Today was our designated workday in the garden: time to weed our plots and prep them for the grand opening ceremony Tuesday. Soft fresh soil makes easy work of pulling weeds in record time. Thanks to fellow gardeners, Jay and Denny, for lending a helping hand.
Monday 6/7
The heirloom seeds Sue ordered online have arrived. Some of the packets are meant for fall planting – we’ll stash those to the side for future use. I’m glad to see that Sue has added a celery seed packet, in honor of Sanford’s history as our nation’s celery capital. It’s a daunting thought to realize that all these tiny seeds have the capability of producing an edible feast…unless we totally mess up. I walk the dogs over to the plots in the early evening and enjoy the shade that the nearby trees provide. This will definitely be my favorite time to work in the garden.
Tuesday 6/8
There is a good turnout tonight for the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. Keys are handed out for access to the locked gate and pictures are taken.
Wednesday 6/9
Nothing planted yet. Sue is out of town again, so our plans are to regroup once she returns this weekend.
Thursday 6/10
Sue is feeling guilty about being away and e-mails me to ask if we are behind again. We check with fellow gardeners and hear that some need to weed their plots, others are waiting for seeds to arrive, and still more are in the “selecting what to plant” stage. We decide that we are doing okay. But, to alleviate her guilt, I ask her to bring me back a six pack of Tahitian beer which I can then drink after a long day’s work at our garden.
Friday 6/11
It appears that most of us will be spending time in the garden this weekend. Hmmm… could community picnics among the gardeners be imminent?
This is the diary of Sue and Pete Owens and their attempt to grow produce in Sanford’s first community garden at 18th Street Park. They can be reached at smomarket@ymail.com.