The Day I Checked the Progress of My Community Garden Plot

On April 28 the sun shines in the Bible Street branch of Greenwich Community Gardens in southwest Connecticut. It's getting warmer here, warm enough to visit the garden without a jacket. I head over in the morning to see how the garden fared during a week of cold and minimal sun (enough, I say). Kneeling on the wood chips, I look closely at the plot to see what's growing.

• Beets and radishes start to peek out in the lower left, far fewer than I remember sowing. Heavy rains cause radish and beet seeds to migrate into other sections.
• Three types of carrots -- Danvers, Nantes, blends -- show no sign of growth (heavy sigh). I will assume they are busy stoking their fires beneath the surface.
• Leafy greens I sprouted at home -- celery, bok choy, arugula, endive, scallions -- are gaining strength but not necessarily growing taller.  The scallions and celery are the same height they were when I transplanted them.
• An experienced gardener warns me not to walk over the plot's soil, even in areas not planted. Doing so compacts the soil and prevents it from breathing. Got it. 

On this last Saturday in April, more than half the community garden plots are being cultivated, and green is starting to appear. When I visit, I see one, at most two people. In early May -- as temperatures warm, trees blossom and green markets launch -- I expect to see more people coming more regularly.   

The progress of my plot is a mystery, lots happening below the surface -- or not. I am convinced the garden is an experiment, and I have no problems trying this seed here, those sprouts there, these transplants over there.

I have converted my mental map of the garden plot to a layout -- twelve blocks, each 16 inches wide and 24 inches long. Rows 1 and 2 reflect what is in the soil now (give or take some playing around). Rows 3 and 4 will fill in as the soil warms. 


What do you think of this layout? Will it work? If not, why not? What would you do differently? 

My Adventures at the Community Garden's Opening Day

Take me out to the garden! On Saturday, April 21, community spirit shows up bright and early at Greenwich Community Gardens' opening day. It's a stunning day in the 50s and 60s, and several dozen women, men and children join forces to rake leaves from the perimeter, haul and spread wood chips over the grounds, maneuver wheelbarrows through the narrow aisles, fill plots with topsoil, repair the perimeter fence and berm the edges to discourage pests and invasive plants.

Gardeners at the Bible Street branch of Greenwich Community Gardens all pitch in!
I take this panoramic view while standing against the north-side fence. The east side of the garden 
is to the left, the gate and shed are in the center and the west side is to the right side of the frame. 

During our breaks, we gather by the shed, meet new people, sip coffees and nibble Munchkins. Five or six people ask me about this blog. Color me thrilled! To them and to you, I say thank you. Make comments and add your own community garden tips and lessons.

Opening day at Greenwich Community Gardens is not a day to work our own plots but rather to get the community garden into shape for the season. There's a hum of energy. In between raking, shoveling, watering and spreading wood chips, I introduce myself to as many people as I can, asking about their plots and learning what they are growing. 

• Jay's plot is filled with early spring rhubarb, garlic and chives. 
• Bob is enjoying a healthy crop of early peas, beans, beets and lettuces. (A protective shroud saved his seedlings from the stinging cold rain we had.)
• Jane's beds, hidden inside big cold frames, are filled with lavender, kale and rosemary. (Do cold frames turn rosemary into a perennial in the northeast?) 
• Gary encloses his garden bed in chicken wire, which discourages the wily chipmunks. 

My own plot -- in which I planted beets, radishes, carrots and cucumbers -- got beat up with the wicked rain last week. I see one itsy-bitsy beet leaf popping through, but no evidence that other seedlings are growing. Either I planted too early or I need more patience. I'll bet on the latter. 

Community gardeners, I'll be back later this week when I revisit the community garden and pack in some of the vegetable seedings and cuttings I am developing at home. Spring has sprung! 

The Day I Prepped My Seedlings for the Community Garden

It's early Friday, April 20, and the sun is shining in Greenwich, CT. Today I take stock of the seeds and cuttings I have prepped at home for my plot at Greenwich Community Gardens. I have cuttings growing and seeds germinating -- celery, scallions, cucumber, radish, beet, pepper, arugula, tomato and endive. 

