The Garden Begins in Earnest

Oregon does not have the longest growing season in the country (oh contraire, mon fraire), so we are employing all manner of season extenders, beginning with starting seeds indoors, my windowsills are brimming with plant babies! Thanks to my participation in this garden co-op, I am growing hot peppers for the first time this season, and I am quite enjoying the adventure. I have never been a big enough fan of hot peppers to grow them in the past, but others in the co-op are, and I have the bright sunny yard, so I get the fun of raising them!

Outside, the yard is still very shaggy from it's long winters nap (and my long, unplanned, absence). But I have begun planting in earnest. Strawberries are going in along the leading edge of my front yard, flanking the Irises lining the sidewalk.
The weather has been alternating between gloomy-gray and monsoons, far too wet for digging beds, which has not slowed me down because, rather than diggering, I am layering a rich mix of manure and compost on top of existing beds, and also using it to fill the new raised beds in the driveway.
And this has brought up an existental crisis for me: this project is all about creating fossil-fuel free food, and yet my neighbor and I have gone in together on a truck load of compost, which, in my case, is an addition to the bags of compost I purchased from the co-op.
Absent the trucked-in compost, garden beds in the driveway would not be possible, and I have to believe that the conversion of a barren driveway into a thriving garden counts for something (I would say that it counts as my "carbon off-set", but I dont believe in them), yet I would have much rather created that compost on-site. The main limiting factor there was that, having been out of state all winter, I have no prepared compost on hand, and reading the tea leaves of the eonomy and peak oil, I question whether I have the luxery of time before begining my garden in earnest. Food prices are already growing expodetially, by next year I may be lucky to afford seeds, never mind groceries! In the greater scheme of things, the one-time delivery of organic compost to a garden that will then be planted and maintained fossile fuel free ~and replace store bought groceries trucked in from thousands of miles a way~ is not so terrible after all.

Welcome to the ultimate in eating local!

The concept is both simple and profound, a group of urban gardeners get together and figure out what crops our respective yards are best suited to growing, and what crops we want to eat. Then we make a plan for growing those crops among the respective yards, it would be kinda like a CSA, except we would all be both farmers and consumers. On a regular basis (to be decided) we share in the labor and the harvest.

As I type this, I am listening to the news reporting that food prices are rising faster than they have since anybody bothered to keep track of such things, due in large part to the cost of shipping it thousands of miles, and the fact that so many food crops are being diverted to bio-fuels. Which begs the question, isn't there a better way to feed our families? What if you could get the bulk of your groceries from within a bikeable distance from your home, raised by friends and neighbors who share the burdens and bounty of gardening with you.

They say the garden is always greener on the other side of the fence ~or down the street. But what if the gardeners on both sides of the fence, and the one down the street, collaborated and took advantage of the best features of each yard, planting each crop in whichever yard best suited? That would be pretty freakin idyllic!

By co-ordinating our efforts, and planting crops where they grow best among our respective yards, we maximize yields and enjoy truly local food. We also reap the benefits each others company, assistance and knowledge

We are beginning this season with three gardens, offering a spectrum from full sun to dappled shade, supporting a cornucopia of crops, including apples, figs, and cruelty free organic eggs. All of the crops are completely organic and totally local, and not one ounce of fuel is used in their production.

Like farmers have always done, we come together to work each others land, and holding with the tradition, follow the work with a community meal that cant be beat

My hope is that this group will grow community, as well a food, sustain each other on a variety of levels, and welcome the addition of others in the future.