As someone born and raised in the city (Odesa, Ukraine), I had a very obscure understanding of gardening. When I first came to Woodlawn, I didn’t know that you must weed the garden to grow something. Now, I can only wonder how quickly the farm changed my perception.

At Woodlawn, I was introduced to a broad spectrum of gardening skills, from planting trees and crops to the ruthless extermination of weeds with a huge machete. The second was by far my favorite activity.

“Who are we to decide which plant was to live and which - to die?” or other ethical questions didn’t bother me at all. I was simply too amused by the enormous power held in each machete swing to think about ethics.

During my stay, I acquired many useful and fun skills through hours and hours of hard work, such as weed-whacking and driving a truck that’s almost 30 years old (and looks every year of that age).

More importantly, I learned to appreciate hard physical work.

Waking up at 7 am wasn’t easy.

The amount of work to be done every day was overwhelming.

However, the knowledge about gardening and the problem-solving skills I developed on the farm made the internship totally worth it.

I can’t wait to return,

Lev Tartakovskyi

Slack Farms 2023 Ukranian Intern

PS I am responding to Lev with several other pictures of him with his dwarf butterfly bush in hand. This was his birthday present, which he planted at the head of the trail heading to the Cattywampus Bridge and Flapdoodle Trail. The butterfly bush is doing fine, watered regularly by the Woodlawn staff — Lev was such a remarkable worker we have to keep his special plant in great shape. PSPS Butterfly bushes are perennial and when Lev is a senior gentleman, like many of us here, he will appreciate even more his special plant, put in the ground at Woodlawn the year he turned 18 years old. — Maggie O’Brien

Jack’s favorite friend, Lev.

The plant to mark Lev’s 18th birthday; in the car with Sasha, Seraphim, Misha, Katie and Natalia (and Jack)!

As Someone Born and Raised in the City (Odesa)...