The Worst Thing About Gardening

The rain stopped long enough for me to enter my garden for the first time tonight!! A busy week kept me away from my first and worst task...weeding! I was able to take inventory of what had been left by the previous gardener. There wasn't much aside from some random pieces of wood, some trash, an old rake and a broken hose. I also tried to get a more accurate measurement so I could finalize my garden plan. However, there were still too many weeds in the way - but my current estimate is 31' x 12' - a very good size! If forgot to bring a compass so I could figure out the directionals, which I need to plan my layout. Taller crops should be on the northern side of a garden so they don't shade the rest of the crops. Fortunately, the map on www.fenwayvictorygardens.com fortunately had the compass rose.

I weeded for about an hour and a half - until it got dark - getting through about two thirds of the garden. Luckily most of the weeds came up easily but they seemed to never end! The gardens were pretty quiet but I had a single chickadee kept me company.

Post weeding...with still more to do!

All the weeds I pulled from my garden - three wheelbarrows full!

Next on my to-do list:

1. Finish weeding (of course)
2. Complete garden plan
   
3. Cover entire garden with a weed blocking fabric
4. Build and assemble raised beds
5. Create "Mel's Mix" (mix of compost, peat moss & vermiculite)
6. Buy plants & seeds
7. PLANT
8. Fence repairs
   

It's Official!!

Let the planning begin! I officially have a community garden plot!! I picked it out today from a few plots that became available. I have a lot of clean up to do to make it a workable plot but it is pretty big, is sunny, and gives me a great view of the Pru!! Now I am trying to wrap myself around what I need to - and it is quite a bit...weed, measure, weed, create final garden plan, weed, build the raised beds, weed, repair fences and then finally...plant! However, I don't have a lot of time this week to get things in motion-aside from starting to weed!

I have decided that I am going to look to the All New Square Foot Gardening book by Mel Bartholomew for inspiration - in addition to a few 'companion gardening' tips. More to come!!

All Park Clean Up

Unfortunately, I am still playing the waiting game in hearing about my own plot. However, this morning was the 2nd All Park Clean Up at the Fenway Victory Gardens. I figured that it would be a good opportunity to meet some - hopeful - fellow gardeners! Luckily the thunder storms held off until later in the day and I was able to contribute to a few projects and see the progress people were making in their gardens. I was taken on a few personal garden tours and learned a few tips!

A Walk Through the Gardens

With the cheers of the Red Sox game in the background, I wandered around Fenway Victory Gardens today to see what people were doing in their gardens. It was pretty neat to see such a wide variety of layouts: stone gardens, flowers, vegetables, raised beds, ponds, trees...I guess the possibilities are endless (within a garden's regulations). I took a few photos and have them posted now in my "slideshow" gadget. There were at least two dozen people out working in their plots and I was very jealous - even in the cloudy, humid weather we had today! No word yet on my plot placement so I am still researching and planning as much as I can so I will be able to hit the ground running once I hear!

My first ever blog post

Welcome to my first ever blog! Even as I write this I am still anxiously awaiting to hear about my garden plot placement in the Fenway Victory Gardens, which should be finalized soon! Like many people this year I had a desire to have my own vegetable garden. However, without a deck, yard, window box, stoop or even enough sun to grow herbs, community gardening is my only option. As I found out at the 34th Annual Gardeners Gathering, community gardening is on the rise. The economic crisis and push for people to live more sustainably have made gardens throughout Boston have waiting lists long before the snow ever melted. Luckily there is an enormous amount of community gardens in the Boston metro area.

My goal for this blog is to keep a running diary of my community garden experience, ranging from my current planning process to gardening tips I learn to photos of all my hopeful vegetables! Enjoy!