One of the first things I did when I moved to Calgary was join the local community association so I could rent a community garden plot. I love spending time in the garden and I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to grow my own veg.
I lucked out twice. I contacted the organizer of the local community garden in March. I was able to rent a plot straight away. It will be a great learning opportunity because I have grown anything on raised beds. The beds are quite small so I had to be quite selective when choosing seeds.
I lucked out though … I was on a waiting list for a second plot and my name was drawn. Talk about beginner’s luck.
I attended the mandatory garden club meeting in April. There’s no messing around with this group. They are quite serious about their gardens. I’ll be sure not to step out of line. At the meeting, I signed up for a volunteer clean up sessions and chatted with a few of the seasoned gardeners.
I did a little digging around – no pun intended – and I found an interview about the murals that align the community garden. Great story. The plot is next to a playground and a dance school. Thankfully it is fenced to kept the rift raft out – the four-legged and two-legged kind.
There was a story of a little vandalism about a week ago but it wasn’t anything too serious.
Along the perimeter, there’s communal fruit and veg for the taking. There’s also a little seating area and shed with tools. Composting is at the far end of the plot. Great set up. I’m definitely going to take advantage of the fruit because I am always looking at new ways to flavour my kombucha.
The biggest challenge is trying to figure out what to plant. Because I love fresh greens, I went a little overboard with spinach, Swiss Chard and kale. I used the second plot to plant a couple rows of zucchini. I am crossing my fingers, the plants have enough room to grow.
Again I lucked out with my community plot. My co-worker just joined a new community garden group and things aren’t as well tuned. It’s the first year for the plot so I assume things will get better with experience.
Spring garden clean up
A couple weeks ago, I took part in the first clean up of the year. At least a dozen people were pulling weeds, trimming, pruning and composting. What a great sense of community. It was a beautiful day too.
I was (somewhat) in charge of pruning a cherry tree and cleaning along the perimeter. I got to talking to two friendly ladies who had mad gardening skills (and tools). It was fun to chat and learn a little more about the garden’s history.
What a fun day! The before and after photos were amazing. (Maybe I should have taken some before photos.). The plot is less than two kilometres away from where I live. I’ve biked down there a few times already. It’s great to just swing by and see how my plants are growing.
I am a little behind the other gardeners as I planted a few weeks later. Some beds are already flourishing. Thankfully there is a water source so I don’t have to worry about lugging water. It has been raining so much in Calgary lately that I don’t need to worry about watering my beds.
I can’t wait to share with you the veg of my labours I have a rogue lettuce that is growing in the middle of a row. Any day now it should be ready to harvest.
On a side note, there’s a Tuesday night grassroots market near my office for the summer. I stopped in the first night but there wasn’t a ton of produce. I will definitely be back throughout the season. Eating local and fresh is the best way to go!
Are you gardening this year? Do you have a plot in a community garden? I would love to hear what you are planting. Happy gardening!