Garden Plot Envy

Posted by Amy Urquhart Jul 12, 2008

I try to visit my community garden plot every evening, especially if there has not been any rain during the day. At the garden there is peace. Sometimes I bring my mp3 player and listen to music while I weed, water and tend to the vegetables. Sometimes I enjoy listening to the simple songs of birds in the field, the far away drone of a lawn mower or the laughing of neighbourhood children.

Because my plot is in the corner furthest away from the garden gate, my visits to the garden begin with a tour of the other plots. Some of the gardeners who grow food in the plots surrounding mine are so fabulously talented and creative with their plantings that I almost want to turn around and go back home, I am so filled with envy. Other days their uniqueness is what inspires me to put more work into my garden.

This year I actually planned out a little design for my garden, placing a path down the centre of the space, bringing in rocks to edge the path. I’ve brought in lots of items for holding up the plants that need vertical support, such as tomatoes, peppers and cantaloupe. I’ve planted marigolds, basil and parsley along the edges of the path, to make harvesting these frequently used herbs easy.

I’ve mulched with straw so that my garden’s weeds won’t be quite as evident as they have been in the past. I’ve tried to plant vegetables that display an interesting blend of colours, shapes and sizes. Happily, a large sunflower arrived on the scene without any sort of help from me, and I’m allowing it to grow smack dab in the middle of the plot, adding an air of casual disarray that I’ve grown to love in a garden.