Remembering My Roots: Adventures in Gardening

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I think everyone in my family would laugh if they knew I was such a twit when it comes to planting a vegetable garden. While I have distinct memories of my mother and father telling us to “plant this” “weed that” and “don’t step on the X plants,” I am at a complete loss when it comes to the starting a garden.

Red Deer has a few community plots scattered throughout the city. This is great for those urbanites who do not have enough space to grow things. Gardeners have the option of renting a medium or a larger sized plot. Last year I regretted not renting a plot. I really want to grow my own veggies this year. (Fruit doesn’t do well in Alberta’s short growing season so I was told). 


I was thrilled with Renee suggested that we share a plot. She’s a pro when it comes to gardening. I mean look at those pink boots. They must have some sort of super power. We selected a medium-sized plot in north Red Deer. It’s a really nice spot next to the community fruit forest and away from the traffic.

         

Everyone in Alberta starts their planting (or is it sowing?) on the May long weekend. That’s this weekend so Renee and I planned to do just that. I met Renee on Friday for a brief look see at the plot. I rushed around after work to pick up a hoe and buy seeds. Renee was much more prepared than I was. She had ordered her seeds online months ago. Renee started her section that night while I waited until Saturday morning.

I was really excited to get started. I arrived about an hour before Renee. I didn’t know what to do so I made friends with the guys across the way. Ron and Jeff were well into their planting and sowing. I admitted that I was a complete idiot when it came to growing veg. They gave me a few tips and I paid close attention to their work. They were so happy to help! We made jokes about raiding eachother’s gardens over the next few months.

Renee was very patient with my stupid questions. Here I am making my first row! It wasn’t so bad. Now that I think about it I probably over reacted a little bit when I called my aunt in panic about how to hold a hoe. Jeff admitted Ron had to show him how to make his first rows too.  
Our plot is big enough for about 20 rows or so. Renee planted kale, potatoes, peas, onions, tomatoes, carrots and corn. I chose to plant carrots, mixed salad greens, spinach, swiss chard, beets and cucumbers. I bought two packages of seeds for each vegetable. I only used one package per row. Lots left for next season. I have one row left to plant. Maybe peppers or peas. I heard that tomatoes are tough to grow so I thought I would just buy mine at the public market this summer. 

One of the challenges of growing veggies in the community plot is water. The city does not supply it so we’re on the hook for transporting water. We still haven’t figured out what to do. We noticed other gardeners left a rain barrel or a big bucket near their plots. That is likely what we will do. We’re also going to make a watering schedule.

We really enjoyed ourselves this first day. It was nice and relaxing, a big difference from my usual scheduled day. I can’t wait to watch my veggies grow and taste the bounty.

Please feel free to leave your best gardening tips in the comments. I need all the help I can get!

6 Comments

  1. Hey Crystal…. No advice here, just wishing you best of luck (and lots of great fresh veggies) for the coming year 🙂

    Laurence

  3. I did the same thing this weekend. It's my first time planting a garden and let me tell you, it's backbreaking work. I really hope I get something good out of what I planted (tomato, squash, cucumbers) Good luck!!

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