Three weeks ago I began working on a 20x20 plot and I am pleased to say that summer plants and seeds are in the ground. In a little over 8 weeks, I hope to harvest tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplant, okra, lima beans, zucchini, yellow squash and watermelon. The weather has been very pleasant and I am hopeful I will have a decent harvest this garden season. Going forward, work at the "Alexandria" plot will be maintenance. The plan is to stop there 2-3x a week to weed, lay down mulch, water and prune the plants (when needed). 

As you can see in the second picture, I began laying down leaves as cover for the beds and mulch in the walkways. Additionally, I created an organic pesticide using cayenne pepper and garlic and planted seeds for companion plants to keep away pests. Everyday I am learning something new about organic gardening (e.g., baking soda solution to kill mildew). 

Eventually, I will begin planning the "Fall" garden. However, I am going to use the next 8-12 weeks to create garden and nutrition education programs. In addition to sharing produce and encouraging others to do the same, the purpose of Sow. Harvest. Share also includes providing information to others. It has been a long three weeks, but I am looking forward to creating education & coaching programs that will help people achieve their lifestyle goals. 

Ask & You Shall Receive . . .

On April 27th, 2011, I received a call that completely changed everything. I received a 20x20 plot at an apartment complex 5 miles away from my home. My original plans were to plant in containers on my patio and at a Fort Totten, Washington, D.C. via the Garden Education class being held by the Neighborhood Farm Initiative. This space is more than enough to provide fresh produce for myself and the food pantry at The Christ Church. I plan on growing the following at this space: tomatoes, okra, sweet peppers, zucchini and summer squash, lima beans, green beans, collards and cabbage.

I started prepping the space for planting on April 30th. I have to say that I am thankful my parents ignored child labor laws and gender rules and had my sister and I do yard work every Spring & Summer. I knew immediately what needed to be done to this ground. The ground was muddy thanks to the rain we received the week before. So, I was able to clean up 75% of the ground. I wasn't prepared for the physical affect performing yard work after living in an apartment for ten years. Thus, I was not able to complete the space over the weekend. I will be there 1 hour a day during the week (May 3 - May 6th). In addition to putting up fencing to keep out the deer, i want to get seeds and transplants into the ground the weekend of May 7th.

In addition to the plots, I am planting cherry tomatoes, spring onions, and okra on my patio. Why? Well, just in case there is a delay (even a slight delay) with getting the Alexandria plot ready, at least I will have transplants & seeds in the ground today (May 2, 2011) and a harvest to share by mid-June.