On a sunny Friday, May 11, I stop by my garden plot at the Bible Street community garden in the woods of Cos Cob, Greenwich, in southwest Connecticut. It's a stunning day, in the mid-70s.I am the only human being at the community garden. The area is quiet, only the wind and the sound of critters scurrying in the leaves. Suddenly I hear a shriek. My head whips around as I try to identify the frightening sound. I hear it again: A wild turkey loudly gobbling in the woods, letting the females know its intentions.
From the garden's front gate I see my garden plot, my peacock ornament sparkling from afar (see "The Day I Saw Green in My Community Garden Plot"). I snap a few pictures so you can see the garden I see (that's my hat shadow at the bottom).
- Radishes pop, arugula clusters emerge, beets slowly peek out, and green beans take hold. Only one cucumber climbs out of the dirt among several I planted.
- Bok choy grows and flowers. (Is the flowering good or bad, anyone know?)
- An early Jalapeño plant in block 2-1 shows signs of illness. I remove it from the garden and place it in a container at home.
- When I check my tomato plants, three plants thrive, but the fourth, a honey drop cherry tomato in block 3-3, shrivels. I mourn the little red tomato that will never pop into my mouth. But I learn a valuable lesson: Plants thrive or wither. Don't take it personally! Try again, plant something new.
With my honey drop tomato literally dying on the vine, I plan to use the space to plant cucumbers and patty-pan squash, both of which I will train to grow vertically. I will enjoy their sweetness during the late summer and fall.
A final note: The social spirit of the community garden begins this month. Saturday, May 19, marks our first community garden social. We introduce ourselves to other community gardeners and share beverages and snacks. We even have an opportunity to adopt plants that have been grown in the community garden greenhouses and now are ready for a plot of their own.
The lessons I learn and the community spirit I see are the chief reasons I decided to participate in community gardening at Greenwich Community Gardens. I am a "yes" for the social spirit. In fact, I can't wait. More to come this week.
Clare Bolduc, Greenwich, CT, responds to my question about flowering bok choy:
ReplyDelete"Diane, your bok choy has 'bolted' which means there has been some sort of shock to it. It may be from the warm weather we had this week (I'm no expert but my spinach did the same).. when I see this I go and cut down the stem and harvest the young tender leaves. After a plant bolts, you will likely get woody/bitter leaves ....however, if it has bolted you can let the flowers go to seed and then collect them for next year...another thing I have never done, but will try this year with my arugula."
-- Clare's response was posted on the Greenwich Community Gardens site on Facebook