Week Five: The Cold…
Emily H -
This week brought unexpected challenges, mainly the cold! On Thursday, I helped weed out a plot for someone no longer using it. The Community Gardens of Tucson requires gardeners to maintain their plots every two weeks, but I’ve noticed they’re pretty lenient since plants can be unpredictable and life happens. Pat, the coordinator, checks in via email or phone. Most gardeners come early in the morning, so it’s usually just Pat and me. I also saw an artichoke growing for the first time, didn’t know they grew like that!
A work party is coming up at Keeling Garden to build three new raised beds with cinder blocks from another garden. Unlike Shay Shay, they’re only adding a few raised beds, not converting the whole space. Work parties bring the community together to maintain the gardens, and I enjoyed my first one at Shay Shay, where 20 UA volunteers showed up. I wondered how word gets out, and Pat explained they send emails to those signed up for CGT notifications. CGT also hosts workshops to encourage gardening and volunteering!
On Friday, I worked with Elissa at Doolen Garden, which felt nostalgic because the school reminded me of my kindergarten days. I helped turn compost—Doolen has an active composting system where they sift it into a fine, dark mix.
They also have a separate pile where I added produce donated from the Vegan Market. Some of the donated fruits and veggies looked perfectly fine, which made me curious about their donation criteria. I weeded a raised bed (luckily no Bermuda grass!), saw hummingbirds near water baths, and even took home some fresh snap peas from Elissa’s garden, they were so sweet and delicious!
It was cold and windy, so I took shelter in the shed for a bit. Hehe. Taking next week off for spring break. See you all in a couple of weeks!
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