The big food-related news around here? We have a garden! After a year and a half on the waiting list, we found out in March that we would receive a plot in the community garden near our home. Set on federal park land here in Washington, DC, our community garden has been in continuous operation since the victory garden days of World War II. Each season, dozens of neighborhood families use their plot to grow vegetables and herbs using organic methods.
The plots are extremely large – ours is 23 by 28 feet – so figuring out what to plant and where is the first task. We bought Burpee’s guide to organic vegetable gardening right away, and it has been extremely helpful already. We’ve determined a basic layout and set aside space for putting a table and chairs for relaxing. Our apartment has no outdoor space, so this area will be wonderful to have.
After pulling some of the many weeds and laying out 3 beds, we planted arugula seeds in early April and Swiss chard seeds last week. Here is our full planting list:
Arugula seeds – early April (done and sprouted)
Swiss chard seeds – mid-April (done)
Broccoli seedlings – ASAP
Thyme – ASAP
Chive plants (regular chives and garlic chives) – ASAP when I can find an already-growing bulb
Tomato seedlings – mid-May
Basil (regular and Thai) – mid-May
Bell pepper seedlings – mid-late May
Cucumber seedlings – mid-late May
I am so excited to make things with my garden produce and hang out in our outdoor space. Below is a picture of Hobbes and me in the garden the first week we went (in late March). I can’t believe I was wearing a fleece in that picture because today it’s supposed to hit 90 degrees! Hopefully, the greens will grow nicely in the warm weather this weekend. As things progress, I will certainly share my best garden recipes and lessons learned with you!
Savory Safari 