damsky

Planning Your Garden, Part 1: Companion Plants

“I planted peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and zucchini,” a neighbor told me. “The tomatoes aren’t growing at all, and the cucumbers are really struggling. How do you get your vegetables to grow so full and productively?” I hear these questions often. There are some basics...

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Mindfulness, Chocolate and Walking
Caring for the Soul, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mindfulness Practice Robin Damsky Caring for the Soul, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mindfulness Practice Robin Damsky

Mindfulness, Chocolate and Walking

When you think of mindfulness, what comes to mind? I recognize that’s a pun of sorts. Apologies. When someone tells us to be mindful of something, they are seeking for us to pay attention, to focus ourselves to make sure we are present for a particular event, thought, or activity. Teaching mindfulness has the same goal. We...

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A Special Volunteer!
Caring for One Another, Feeding Each Other, Growing Food, Organic Gardening, Social Justice, Volunteer Day Robin Damsky Caring for One Another, Feeding Each Other, Growing Food, Organic Gardening, Social Justice, Volunteer Day Robin Damsky

A Special Volunteer!

Last Saturday I had the honor of seeing one of my former students become a bar mitzvah. It was especially meaningful because of the close relationships I have with so many members of his family, particularly with his grandmother Judy (Gunga, as she is known), who is one of In the Gardens’ main volunteers. And yet...

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