SCARABÉE VERT

planning a tomato patch

The reality of COVID 19 is beginning to hit home. Val-David, Quebec, where I live is a small town, tucked into the mountains. A serious lockdown makes the possibility of food shortage very real.

I’m in my seventies. There doesn’t seem that much I can do to help, but I have this land. I treasure it, and as an eco-socialist I feel the importance of protecting the wilderness, but I think that this little patch of land is something I can commit to creating a resource for the community.

I have no experience growing tomatoes but I have spoken to farmers and gardeners and it is something that will grow here, a super food that can be eaten fresh or preserved in many ways.

I call this project Scarabée Vert, an edible extension of Atelier Scarabée, my print studio. For me, the act of creating art is not separate from the act of living, they are one and the same, life can be made artfully, art is made to sustain life.

I confess, I am no expert but I will endeavour to learn and already dream of a rich harvest, an oasis of life and giving, even if there is some failure along the way.

I am thankful to those who have already contributed their time and equipment to this project, particularly the professionals of Abbatage Excellence who are pictured here clearing my land.

A plan for the garden >