The Pie Patch October 13, 2009

 

Quite some time ago, I put up a little post about getting a new community garden and my own plot in it started this past spring.  I dubbed it The Pie Patch because I planted mostly things that would go well  in a pie: currents, loingonberries, rhubarb, and gooseberries.  I realized the other day that I hadn’t taken a picture of the plot in awhile and wanted some to document growth after the first season.  You’ll notice the rhubarb is on a rampage!  I’m going to give the young shrubs some extra TLC later this fall to get them through their first winter by putting a burlap windbreak around them and mulching with a thick layer of leaves.    Can’t wait to start baking those pies next year!

 

Community Garden Glimpse: 4/11 April 11, 2009

 

My little community garden plot, The Pie Patch, is beginning to take shape.   Last evening I ammended the soil with heaps of mushroom compost, regular compost and some decomposed pine bark to add nutrients and lower the pH (the unammended soil tested at 7.2).   In turning in the compost, I discovered more glass shards and old bricks to add to the collection I started when I first broke ground on the plot.  Gardening in an urban envrionment can be a challenge on many levels, including below ground. 

 

Once I had the soil ammended, I edged the plot in some railroad ties and laid down fabric to keep out weeds and keep in moisture.  Then in went five delphiniums and four rhubarb plants.  I expect my various berry bushes to arrive this week to complete the planting.   This first growing season won’t be hugely productive as everything gets established, but I look forward to the long-term returns of all these perennials and the future pies!

Weekend Warrior April 6, 2009

 

What a great weekend I just had – two days of new and invigorating gardening experiences.   On Saturday, I took on the role of teaching assistant for a wonderful Longwood continuing education class on making living wreaths with succulents.  Ginny Levvy led the class and proved she’s a woman with a great deal of know-how and a quirky wit.   I really enjoyed interacting with the students and seeing yet another method for making a living wreath.  The process we used for this class was much more manageable for the home gardener than the one I’ve participated in to create the huge wreaths used in Longwood’s holiday display. 

 

 

 
On Sunday, I turned over a new garden plot, this one in a start-up community garden I recently helped launch in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia.   This plot is much smaller than my existing garden (only 10′ x 5′), but it will be mine for as long as I’d like (versus having to give up my garden here at Longwood next spring when I graduate).   After removing the existing sod and digging out any large rocks or debris (old wrench and bolts, anyone?), the plots were tilled and amended with mushroom compost.  There are 28 plots in this somewhat compact community garden, and I’m quickly getting to know many neighbors.   Once the plants start growing, I’m sure we’ll all become even closer with regular produce swaps from our postage stamp plots.  

 

 

I’ve decided to dedicate my small space to growing an assortment of edible perennials that will hopefully have a long and productive, yet low-maintenance, life in this little garden.  On the list so far are a compact high-bush blueberry, a lingonberry, a gooseberry, a red currant, a couple rhubarb plants, and a few delphiniums to attract beneficial insects and pollinators.