Closing the Season in the Indigenous Garden

The first freeze of fall arrived earlier this month, marking a shift in season and spirit across the Ranch in Billings. Before the chill set in, Josie Brady, Native American Services Coordinator, and Liz Campoy, PR Coordinator, made one final visit to the Indigenous Garden—a space rooted in culture, healing, and connection. Together, they harvested the last of the season’s bounty and prepared the garden for rest.

A Season of Abundance in the Indigenous Garden

The Indigenous Garden radiated life and color—delicata squash, tomatoes, marigolds, pumpkins, sunflowers, corn, tomatillos, cucumbers, peppers, and lemon balm. Each plant carried purpose and meaning.

Tomatoes were simmered into soup served with grilled cheese sandwiches, while marigolds and lemon balm steeped into calming teas. Pumpkins brightened shared spaces with their cheerful hues, and cucumbers and peppers offered fresh, nourishing simplicity.

Using tomatoes and jalapeños from the harvest, homemade salsa brought people together—a gift from the earth shared in community.

Connection, Renewal, and Rest

For Josie and Liz, harvesting in the Indigenous Garden was more than gathering food—it was a spiritual experience, a quiet connection to the ancestors who once tended these same crops for their families. With each seed, root, and blossom, their wisdom was honored, and wellness renewed.

Working the soil grounded the spirit, cleared the mind, and reminded all who helped that healing grows in cycles—just like the earth.

As the beds are cleared and the soil rests, the Indigenous Garden enters a season of renewal—its lessons of gratitude, growth, and connection continuing to nourish all who walk its paths.

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