Tiny, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth and feed by sucking the sap out of your plants. They come in green, black, yellow, and white depending on the species and what they're feeding on. They reproduce fast — a single aphid can produce dozens of offspring without mating — which is why a small problem becomes a big one quickly if you're not paying attention. In Virginia they show up in spring when new growth is tender and again in fall. They leave behind a sticky residue called honeydew that attracts ants and leads to sooty mold on leaves. The good news is they have a lot of natural enemies — ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps, and birds all eat them. A strong blast of water knocks them off plants and disrupts the colony. Neem oil handles heavier infestations without taking out your beneficial insects if applied carefully.

Actually two different insects that get lumped under the same name — the imported cabbageworm, which comes from the small white butterfly you see hovering around your brassicas, and the cabbage looper moth, which is gray and less noticeable. Both lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. Both produce caterpillars that eat through cabbage, kale, broccoli, collards, and anything else in the brassica family with a focused determination that feels personal. In Virginia they show up in spring and again in fall when brassicas are in season. The butterflies are pretty. Don't be fooled. Check the undersides of your leaves regularly and remove eggs and caterpillars by hand when you find them. Row cover at transplant time prevents them from laying eggs in the first place. Beneficial wasps — which native plants attract — parasitize the caterpillars naturally. Another reason the ecosystem around your garden matters as much as what's in it.

The mineral responsible for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. Also plays a role in muscle function, nerve signaling, and heart health. Found in leafy greens, sesame seeds, sardines, and fortified foods — not just dairy.

Short for "cultivated variety." When someone selects a plant for a specific trait — better color, smaller size, longer bloom — and keeps reproducing it intentionally, that's a cultivar. Little Henry Sweetspire is a cultivar. It didn't happen by accident. Someone decided what they wanted and kept selecting for it. The name is basically a plant's resume.

The practice of tending to land and plants with intention. Not just growing — deciding to grow. Preparing the soil, choosing what goes in it, managing what comes up. Cultivation is the difference between what grows wild and what grows because someone showed up consistently and made it happen. It's also what separates farming from just having a yard.

The right of people to define their own food systems. What gets grown, how it gets grown, who grows it, and who it feeds. Not just access to food — but control over it. It's the difference between being handed a food pantry and owning the land that grows the food. For Black and Indigenous communities especially, food sovereignty is inseparable from land sovereignty, cultural sovereignty, and self-determination. You can't talk about one without the other. This whole series is about it.

A design principle that considers what a plant contributes in every season — not just when it blooms. Spring flowers, summer foliage, fall color, winter structure, seed heads that feed birds in December. A plant with full season interest earns its space year round. When designing a garden space it's one of the first things to consider — because a beautiful April doesn't mean much if the whole bed goes silent by July.

Traders from the Hausa people — one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa, centered in what is now northern Nigeria and southern Niger. The Hausa built some of the most extensive trade networks in African history, moving goods across thousands of miles of sub-Saharan Africa long before European contact. Hausa merchants didn't just trade goods — they moved knowledge, seeds, and food culture across an entire continent. That's how a plant from Mesoamerica became a staple in West African kitchens within a generation.

An heirloom variety is one that's been open-pollinated and passed down across generations — usually 50 years or older. No lab. No corporation. Just people saving seed at the end of every season and handing it to the next person. When you grow an heirloom, you're growing something that has someone's hands all the way back through its history.

A mineral your body uses to make hemoglobin — the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through your body. Low iron means low energy, brain fog, and over time, anemia. One of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the world, especially among women. Found in dark leafy greens, red meat, lentils, and blackstrap molasses.

A invasive insect species that arrived in the United States from Japan in the early 1900s and has been making itself at home ever since. In Virginia they show up reliably every July — metallic green and copper, about the size of a fingernail — and they are not shy about it. They feed on the leaves, flowers, and fruit of over 300 plant species, skeletonizing foliage and moving through a garden in groups. The larvae live underground as grubs through winter, feeding on grass roots, then emerge as adults in summer to start the cycle again. They have no significant natural predators in the United States which is a large part of why they spread so effectively. The best management is hand picking in the early morning when they're slow, dropping them into soapy water, and maintaining a diverse native plant garden that supports the predatory insects and birds that keep pest populations in check. A healthy ecosystem is a better long-term strategy than any spray.