Celery cutting shoots upward
from the center

My celery is taking off. I started the cutting two weeks ago by placing it in a glass with about an inch of water, then resting it on the windowsill in indirect light. Immediately it started to grow from the center of the cutting. Earlier this week I packed the celery in organic soil, and it is already taller and leafier. Yesterday I tasted one of the light-green leaves and it was delicious. So much fun! In the same container I also planted a few cucumber seedlings. Can you see them starting to pop up in the foreground of the container? I love me some cucumbers.

Cucumber shoots grow quickly

Cucumbers are rapid growers, though they are not as cold-hardy as I hoped. If they were hardier, I would plant them outside with leafy greens now. June will be safer. The Spacemaster cucumber is designed to grow upward in the 4x8 garden rather than to spread laterally through vines. In the egg carton, each cucumber sprout is one to two inches tall, several sprouts in each dimple. I also have sowed several cucumber sprouts in the community garden, a bit too early I discover, and I am eager to see later today whether they and the other sprouts I planted have grown (radish, beet, carrot blend).

Nantes carrots hold promise

What else is gaining traction among my seedlings? How about Nantes carrots. These are unusual carrots: They have a rounded end rather than a pointy end, and they are described as exceptionally sweet. The rounded end grabbed my attention when I saw the seeds at the nursery. I planted the sprouts in an egg carton as seedlings, and they are starting to grow, though they look now like blades of grass. According to the seed packet, the carrots are hardier than other vegetables. I can plant them in early May, about two weeks before the average last frost in mid-May.

Arugula sprouts start, so fragile

Arugula sprouts start to appear, too. I keep whispering to them “grow, grow.” So small, so fragile, such an aroma. I have planted arugula in my outside planter at home, but we haven't had enough sun to compel them to grow. Inside the house, arugula sprouts are starting to take hold. Once I tasted arugula, I never returned to lettuce.

This weekend, we have the community garden opening. All of us will be working at least two-hour shifts getting the garden into shape and meeting other community gardeners. The community spirit will be alive in the Bible Street branch of Greenwich Community Gardens. Until next time, how is your garden growing? Talk to me.

The Day I Got a Taste of Community Garden Spirit

It's a rainy Monday, April 16, in southwest Connecticut. Are we done with the cold yet? While I wait for the temperature to warm, I want to share the community garden spirit I have encountered at Greenwich Community Gardens. 

• Community gardeners eagerly share tips and techniques about their vegetable gardens -- square-foot gardening, cold frames, crops, timing. For this newbie, sharing and learning represent the community spirit I hoped to find.

• Community gardeners are invariably helpful, whether showing me where to find the common tools or how to lay out my garden plot or how to use the magnetic gate latch. Because people have such varied schedules, I may meet several people or no one at the community garden. So far I've introduced myself to five people. As the season picks up, I'll probably meet a dozen a day. 

• Community gardeners use all sorts of layouts for the gardens. I decided to break up my 4x8-foot plot into 12 blocks. PJ and I strung out the garden -- literally using string -- into three blocks by four blocks. Each block is 16 inches wide and 24 inches long. My success this year will determine whether I stick next with 12 blocks next year or adopt the square-foot model that densely packs the vegetable garden into 32 square-foot blocks. (One fellow takes an ad hoc approach: He throws seeds around his plot and waits to see what grows and especially what thrives.)

PJ Morello (above)
and Diane Tunick Morello (below)
spread topsoil over the strung-out plot

• Community gardeners lay fresh topsoil over the garden before planting. Oops! I had already strung out the plot and planted four seedling types. (See The Day I Planted Sprouts and Seedlings.) With only a little grumbling, we went back to the pile of topsoil and added it to the plot, careful not to dislodge the seedlings and string. I'll do better next year.  

• Community gardeners pitch in. Like other gardeners, I am expected to fulfill at least 10 hours of community garden service during the year. On April 21, for example, community gardeners are expected to get the community into shape. Each of us must work at least a two-hour shift to help with cleaning, repairing, fixing, beautifying and raking. I'm up for 10am to noon.

