Beattitude Gardens- Janett Castillo

Beatitude Gardens is a demonstration plot led by ASU Sustainable Development graduate, Janett Castillo. Located in Todd, NC, Beatitude sits on the land surrounding Blackburn Chapel and was established by Blackburn using permaculture designs. Beatitude functions under the motto “Care for the Soil. Care for the Soul. Share the Harvest” and it was these very words that drew Janett to this position. 

Upon arriving to Beatitude Gardens for our interview, Janett Castillo was standing in front of Blackburn Chapel, a baby strapped to her chest and a straw hat resting gently against her head. She was covering up the blueberries with netting. She told us the birds loved them and the fake hawk posted in the middle of the bushes had stopped doing his job. 

It was hot that day, and I was surprised that the little baby strapped to her was content to be near his mother as she moved along through her outdoor tasks. She later told me that if he was having trouble sleeping, he was so used to being outside that she could step out into the night and he’d fall asleep. 

Having children means learning to cultivate a certain level of patience that is unbeknown prior. We asked Janett how she thought motherhood affected her position, “When you have kids you have this idea of how it's going to be and it doesn't work out that way at all and you learn to just kinda roll with it, and I think that's something that you have to do when caring for the land as well. Not just doing agriculture but in the way we do things things here you've gotta be patient with the plants, it just takes a while and it doesn't always work out the way you hope. With children, it's hard at first and then you watch them grow and you get to have awesome conversations with them. Permaculture and raising a new one can be alike in this way.”

#thisismotherhood


Interview conducted by Ahna Robbins, Women in Agriculture Profile Project Intern 
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