Community Garden Challenges

I've been dying to get a community garden started in this area, which is not one of the more affluent neighborhoods and really needs a boost of community care. I haven't been having a lot of luck getting it off the ground, although the principal in the elementary school across the street sounds interested and is willing to set aside some space for it. We haven't been able to meet up and plan.

I did, however, lease a small garden plot about a month ago, $20 for the entire year. The only problem was that the only one available was all the way downtown, and I can't afford the gas to drive there every day to care for it. Kinda defeats the purpose, you know?

Still, I keep striving, and I've started obsessively keeping seeds. I have a patio garden that accidentally grew hordes of watermelon when I got tired and dumped seeds in my compost. My compost bin, by the way, is a big microwave oven I got from a thrift store that lasted about a week. I just put it on its side so the door opens up, jam an old broom handle in so it stays partly open to get some ventilation, and I cover it with a decorative pillow cover. Great compost!

My adventures with my downtown garden are looking up. Unfortunately, I killed my first batch of transplants to it, except for one scrappy little watermelon plant that is determined to survive. I walked across the street from the garden and talked to the people in the office of an apartment complex to see if anyone would be interested in sharing it. Onto the scene comes a new friend, Samantha, who works there, lives in an apartment and wants to dive in to my adventures, mishaps and all!

What I wanted to share tonight, though, was a link to a farmer's almanac site I found.

http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/SC

It's awesome! You can plug in your own zip code and get a calendar listing the appropriate plants for your area and the times to sow indoors or out, and harvest! I know you veteran gardeners out there are probably familiar with it, but for me it's a shiny new toy!

Too dark to get a photo of my patio garden, but I'll add a picture of the park nearby my community garden that I took last week...

Done! This is a shot of the river at Granby Park, right by the community garden where I leased my little plot.

Keep growing and sharing, garden buddies!