The Daily Dig

Living in a townhome with no yard or dirt to call our own, the Emeryville Community Organic Garden (ECOG) is a wonderful opportunity to grow plants and have fun. My husband and I, after being on the waiting list for a year, were delighted to receive a thirty-two square foot plot of our own about 3 years ago. I visit it almost every day with my 6-month-old daughter. In the beginning we set out with enthusiasm, even gusto, and quickly (in my mind) grew the best lookin’ raised bed this side of Powell Street. Just how many vegetables could we cram into that space? More than you can imagine.
(click the main image to see the photo tour)

A four by eight foot Chia pet.
Last year when I was pregnant and nauseated, I foolhardily planted sixteen heads of lettuce, among other things, only to discover that I could not even look at a leafy green, let alone eat one. So our happy, perky greens bolted as their only recourse for being unloved and under-watered, and I announced to my husband that all decisions pertaining to the care, organization and offerings of the plot were now solely his responsibility until the baby came. I waited for his thrilled reaction but it didn’t come. To cut or not to cut, that was the question. It invariably happened that whatever I wanted to trim, he wanted to save, and vice versa. So naturally I figured he would be pleased that I would give him the other rein to this dirt buggy and he would take off. But my announcement seemed to take the wind out of his green thumb, and our plot went on autopilot for a while.

There were other times when we over planted and veggies did not get eaten, but I look for opportunities to share. For example, after harvesting overflowing bags of greens, beets and tomatoes, I scan the path on my walk home hoping to see a neighbor, friend, acquaintance or friendly face walking toward me, that I may show off the food I grew my very own self and offer them a bag to take home. I must say for the record though, that the beets we’ve grown in our little plot are the best I’ve ever had! We’ve learned to plant them in smaller batches a few weeks apart now, so they don’t all ripen at the same time.

A fistful of dahlias
This spring, we went with a higher flower to vegetable ratio than in previous years. Specifically, we rescued a dinner-plate dahlia from the pot it’s lived in on our deck for the last half decade (I think we got three flowers from it last year) and put that watermelon size bulb in a corner of our plot. Bouquets, bouquets, bouquets!! That’s all I gotta say. Oh, and baby Ava loves to grab them in her little fist and yank out all the petals.

We’ve learned a lot about gardening since joining the ECOG, and I find myself gazing at our little patch of dirt - pondering the possibilities for autumn.