Rootwork Commons is shaped by lived experience.

Our stories document what it means to steward land, build shared work, and stay rooted in place over time. They include reflections on gardening, neighborhood relationships, grief, repair, and the slow work of building something that lasts.

Many Hands, Light Work

Building a cucumber bed and learning what shared labor makes possible.

Embracing Defiance

Bracing an old apple tree after loss — and what care looks like when the future feels uncertain.

Growing Together

A day in the garden with neighborhood children — where care, responsibility, and delight emerge without being taught.

Crying Over Cut Grass

When care meets bureaucracy — and what it takes to keep tending the land anyway.