Homesteading Month Features Garden Therapy at In a Good Way Farm

IN A GOOD WAY
farm is located in Talihina,
Okla. The 160-acre nonprofit
training farm, which was established to give Native American men a second
chance, held their first annual Homesteading Education Month Event with an
estimated 200 people in attendance. Visitors not only enjoyed the displays,
demonstrations and hands-on workshops, but enjoyed watching them during the
light rain that fell during the day’s event. After two years of drought, rain
is a blessing to the farmers of Oklahoma. 

 Demonstrations and workshops offered were: building an 18-by-60-foot
hoop house by Leon’s
Green Houses and the Noble Foundation, a one step process of laying raised
beds, irrigation line and covering with plastic mulch by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture,
Food and Forestry (ODAFF), and planting seedlings.

The hoop house and raised beds will be on display by
appointment at the farm in an ongoing educational experience.Other
demonstrations enjoyed were building a greenhouse using empty plastic water
bottles, Lone Star Farm Apiary’s chemical-free beekeeping class, an old-fashioned
quilting bee, a solar food dehydrator, Billy Kniffen of Texas A&M’s
rainwater harvesting, Walnut Creek Alpacas’ prize-winning alpacas, and the
Oklahoma Choctaw Cultural Preservation Department teaching how to make baskets,
pottery, beadwork and flutes.

Teddi Irwin, executive director of IN A GOOD WAY farm says, “We were so
pleased with the outcome of the Homesteading Event that this will be an annual
event at our farm. In addition to the annual event, we will hold ongoing mini
events each month throughout next year.The hoop house and raised bed garden
will always be open to the public by appointment.”

To get additional information or to set up a visit just give
us a call at 918-567-3313 or send us an email at inagoodway@ymail.com.

Photos by Teddi Irwin