Hellman’s community gardens

After years of dreaming and scheming I finally have an in-ground garden. For 1 season.  Earlier this year I went to my local Access Montreal office and registered to get on the waiting list for a community garden plot. They told me the list was long at all gardens,and that most people wait 3 years or more before getting a space. The outlook was grim but I was desperate so I signed up. I also entered the Hellman’s community garden contest again this year and started scouting good locations for guerrilla gardening. Hope spings eternal, as they say.

My positivity paid off. I won one of 15 4×8 foot plots in the Hellman’s community garden plot in Montreal. I’m beside myself with joy. I have very little experience gardening in the ground so this is a brave new world for me.  Will animals, or bugs, or people nibble my precious plants? I’ve never had to contend with such things. I’ve also never had to lug my vermicompost so far to get to my plants. I usually just harvest what I need as I need it. 4×8 feet may sound small to people with yards but after years of growing in buckets on my balcony it seems huge to me. I’m doing some research now on square foot gardening to see how I can maximize my use of the land. I want to grow so many things: corn, beans, peas, butternut squash, peppers, cantaloupe, carrots, beets (Chioggia and golden – does anyone have seeds to trade?), tomatoes (2 varieties I received as part of the Canadian Tomato Project and wasn’t able to grow out on my baclony), onions (bunching and globe), spinach, roquette, cucumbers, basil… and I’m sure my list will double by the time I’ve finished my research.