Event: FensFest 2011 9/10/11

Fenway Victory Garden's Annual FensFest is this Saturday - September 10th from 11-3 rain or shine.  Check out the great "simply stated" event postcard created by Emily Harris! For more information visit http://www.fenwayvictorygardens.com/

My First Year as a Gardener

How time flies while gardening! One year ago today, I picked out my community garden plot in the Fenway Victory Gardens! Overjoyed by the challenge and desire to grow my own veggies, I transformed a neglected piece of land...

May 2009

...into an organized and bountiful flower and vegetable garden!

May 2010

Throughout the past year I put in countless hours and enjoyed many great harvests. I was introduced to the incredible world of gardening through blogs, books and fellow gardeners. My garden was a place to relax but also gave me a workout. I am so fortunate to be part of the Fenway Victory Gardens and still amazed of this hidden gem in the heart of Boston!

2009 in review

As I enter my second year as a gardener, I look forward to continuing my gardening education, experimenting with new veggies & techniques, and getting more involved within the FVG community! Bring on the veggies!!

Spring Cleaning in the FVG!

What a gardening weekend!! However, being exhausted and meeting fellow gardeners are two indicators that the Fenway Victory Garden's first "All Park Clean Up" of the 2010 season was a success! Saturday was glorious & sunny, perfect to welcome gardeners, friends, and members of the Boston community into the park to tackle spring chores. The agenda included: organizing the three composting areas, building new wheelbarrows, planting grass seed, re-numbering plots, building up a few plots that did not fair to well with the March floods, and collecting litter.

It was invigorating to see everyone out and ready to help! I also had recruited two friends to get their hands dirty with me - and they were in for a treat! We were assigned to one of the composting areas with three other people. Our tasks involved making three rows of debris into one [which would allow gardeners space to drop off new compost materials], garbage clean up, and making the ready-to-use compost pile into a more distinguishable pile for easy access.

Here are some shots from the morning's activities:

(the large compost area getting lots of attention; our finished compost area)


(one of the groups collecting litter along the Muddy River)

After the clean up ended, The Landsdowne Pub hosted a gathering for all gardeners involved in the clean up. After taking a break I returned to the garden to do some work on my own plot, wanting to take advantage of the weather! As luck would have it, a fresh, dry pile of wood chips were delivered! Everyone rushed to get their share!

Saturday's tasks:

• planted marigolds in each of the front corners of the SFG boxes
• planted a lavender bush
  
• hung a pot of pansies
• planted two dahlias

• built a SFG trellis for the middle box (Box 2); unfortunately the trellis netting was defective and the squares are not perfect; i know it is not a big deal for the growing veggies, but I hate that it doesn't look as perfect as the other two...
  

• took down a side of my potato box, allowing it to get more sun
• added a wheelbarrow of compost to the 'addition'
• planted grass seed in my future 'sitting area'
  
• added a wheelbarrow of wood chips to the 'addition,' creating a small walkway - this area is really starting to come together!
  

• weeded along my fence
• added 5 wheelbarrows of wood chips to the aisle

On Sunday, I returned just for two hours to work a little more. I accomplished what I wanted to do, but I was definitely low-energy!

Sunday's tasks:

• trimmed the wild rose bushes along the back fence (in & outside the plot)
• added yet more compost to the back raised bed
• sowed poppy seeds; hoping to eventually turn this area into a wildflower area
  

Here is how my plot is looking as the average last frost date approaches this week:

A final tip for people on a wait list at a community garden: VOLUNTEER! It is the best thing you can do in order to show your interest and dedication.

Movie: The Garden

I am an avid lover of Netflix and have enjoyed many recommended films, based ones that I rent. One recent recommendation, was as spectacular as it was timely. It was a documentary titled, The Garden. Nominated for many awards, the documentary shows the emotional fight of the South Central Farmers in Los Angeles, CA to hold onto land they had cultivated into the largest community garden in the U.S.

Synopsis:
The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community.

But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.

The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers.
Source: http://www.thegardenmovie.com/about-the-film/

For more information visit: www.thegardenmovie.com, www.southcentralfarmers.com

Brookside Community Gardens

Last week I took an opportunity to go over to Brookside Community Gardens on my lunch break. Located close to where I work in Wellesley, MA I have driven by it many times. This is the one of the few other community gardens I have visited, so I was interested to see what they had to offer.

As I strolled through the garden I passed two women tending to their plots and said a quick hello. Wandering down each aisle, strawberry plants had popped up where people had not walked. I noticed that most of the 30 plots were very large, but bare from the fall clean up.

I enjoyed my lunch detour on such a beautiful (and mild) fall day. It is always great to admire other people's gardens!

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!