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?