The building block of muscle, tissue, and pretty much every function your body performs. Found in meat, eggs, legumes, and certain grains and greens. Plants that carry complete protein — all nine essential amino acids — are rare and worth knowing by name.

Small plots of the least desirable land on or near plantations that enslavers allocated to enslaved people to grow their own food. The arrangement existed not out of generosity but economics — it was cheaper than feeding the people they enslaved. What they didn't anticipate was what those grounds became. Enslaved people brought seeds they had carried from Africa, grew the foods they knew, fed their families, and in some cases sold surplus at market. The provision ground was the one place where African agricultural knowledge had room to live. Where a plant from another continent could be grown with intention. Where feeding yourself was quietly, stubbornly, an act of resistance. The Botanical Gardens of the Dispossessed.

An Aztec ceremonial food made from amaranth seeds ground and mixed with honey or syrup, then shaped into figures of gods, mountains, animals, and birds. These figures were eaten during festivals — a ritual of communion between the community and the divine.

Critical for vision, immune function, and skin health. Deficiency is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in children globally. Found in deep orange and yellow foods — sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes — and in dark leafy greens.

Your body can't produce it on its own, so it has to come from food. Supports immune function, helps your body absorb iron, and is essential for building collagen. Found in bell peppers, citrus, strawberries, and leafy greens — more than people think lives outside of an orange.

A mineral that supports your immune system, wound healing, and cell growth. Your body doesn't store it, which means you need it consistently through food. Found in pumpkin seeds, shellfish, legumes, and nuts.

A Living Index: Words From the Field

samariasgarden
May 24
6 min read

Updated: May 25

Some words show up in these posts that deserve more than a passing mention. This is where they live. The Living Index is a growing reference — added to with every series entry, every season, every new thing the land introduces. You don't need to read it front to back. Everything is in alphabetical order.