By summer I'll be eating organic vegetables from my Bible Street community garden while enjoying herbs, flowers and annuals in my back yard at home. What could be better? So tell me, How is your garden shaping up? 

The Day I Planted Sprouts and Seedlings

Here I am, Diane Tunick Morello, standing
by my Greenwich Community Gardens plot 

Hello, world. It's April 14, the spring birds are trilling and the day is starting out at 50 degrees. I've been working eagerly this week to convert sprouts into seedlings. And yesterday I planted a few hardy vegetable sprouts in my plot at the Greenwich community garden.

Since I am brand-new at vegetable gardening, I take stock in what I learn about seeds, sprouts and seedlings. 

• Placing seeds in wet paper towels and then in Baggies generates sprouts fast, sometimes in only two days. A few sprouts take longer, such as peppers. Patience!
• In several cases, I emptied an entire seed packet into the wet paper towel. Not wise. Now I have more sprouts than I can feasibly grow. Use only a portion of the seed packets next year. 
• Sprouts are fragile, and they get intertwined with the fiber of the paper towels. Buy tweezers next year to remove seeds carefully from the paper towels. 
• My window sill at home is packed with egg crates to grow seedlings. Cucumbers are advancing quickly.
• Since arugula is a hardy vegetable (like other lettuces), I planted some sprouts in my new herb planter on the patio. We can harvest the arugula leaves before we fill the planter with warmer-weather herbs. 
• Aromatic vegetables come from aromatic sprouts. Experienced gardeners know this, but for me, the aroma of arugula emanating from itty-bitty arugula sprouts is deliciously heady. 

I went to the Greenwich community garden plot yesterday. It was warm,  upper 60s and 70s, and once again I was alone at the garden. Putting on my work gloves and my farmer hat, I cleaned out the garden bed using a rake, a wheelbarrow (ugh, clumsy) and a pitch fork. I kept a few parsnips and strawberries from the previous gardener. Hard work, but fortunately a small plot.

Along the bottom section of the bed I planted three cold-hardy vegetables: beets, radishes and carrots. I also experimented with cucumbers, which I suspect are not as cold-hardy. The cucumbers are a Spacemaster type, meaning they should grow upward into bushes rather than vines. When I head back to the garden today, I will replace the Baggies with labels and then use string to delineate the plants and the areas. It's easy to forget what I placed where and with what dimensions.  

Finally, I experimented this past week with a few vegetables on my windowsill, spurred by a terrific ShopRite video I found on Facebook. I put a two-inch piece of celery root in a glass, added an inch of water to the glass, then watched as the celery sprouted in the center. That was a surprise! I expected root tendrils to grow at the bottom, not to see the new celery sprout in the center. Could that be easier?

What are you learning this spring about growing vegetables? I will return soon. Right now I head out to enjoy spring weather in southwest Connecticut. Diane

The Day I Learned About Edible Spring Gardens

On a blustery April 7 in Greenwich, CT, I head to a class on edible spring gardens for community gardeners involved with Greenwich Community Gardens. At nine in the morning, twenty vegetable gardeners settle in the open room, each of us looking for tips to launch our community garden -- from refreshing the soil to adding compost to planting the seedlings to watering the crops. Many of us are hobbyist gardeners, and we are interested in what's called square-foot gardening, an approach to blocking out, packing in and rotating crops in small space. Remember, each plot in Greenwich Community Gardens is 4x8 feet.

Leading the class is Mary Jo Bridge Palmer, expert horticulturist at Sam Bridge Nursery. Sam Bridge Nursery is a Greenwich landmark, and its business keeps growing -- no doubt in part to satisfy the appetite for sustainable vegetable gardening.

One of the many plant rooms at Sam Bridge Nursery.
Source: Sam Bridge Nursery 

• In southwest Connecticut (zone 6-7), frost ends by mid-May and outdoor planting can safely begin after that date.
• Tomatoes need warmer soil, so I plan to wait a couple weeks and plant the tomatoes around Memorial Day.
• Nasturtium and marigold in the veggie garden will attract bees and pollinators.  
• Long-growth root vegetables (such as parsnips) planted inside and around the raised bed frame can be harvested after the peak growing season. 
• Grow up, not out. For instance, I want to try patty-pan squash, and to do so I will train the squash to grow up using poles and trellises. Otherwise the vines take over.
• Label everything. If a plant performs well, the label will tell you what it was and where it came from. Same if it fails.  

