On Tuesday, February 6, the second presentation in Camden Garden Club’s Winter Horticulture Series took place in the Picker Room at Camden Public Library.

Hilary Crowell, assistant farm manager at Chewonki in Wiscasset was the featured speaker. Chewonki, established in 1915, is a school, camp and environmental education organization that inspires transformative growth, teaches appreciation and stewardship of the natural world, and challenges people to build thriving, sustainable communities throughout their lives. Each year Chewonki touches the lives of nearly 20,000 young people in programs that range from one hour to one semester. Ms. Crowell’s path to farming began at a horse camp in Northern Minnesota where she worked many summers as a wrangler and learned the meaning of hard, physical labor and developed a love for working in the natural world. After studying biology in college she apprenticed, interned, and managed at several small organic farms in the Northeast. She loves the rhythm of farming, the duality of constant surprises and predictable outcomes, and the satisfaction of being physically tired at the end of each workday. As a farmer, she values lessons in common sense, self-sufficiency and problem-solving.

The series is free and open to the public. The weekly Winter Horticulture Series will continue on Tuesdays throughout February.