Next entry, my husband and I have taken a plot in a nearby Organic Community Garden. Our first visit was cleaning out the plot and harvesting the remains from previous years gardens. Pretty lovely harvest, crisp diverse lettuce and parsley(used it in my morning smoothie!). Roland set up the soaker hoses with a timer for convenience.Next visit, we took one sunny afternoon to get planted all the lil' green kids we'd so far acquired.
We are blessed to have the raised plots, saving our backs from strain. I also learned that some of the locals have a special name for those gardeners using these raised plots. You see there are three, evenly spaced arched bars placed over the gardening plots (probably for bracing taller plants to later in the 
season) and it took me awhile to understand what this one woman commented, "Oh, the covered wagon gardeners are back again!" I get it, if I placed canvas over the bars, hooked up some horses in the front and wheels to the sides - - it WOULD look like a lil Calistoga Covered Wagon!!!
The garden we had had the last two years at our home didn't fair well - not enough sunshine. So we have a little experience with tomatoes, peppers and basil from previous plantings. But this time, with all the extra space and sunshine we're planting tomatoes, peppers, basil, and also beans, eggplants, butternut squash, onions. We longingly searched for Fava Bean plants ... but may have to use seeds or skip 'em for the year. Around the lil' green 'kids' I've added Marigolds and Coreopsis for bug control (hey, that's what I read).
season) and it took me awhile to understand what this one woman commented, "Oh, the covered wagon gardeners are back again!" I get it, if I placed canvas over the bars, hooked up some horses in the front and wheels to the sides - - it WOULD look like a lil Calistoga Covered Wagon!!!The garden we had had the last two years at our home didn't fair well - not enough sunshine. So we have a little experience with tomatoes, peppers and basil from previous plantings. But this time, with all the extra space and sunshine we're planting tomatoes, peppers, basil, and also beans, eggplants, butternut squash, onions. We longingly searched for Fava Bean plants ... but may have to use seeds or skip 'em for the year. Around the lil' green 'kids' I've added Marigolds and Coreopsis for bug control (hey, that's what I read).
Our first group "clean up" day was last Sunday ~ a gorgeous sunny, breezy spring day. We met several of our peer gardeners and tidied up "community areas". I was assigned the weeds interspersed with the bouncing California Poppies and Iris. Roland carried off the weeds and other compost that had seeds to a flat, dry and sun scorched area that wouldn't allow the seeds nor plants to sur
vive. Maybe like a plant "hell" ... I don't know. The small group met afterward to update any news. We'd voted "Yes" to allowing a group of recovering women from a nearby facility to have one of our available plots (I'm excited to meet them). Following the meeting, I'd so gotten into pulling weeds, that both Roland and I dug into the pathways around our lil raised beds, hacking and pulling at any weed that resisted us. Quite fun actually!
vive. Maybe like a plant "hell" ... I don't know. The small group met afterward to update any news. We'd voted "Yes" to allowing a group of recovering women from a nearby facility to have one of our available plots (I'm excited to meet them). Following the meeting, I'd so gotten into pulling weeds, that both Roland and I dug into the pathways around our lil raised beds, hacking and pulling at any weed that resisted us. Quite fun actually!Isn't digging in the dirt just one of the most gratifying things alive? Must be a carry over from my childhood of some innate need ~ ~ whatever it is, I'm always so gratified after the fact. What can I add? Happy diggin'
3 comments:
This looks like so much fun! I would love to have a lettuce garden. It's so expensive in the store, and wilts in my fridge before I can eat it. What do I need to get started with that?
Where is the garden, Elaine? It looks great. I have a neighbor who has a community garden plot, she graces me with her harvest from time to time.
Elizabeth
Oh, I am so jealous of your vegetable garden. Since we moved to our house with many, many trees I don't have enough sun to grow veggies, only woodland plants. Although, squirrels planted a bunch of corn kernels in my gardens and they actually seem to be growing!
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