September Garden Update

Before I left for a trip to Peru and Machu Picchu, nearly every one of my family members admonished me to "Take lots of pictures!!!" 

 

Two days into the trip, my camera battery died.  Don't blame me, blame the horse it was riding on; the camera, which was inside a bag lashed on top of a horse, must have been jostled to power on by the gait of the horse, thereby running down the battery while it was inside the bag.

 

But I digress.  This post is not about Machu Picchu, my camera, or the horse - because I don't have pictures.  While I'm waiting on my travel companion to send me her photos, here's a current-day update on the organic community garden.

 

A year ago this month, we planted in fresh soil in our newly built beds.

Today, we planted in second-year soil in newly repaired beds.

We had a few setbacks along the way, including the loss of PCV Mike, who was a major motivator to the group; and, more recently, a two-week period in which the health center next door had no water.

In short, the seedlings we planted a few weeks prior did not survive.  So, we figured it was time for round two.

This time, the group decided to plant the seedlings directly in the beds.  They allocated one end of the bed and prepared the soil with extra care, then divided it into rows and dropped the seeds in.

 

This is a departure from what we did this time last year, but it was the group's decision.  We will see what happens when the seedlings are left in the public domain, where the sunshine and the prying beaks of birds have equal access.  (We endeavored to protect from the birds by partially covering the seeds with a woven sack.)

 

 

Only time will tell the results of this experiment.  Keep your fingers crossed, por favor.

 

Over & out.