A few months ago I wrote my column for the Vancouver Voice about a community gardens project that the city of Vancouver offers its resident. If you have time or the inclination, you can read the entire article here. The basic premise of the feature was how easy it is to plot out a garden in a small space, even for city dwellers like myself.
As with any writing project I tackle, I interviewed master gardeners and local green thumbs. They imparted wisdom on everything from container gardening to the best methods for stringing up peas. I researched succession planting and the benefits of shade versus sun. Once I’d gleaned enough content and my article was complete it was time to tackle my next project: my own garden!
The best part of writing my column each month (or other freelance projects for that matter) is that I’m able to write about things that interest me. Cultivating a plot of land in my back alley was high on my interest list, but the reality of actually making it happen remained to be seen. I worried about the scandal that would ensue should my own garden fail after expounding the virtues and ease of city gardening in my writing. Imagine the horror should a Voice photog happen along to find my alley sprouting weeds rather than an assortment of fresh veggies.
So, on a somewhat damp late April day Luke and I donned garden gloves and dug into the thick weeds taking over our back alley. We tilled soil, pounded stakes, and sprinkled seeds in dainty rows. We took delight in watching the garden transform over a relatively short amount of time. Within just a few weeks tiny green sprouts poked up from the dirt. Even when we admittedly forgot to water the garden for a day or two, or when the neighbor’s cat decided to mark his territory on our little seed-lets, it continued to flourish.
And yes, the proof is in the peas…just in time for summer our small container garden is busting with crops: sweat peas, butter leaf lettuce, dill, cilantro, and tomatoes ripening on the vine. I sleep easier at night knowing that my words were not lip-service. It was quite easy after all. And, I have to say quite tasty too.
This entry was posted on Saturday, July 4th, 2009 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Clips, Community, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
