I live on a street that historically has been known to be the place to hide from the police, buy drugs, and create all sorts of havoc. I live at the top of a hill with a stop sign about eight feet or so from my front door. The sign might as well not even be there. There is a sidewalk across the street that is used to heavy foot traffic. My street is a busy, little street. The house I live in is a four family house and I live in the basement apartment. The back of the house is a wall of rocks that lead into the woods. On both sides of the house, there are two small yards, both with a massive Pine tree square in the middle. Needless to say, it was not necessarily the best place to cultivate and grow a prize winning pumpkin.
As one travels down my street, do not be surprised to find dilapidated old Mill homes that have been unattended to for years. If you need to collect recyclables while in your morning jaunt, wait until a Sunday morning comes by and take that walk. You could put a down payment on a new car once done combing. Sure, you will find cans, and who knows what, perhaps even a yard with beautiful plastic flowers carelessly staked to the ground, but gardens are sorely lacking.
I am a Libra aesthetics are my thing. I love art, color, balance. Luckily, for me I am the type that can go with the wind. My point? Thanks for asking. I decided I was going to add, art, color and balance to my neighborhood. I wanted to lift moods as the pedestrian tramped down the hill past my house. There was going to be gardens, fruit, flower, herbs. You name it; I was going to grow it! Moreover, in turn I would stop the casting of beer cans into my small yards, traded instead for oohhs's and aahh's at the beauty that I had bestowed upon my neighborhood. Well, with a little help from photosynthesis, and a bee here and there.
My plan in hand, well o.k., admittedly, it was more a list that said, "Get garden stuff, and gas" I went to my local garden store and to the Dollar Store (hey soil is cheaper). I purchased a spade, and a hoe. In hindsight, I would of picked up a shovel, rake etc. but that's why it's hindsight. I was prepared. I bought seeds, oh, boy did I! I will not bore you with the list; it was well over sixty packets of whatever you could imagine. The odds were in my favor as far as growing zones. I live in Connecticut, and just about, everything grows here as far as summer crops, and fall crops. From pumpkins to eggplant, I had it all.
The question was what was I going to do with all of my newly acquired master gardening equipment? Where, where was I going to do all of this planting? Where is the sun again? Yes, I asked that question. What side is best to plant, there are so many trees here, and the sun filters through them. I was incredibly limited by my lack of sunlight, and the fact that I had just purchased those sixty packets of sun loving seeds was not helping. However, I had a goal. I was going to beautify my neighborhood if it killed me. My secret hope was that the beautiful, well-designed gardens that I intended to have would spread the popular, "Pass it forward" mentality. It was inspiration and the folks on my street needed it. Maybe criminals would not want to hide here anymore. The power of Lavender would save us all, and if not we would at least smell better!
I had no plan, no well-designed plan for my master gardens. I read the directions on the back of the seed packets, ignored most of the information, and dug holes. I knew what an inch was, so I asked myself, how hard could it be to get the seed to the right depth? No problem! It is no big deal that half of what I planted never came up. It was fate; my pumpkins unbeknownst to me would take its allotted space as well as others. Therefore, it worked out in the end, well sort of. I will get to the pumpkins demise in a bit.
I found a spot that got direct sun most of the day and planted snow peas. With no thought to it's future height. I then planted seventeen tomato plants in containers, with five to six plants in each. Remember, I did not have a handy gardening manual. I planted squash next to the eggplant and the pumpkins. I would not recommend doing this. Before I knew it both sides of the house had small gardens of vegetables that had no business neighboring up to the nearest plant. At the time, I figured fait accompli! Voila, I would be eating fresh salads forever. No tainted tomatoes for my friends and neighbors.
My next mission was to plant as many flowers as humanly possible to lighten us all up. I purchased so many containers, ceramic pots, goofy canisters for herbs, and yes, more soil. I picked out flower seeds, I bought flats of petunias, pansies, alyssum, you name it I bought it. My favorite purchase of course was my Munstead Lavender plants. I had visions of lavender fields with me dancing through the beautiful purple flowers. I had a plan, albeit a bit misguided of course! I also remember that I had some bulbs, and honestly, I have no idea what they were. It just seemed to me everyone else in Connecticut (except my street, remember the plastic flowers?) had bulbs. I knew those trusty bulbs would come back each year. I believe this was my first encounter with acknowledging that I did not know the difference between perennial and annual. Do not feel bad for me I learned my lesson.
The funny thing is during my planting mania, friends started giving me starter plants. I received Cherry Peppers, Cayenne, more varieties of eggplant as well as tomatoes. Let us just say I was beginning to get overwhelmed. I know that most of what I had planted was not going to get the sun that they needed. However, I decided to be hopeful. That is what this neighborhood needed a big dose of hope.
Miraculously, hope arrived with blossoms. Sunflowers were becoming as promised, giant! Geraniums were red and thriving, Morning Glories started spreading through everything. That most certainly was unintentional. I am not sure to this day exactly how I feel about Morning Glories they have control issues.
As each blossom was pollinated, so was the delight of my neighbors. My cynical, unhappy neighbors were smiling. I would sit out on my front steps and hear words of praise. The admiration for the gardens was being demonstrated by children coming across the street to figure out, "what's that smell?" It was an art exhibit for all the senses. Touch, smell, taste (edible pansies), sound, and sight. The sounds were incredible, bees buzzing, butterflies flapping, the wind whipping through the Sunflowers. My creation, albeit wildly disorganized had created a sense of community. I have spent many conversations with the folks on my street about how they can turn their little yards into dreamy, productive places.
Now, I am not saying it was all Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms here; I had my crosses to bear. The insects, the aphids especially gave me a run for my money. I just went to my friendly, local garden store, closed my eyes, and pointed to the organic bug killer that would solve all my pests' problems. It worked, with patience and persistence and timing, I got rid of those pests. I would like to say this story ends with a happy ending for the pumpkins but alas, it was not to be. I was unaware that I was starting to have a white mold problem. I was out one day transplanting some small squash plants from one garden to another for room issues. I did not realize that what I had just done was ruin my yellow squash garden. The white mold transplanted itself as well. The result was that simply I killed two gardens. No Halloween pumpkins at this house. Unless I can bring myself to go to the store and buy one. I am not sure what the rules are on the length of mourning over the loss of your beloved pumpkin patch.
I suppose the morale to my story is regardless of the struggle and pain mastering gardening can be, one smile from one neighbor makes it all worth it. My neighborhood is slowly "Passing it forward". There are container gardens as I walk my street. The courageous that are growing squash. The plastic flowers are still there, but I have come to terms with this.
Roxanne Tracy is a freelance writer covering many different topics. She is a Social Worker who runs a donation program for a foster care agency.
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