The Rural Voice, 2002-07, Page 38Gardening
Communitg gardeners take innovative approach
Rhea
Hamilton -
Seeger and
her husband
live near
Auburn. She
is a skilled
cook and
gardener.
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
I have often looked upon
vegetable gardens as a great source of
designs for quilts. There are those
gardens that have neat rows and then
there are those laid out in blocks with
such a variety of leaves and colours
that any quilter would go crazy with
the patterns.
1 saw that same variety of patterns
when I went to see the community
garden project in Goderich recently.
There are about 10 sturdy, raised
beds used by a group of gardeners
who range from a retired couple to a
few young families. They all share
the common goal of growing fresh
vegetables for their tables and many
of them have little or no gardening
experience. But to garden all you
need is a bit of enthusiasm and a
touch of optimism. Seed
packets have instructions
on them and fellow
gardeners love to
share
information.
So you can
never be
without a
helping
hand and
information.
I spoke to a
group of them
one evening
about soil
requirements,
fertilizers and offered a
few planting tips. Their first
challenge was the soil. A load of
topsoil had been delivered which was
mostly clay based. We talked about
adding sand to loosen it up and Tots of
leaf mold or decayed leaves. I
cautioned them about peat
moss. As a non-renewable
resource we should be
looking at materials
that we can obtain
eadily and
without
damaging
the
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34 THE RURAL VOICE
environment.
Most of
the gardeners
had already
started planting
and there were
very few traditional
layouts in their gardens.
One had planted her seeds in swirl
patterns and I am going back to see
the results in a month's time. Each
garden also had either herbs or
flowers or both. Not a lot, just
enough to brighten a corner.
Tomatoes, zucchini and squash
were high on the list of what to plant
as were carrots, beets and beans.
They were delighted to learn that
their peas, beans, radishes and lettuce
could be replanted in August when
the weather started to cool off again.
One gardener was enjoying parsnips
that had wintered over in the ground.
Mulch was another topic of
discussion. The gardens are in an
industrial park and the area is
somewhat more open than in a more
residential area. A few gardeners
remarked that there is always a
breeze which is nice when you are
weeding but it also dries out the land
quicker. A mulch around the plants
would conserve moisture, keep the
ground at an even temperature and in
the end help improve the soil.
We talked about straw, lawn
clippings if they were from a lawn