Aphids Tiny, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth and feed by sucking the sap out of your plants. They come in green, black, yellow, and white depending on the species and what they're feeding on. They reproduce fast — a single aphid can produce dozens of offspring without mating — which is why a small problem becomes a big one quickly if you're not paying attention. In Virginia they show up in spring when new growth is tender and again in fall. They leave behind a sticky residue called honeydew that attracts ants and leads to sooty mold on leaves. The good news is they have a lot of natural enemies — ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps, and birds all eat them. A strong blast of water knocks them off plants and disrupts the colony. Neem oil handles heavier infestations without taking out your beneficial insects if applied carefully.
Cabbage Moths Actually two different insects that get lumped under the same name — the imported cabbageworm, which comes from the small white butterfly you see hovering around your brassicas, and the cabbage looper moth, which is gray and less noticeable. Both lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. Both produce caterpillars that eat through cabbage, kale, broccoli, collards, and anything else in the brassica family with a focused determination that feels personal. In Virginia they show up in spring and again in fall when brassicas are in season. The butterflies are pretty. Don't be fooled. Check the undersides of your leaves regularly and remove eggs and caterpillars by hand when you find them. Row cover at transplant time prevents them from laying eggs in the first place. Beneficial wasps — which native plants attract — parasitize the caterpillars naturally. Another reason the ecosystem around your garden matters as much as what's in it.
Calcium The mineral responsible for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. Also plays a role in muscle function, nerve signaling, and heart health. Found in leafy greens, sesame seeds, sardines, and fortified foods — not just dairy.
Cultivar Short for "cultivated variety." When someone selects a plant for a specific trait — better color, smaller size, longer bloom — and keeps reproducing it intentionally, that's a cultivar. Little Henry Sweetspire is a cultivar. It didn't happen by accident. Someone decided what they wanted and kept selecting for it. The name is basically a plant's resume.
Cultivation The practice of tending to land and plants with intention. Not just growing — deciding to grow. Preparing the soil, choosing what goes in it, managing what comes up. Cultivation is the difference between what grows wild and what grows because someone showed up consistently and made it happen. It's also what separates farming from just having a yard.
Food Sovereignty The right of people to define their own food systems. What gets grown, how it gets grown, who grows it, and who it feeds. Not just access to food — but control over it. It's the difference between being handed a food pantry and owning the land that grows the food. For Black and Indigenous communities especially, food sovereignty is inseparable from land sovereignty, cultural sovereignty, and self-determination. You can't talk about one without the other. This whole series is about it.
Full Season Interest A design principle that considers what a plant contributes in every season — not just when it blooms. Spring flowers, summer foliage, fall color, winter structure, seed heads that feed birds in December. A plant with full season interest earns its space year round. When designing a garden space it's one of the first things to consider — because a beautiful April doesn't mean much if the whole bed goes silent by July.
Hausa Merchants Traders from the Hausa people — one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa, centered in what is now northern Nigeria and southern Niger. The Hausa built some of the most extensive trade networks in African history, moving goods across thousands of miles of sub-Saharan Africa long before European contact. Hausa merchants didn't just trade goods — they moved knowledge, seeds, and food culture across an entire continent. That's how a plant from Mesoamerica became a staple in West African kitchens within a generation.
Heirloom An heirloom variety is one that's been open-pollinated and passed down across generations — usually 50 years or older. No lab. No corporation. Just people saving seed at the end of every season and handing it to the next person. When you grow an heirloom, you're growing something that has someone's hands all the way back through its history.
Iron A mineral your body uses to make hemoglobin — the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through your body. Low iron means low energy, brain fog, and over time, anemia. One of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the world, especially among women. Found in dark leafy greens, red meat, lentils, and blackstrap molasses.
Japanese Beetles A invasive insect species that arrived in the United States from Japan in the early 1900s and has been making itself at home ever since. In Virginia they show up reliably every July — metallic green and copper, about the size of a fingernail — and they are not shy about it. They feed on the leaves, flowers, and fruit of over 300 plant species, skeletonizing foliage and moving through a garden in groups. The larvae live underground as grubs through winter, feeding on grass roots, then emerge as adults in summer to start the cycle again. They have no significant natural predators in the United States which is a large part of why they spread so effectively. The best management is hand picking in the early morning when they're slow, dropping them into soapy water, and maintaining a diverse native plant garden that supports the predatory insects and birds that keep pest populations in check. A healthy ecosystem is a better long-term strategy than any spray.
Protein The building block of muscle, tissue, and pretty much every function your body performs. Found in meat, eggs, legumes, and certain grains and greens. Plants that carry complete protein — all nine essential amino acids — are rare and worth knowing by name.
Provision Grounds Small plots of the least desirable land on or near plantations that enslavers allocated to enslaved people to grow their own food. The arrangement existed not out of generosity but economics — it was cheaper than feeding the people they enslaved. What they didn't anticipate was what those grounds became. Enslaved people brought seeds they had carried from Africa, grew the foods they knew, fed their families, and in some cases sold surplus at market. The provision ground was the one place where African agricultural knowledge had room to live. Where a plant from another continent could be grown with intention. Where feeding yourself was quietly, stubbornly, an act of resistance. The Botanical Gardens of the Dispossessed.
Tzoalli An Aztec ceremonial food made from amaranth seeds ground and mixed with honey or syrup, then shaped into figures of gods, mountains, animals, and birds. These figures were eaten during festivals — a ritual of communion between the community and the divine.
Vitamin A Critical for vision, immune function, and skin health. Deficiency is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in children globally. Found in deep orange and yellow foods — sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes — and in dark leafy greens.
Vitamin C Your body can't produce it on its own, so it has to come from food. Supports immune function, helps your body absorb iron, and is essential for building collagen. Found in bell peppers, citrus, strawberries, and leafy greens — more than people think lives outside of an orange.
Zinc A mineral that supports your immune system, wound healing, and cell growth. Your body doesn't store it, which means you need it consistently through food. Found in pumpkin seeds, shellfish, legumes, and nuts.

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