a day in the life of a latvian mom

I was lucky enough to spent some time with Līga from Cēsis Medieval Castle garden. It was two-hour lecture about raised beds and kitchen gardening and seed swap. It all happend in Gulbenes Library.

And somehow, it felt like a piece of the Cēsis Medieval Castles kitchen garden had travelled to us.

Līga Eglīte’s kitchen garden at the Cēsis Medieval Castle is a carefully reconstructed 16th-century garden based on historical research, not modern design trends. It consists of long, raised beds framed with woven hazel branches, arranged simply for function and sunlight rather than appearance.The soil is built entirely from natural, locally available materials like manure, ash, compost, and plant waste, creating a self-sustaining system.

Plants are grown in mixed combinations so they support, protect, and strengthen each other instead of being planted in neat single rows.Overall, it is a closed, living system where nothing is wasted, and everything returns back into the garden.

I’m impressed! She spoke calmly, simply, without trying to impress. Just sharing what she knows from doing. And what she shared stayed with me.

The seeds offered alongside Līga Eglīte’s work are not typical commercial varieties, but old, open-pollinated cultural seeds connected to historical growing traditions. Many come from collectors, research institutes, and heritage gardens linked to the Cēsis Medieval Castle, where preserving plant diversity is part of the mission.

These seeds are valued not for perfect appearance, but for taste, resilience, and the ability to be saved and replanted year after year.

I don’t have such seeds to share, so I was happy to get them for small donations!

Taking them feels less like buying seeds, and more like being trusted to continue something that has already lived through many seasons.

I hope I can carry them further!

Ilze