Good news. The beefsteak and cherry tomato seeds I began germinating last week have begun to sprout. The next step is creating seedlings. I now have seeds  for carrots, beans, radishes, cucumbers, peppers and patty pan squash. Big ambitions, small garden. 

Until next time, my friends: Talk to me! Tell me what you are cultivating. Bookmark this blog. Get updates through email. 

Diane Tunick Morello

The Day I Got My Community Garden Assignment

Yahoo! It's April 6 and yesterday I received my community garden assignment at Greenwich Community Gardens. Almost 100 people will have plots here, all of them growing vegetables, working sustainable gardens together, learning new techniques and sharing stories. Can't wait! 

With the sun shining brightly today, I take a drive to the community garden two miles from my house. My husband, PJ, accompanies me, curious to see the garden I've been talking about. We park in the community garden driveway and walk through the woods. It's quiet and peaceful. Suddenly, a dozen deer crash past us, startled, their white tails bobbing as they race from one side of the woods to the other and blend into the trees. 

I see the community garden inside a vast fenced area. Raised garden beds, each four feet by eight feet, stretch to the left, right and center, enough for a community of nearly a hundred gardeners. The garden looks wan after the stubborn winter, but in two months, the beds will be green, and in four months, tomatoes will pop out red all over.

My plot sits on the north side of the garden, directly opposite the front gate. The plot seems small, but I remind myself that I am a newbie, and the plot will be more than enough work and space for year 1. (Maybe I can convince my husband to pitch in. That's him hanging out on the right side of the photograph below.)

To make efficient use of the four-by-eight plot, experienced members of the community garden suggest I map out the garden into square-foot blocks, selecting which vegetables I want to grow in which blocks and planning how I want to rotate vegetables that thrive in different parts of the growing season. 

I'll be back in a few days and show you my blocked-out plan. Meanwhile, do you have tips for vegetable gardening? 

The Day I Launched My First Community Garden

Hello to you! It's Monday, April 2, 2018. Unbelievably, it's snowing again in Greenwich, Connecticut. My name is Diane Tunick Morello, and I am a brand-new community gardener, a writer and a photographer. This year I aim to grow vegetables in a sustainable community garden, and I hope you will join me as we experiment and explore the progress, successes, failures, photographs and stories of community vegetable gardening. Camaraderie and learning are big goals for me. For you, too?

For years I grew vegetables in my shady garden, with anemic and disappointing results. This year I decided instead to reserve a plot in Greenwich Community Gardens where more than eighty like-minded neighbors will be planting their favorite vegetables and flowers. The community garden is spread across a sun-filled field, flanked by trees, in the Cos Cob neighborhood of Greenwich, protected by seven-foot fences and filled with more than ninety oblong plots of four by eight feet -- a perfect size for my beginner aspirations. The community garden opens April 21, 2018, and from then on it's a sprint to sow the seeds, do the transplants and master the timing of crops.

Today, as snow falls outside (hopefully the last time this spring),  I prep the first seeds for my community garden plot. I select five seed packets, open them carefully and begin the sprouting process. I lay out paper towels, soak them with water, and one packet at a time, disperse the seeds for two beefsteak tomato plants, one cherry tomato plant, a jalapeño pepper bush and a sweet red pepper bush. Seed packets of habanero chilies, butternut squash and beets remain unopened as I weigh whether to use precious gardening space for them.

I fold up the paper towels in small squares, making sure that I can see seeds through the towels so I can track progress. I label five sandwich bags with the seed type, its maker and the sprouting date. Each wet paper towel goes into its own plastic bags, and I lay out the sandwich bags in a plastic container and position them in the front window where the spring sun will warm them and prepare them. During the next few weeks I will range further and get fledgling plants for tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, patty pan squash and eggplant -- all of which my husband and I love.

Stick with me as the community garden experiment progresses. I'll be back at least once a week, probably more frequently once the community garden opens and the season begins in earnest.