MAYDAY in the Garden
May 1st is May Day - a word charged with meaning. It’s not just Beltane or the celebration of blooming, but it’s also a cry for help. A fist in the air. A signal that something is off, and we need to act.
Let’s break it down:
Mayday is a distress call, used when lives are on the line.
It’s what you shout when the ship is sinking, when the system has failed, when you're out of options and need help now.
It’s not casual. It’s not rhetorical.
It’s an alarm that says: this is real. This is urgent. This is life or death.
May Day is also International Workers’ Day, born out of labor uprisings and the struggle for fair treatment.
It honors the hands that build, grow, clean, deliver, care, and create, especially those who are too often exploited, underpaid, and invisibilized.
It’s a day of protest, solidarity, and remembering that the systems we live under weren’t built for us, so we have to build something else.
In Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Mayday is the code name for the underground resistance.
A secret network of women and allies working to dismantle a regime built on control, fear, and violence.
Mayday whispers in the shadows. It moves in silence.
It reminds us that rebellion isn’t always loud, but it is always burning.
And long before any of that, May Day was Beltane—an ancient fire festival.
A celebration of life force, fertility, passion, and creative power.
It marked the moment when the Earth turns toward full bloom, when heat and hunger and growth begin to rise.
It’s the spark that says: Live fully. Burn brightly. Don’t wait.
All of that is alive right now.
The natural world is humming. Plants are stretching toward the sun.
But the manmade world is flaring with disruption—rising costs, food instability, censorship, and fear.
So here’s what I’m doing: I’m grounding into preparation.
What I'm Growing
I'm focused on long-storage, subsistence crops that nourish and last:
Beans that double as fresh and dry
Potatoes & winter squash
Root vegetables like carrots, beets, turnips, garlic & onions
Propagating perennial kale
Cabbage, which stores well both fresh and fermented
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and summer squash
I’m also preparing spiritually too; not just for physical challenges, but for the emotional weight of witnessing collapse. I’m planting more flowers than ever so that my garden is a sanctuary. I’m tending beauty and connection alongside survival. Because a well-fed spirit resists better.
What I'm Stocking Up On
Basic food staples: rice, beans, oats, flour, sugar, oil, salt, vinegar, coffee
First aid & hygiene: peroxide, alcohol, OTC medicines, bandages, soap-making ingredients
Garden supplies: all the materials to finish my latest garden rebuild
Preservation tools: canning supplies, vacuum seal bags, freezer bags
Power backups: solar chargers, batteries, headlamps, power banks
Little by little, when things go on sale. No panic buying. Just calm readiness.
What I'm Preserving
Herbs dried for tea, flavor, medicine, magic
Fermented veg for gut health and storage
Pickled nasturtium capers, cauliflower, carrot & radish
Dehydrated fruit, veg, broth, and sourdough starter
Proteins dried, canned and frozen
Glass eggs
What I'm Planning Ahead For
Succession planting so nothing goes to waste
Swapping and bartering with neighbors
Tree grafting for variety
Fermenting chicken feed and stocking up on seed for fodder
Building soil with compost and chop & drop methods
Why I’m Doing It
Because I want my family to have options.
Because I don’t trust our systems to hold us when things get shaky.
Because the most radical thing I can do right now is stay calm, self-sufficient, and rooted.
Preparing is not panic. It’s the resilience of knowing that the skills, tools, and reserves I’ve cultivated can sustain me and my people.
If this resonates, I’d love to hear what you’re growing or gathering this season.
What do you want help with? What would be useful to you?
We're in this together.
Alycia
Self Sown Garden
