Étienne LavalléeÉtienne Lavallée is an arts educator, archivist, and urban agrarian. Born in Southern California to a French Cajun and Choctaw father, and a Roma mother, he has gardened in small spaces his entire life. He enjoys foraging, herbalism, botanical illustration, and hiking. He lives in London, Ontario with his beloved husband, some ducks who come and go as they please, and two compost bins. Greenhorn gardeners tend to tell me the same thing, that they have a brown thumb. They had a few attempts with a bonsai, a cactus, and they gave up, convinced they had an inherent flaw with all green living things. After the failure, after the desiccated remains have been composted, comes the opportunity. This is an opportunity to attune yourself better to the needs of living things around you.
The first year I moved here, I laid down compost and black earth in an experimental plot. The soil was tight clay, rigid and stiff in the hand. I got on my hands and knees and aerated the soil. I added the usual organic amendments, coffee grounds and eggshells. I planted a little bit of everything, and then I observed.
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