It is exactly 0 degrees on this bright, icy February morning, but drafts of blueprints for the 2022 garden have already been drawn up in gardening excitement. Every day below freezing I find myself longing for the organized chaos of the garden, the juxtaposition between the strict Apollonian uniformity of the grass paths next to the Dionysian jungle of leaves, roots, flowers, and fruits, the gentle morning dew glistening on the leaves of a cucumber vine, the tempting vermillion of a ripe tomato. While the ground is still frozen, though, we should take a moment to reflect on our 2021 season. Our first season was a learning experience for everyone. Everyday, there was a new revelation in the garden for gardeners and non-gardeners alike: Watermelon grows on a vine! Broccoli is a flower! Botanical reproduction is a mysterious and vastly interesting topic for all. In between the countless tasks of planting, tending, and harvesting, we were also able to make plans for the future. Seeds were collected from some of my favorite heirloom varieties (such as the Spacemaster 80 cucumber, Sugar Snap pea, Sugar Baby watermelon, Big Moon pumpkin, Tabasco pepper, and the Scarlet Globe radish) so that they can be shared and grown again next year. The weather was less than ideal: severe drought, heat, and poor air quality due to Canadian wildfires made 2021 a challenging year to start a sustainable, productive community garden. Additionally, we did learn a few lessons about pest management from the surrounding wildlife (deer love pumpkins, squirrels love peas, raccoons love corn, wasps love melon, cabbage loopers love brassicas, and aphids and whiteflies are willing to damage any plant in a greenhouse). But there were also residents of the garden who I was happy to see everyday, like Champignon, the toadlet who grew up under the shade of the Lima beans, and Basil, the giant Northern leopard frog. However, we were able to rise above these challenges with the help of 18 volunteers and 24 donors over the garden’s 7-month growing season. I am immensely grateful for the support of Eden Prairie’s gardening community. Thank you all so much for your support! We were able to grow 896 pounds of fresh produce which was donated to the PROP Food Shelf, located less than half a mile away from the garden. Despite all of the challenges faced in 2021, thanks to our hard work and nature’s perseverance, People’s Patchwork harvested and donated countless bunches of leafy greens, boxes of squash and potatoes, and bags of peppers and tomatoes. As my favorite botanical author Michael Pollan once wrote, “Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance of conformity on all its many fronts.” As much as I respect his writing, in this scientific passage, I do think he failed to mention the seed’s ability to unite the community, teach patience and teamwork, and inspire positive change.
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AuthorHello! I'm Calista Swensen: gardener, environmentalist, student, volunteer, and aspiring botanist. Archives
July 2022
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