Plant a Friendship Garden© Giao Duong Williams
May 25, 2001
Ahh, spring. The charms of the season often beckon to the green thumbs amongst us to come out and play in the dirt. A couple springtimes ago my friend Carrie came up with a capital idea because her inner green goddess was urging her to grow some fruits and veggies. Thing was, she lived in a nice apartment building with no outdoor space to call her own. I happened to have a humongous yard but absolutely no plant-growing experience (my parents were the avid gardeners growing up, and I never seemed to catch on). My backyard was calling, and so it was that we set about planting a friends garden.
This is a wonderful way of reconnecting with nature and friendships all at once. Invite interested friends who may be like Carrie without their own greenspace, or friends who might like to garden but don't have the time to devote fulltime to tending to the plantings. If you happen to be the gardenless pal, try presenting this idea to willing yard (or balcony) owners. It becomes a concerted "community" effort to bring one end: a bountiful harvest to be shared.
- Do your research. Confer with the garden group what you want to grow and then look into how viable it will be, given the space you've got. You will want to check things like time of year, climactic zone, method of planting, feeding, and weeding. Bone up on the essentials of gardening for a successful harvest.
- Get your supplies in order. If you're an inveterate gardener, you already know what you need to know and have what you have to have, so go have at it already! But if you are like me, you might need to stock up on the gardening tools. Doing your research first will help guide you in getting the proper tools and prevent you from going overboard and buying things you really don't need. Although I find the neighborhood nursery a wonderful place for resources, the internet also has a fantastic wealth of places to get your gardening goods. Try Burpee or Mellinger's for seeds and plantings or OurHouse and Smith and Hawken for gardening tools. Burpee (which took over the former Garden.com space) is excellent for general gardening info.
- Plant your seeds and seedlings. This is the essence of the whole project. It's bonding time for you and your friends, as well as for the garden and the gardeners. Make a day of it (or make it an ongoing weekend activity if you've got a series of plantings that need to go in at different times). Bring out a little radio or cd player to play background tunes. Whip up a batch of fresh lemonade. Eat a light salad/sandwich combo for nourishment. Clean up and soothe your worked hands at the end of the day. You will certainly feel as if you've duly earned your sleep.
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