Personal Garden II - Planting

Body:

Watching It Grow
(Personal Garden Part II)
My Plot at Sunrise Park Community Gardens

Week 5 - Planting

Last Saturday (May 5th) I seeded and planted my plot garden. I designed a layout the day before, but didn't realize how much room some of the plants need (my plot is almost too small for squashes and definitely too small for melons), so I improvised. I didn't have the supplies to label my rows, but made sure to fill everything in on my plot map so I would remember which seedling is which plant. I wish I had reserved more space for culinary herbs, since I feel those could be most helpful to my budget and my palate and my health, but I will try to plant some of the non-spreading herbs inbetween other crops. I just had to make sure to shield the rest of the plot from the peppermint I planted in the corner, or it would take over. I achieved this by placing four wooden boards around one corner of the plot to keep the roots confined. I hope the peppermint doesn't spread anyway.

To deter the crows from eating the seeds I tied glittery bands on the strings above my rows. I would have liked to cover them up completely but didn't have a cover to do it. I will see when the seedlings come up whether most of them are still there.

I already have plans for winter crops such as garlic and kale, but that will have to wait until fall.

Personal Garden - Plot Layout: Everything except the strawberries, potatoes, calendula, and herbs are from seed. I haven't planted the tomato yet, but it will be from starter.

Week 6 - Modification and Care

This week has been exceptionally hot and dry. When I finally got around to visiting my plot on Thursday (May 10th), the ground was dry and hard. The strawberries looked happy, but the parsley and mint were wilted and lying flat. After spending a good amount of time soaking the plot in water, my herbs started to look a bit happier and I finally saw that at least three of the rows have tiny green sprouts showing. This was a wonderful sight to see and I can't wait to see everything else come up too, and see the plants grow larger.

I modified the layout by adding more plants. I purchased a "sweet millions" cherry tomato starter from the organic farm stand on Red Square and planted it in the designated area. I realized I had more room and someone had brought starters for cauliflower and dill. I planted two dill starters in the herb section and three cauliflower plants next to the tomato. I will upload the updated plot layout when I get to a scanner. More people have started planting their plots and the garden is starting to look much more alive.

I am already planning to save seeds from my harvest to grow plants next year.

Week 7 - Water, Water, Water

It's been hot and dry the past couple of weeks and I have a constant fear of dying herbs and vegetables. Then when I visit the garden I see everyone is happy and I can relax again for a little.

Everything I seeded has stuck its head out of the ground by now, some growing faster than others. The only thing that doesn't look too good is the peppermint. I didn't expect that at all. Today (May 24th) I witnessed bees humming across my plot, and the sight makes me happy.