Community Garden

Today I hit the lottery.  Literally.  I am so excited that it is hard to type.  I have been on a high all day. Why you ask?  I got a COMMUNITY GARDEN PLOT!!!!!  (Read that last line with screeching and excited yelps in order to capture the full effect of my excitement.)  I have always wanted one and intended to get one.  When there was discussion a year or so ago about one going in across the street from us in the park, I was all for it. Unfortunately, I learned that I was the only one and our entire street had been in opposition.

So, I was driving to work today and listening to NPR.  Now that the peace institute for which I work has moved into its new headquarters, my commute involves an amazingly relaxing short drive through Rock Creek Park.  I love the commute, seeing the beautiful trees, creek and greenery.  Being able to listen to NPR is a huge bonus part of the commute.  So, the NPR story was about a new community garden in my area.  This was the first time I heard about it and was so excited to think that maybe my dreams of a plot would come true.

So I quickly called my husband Patrick using my mobile phone (okay, I admit while I was commuting but I was stopped in traffic, I swear) and asked him to quickly check into it.  He did and called me back (okay, again, I was commuting but spoke using the speakerphone and alas, once again, stopped in traffic.)  Patrick reported that the website said that all the plots had been allocated since early this month. My dreams of plot ownership had been dashed moments after they had been created.  So I asked him to contact them and put us on their waiting list.  I figured, oh well, maybe in a year or so……if we are lucky.  Ho hum.

I got to work and went about my business.  Later that afternoon, Patrick forwarded to me an e-mail exchange with the community garden folks.  To make a long story short, just before my husband had sent his request for us to be on the waiting list, someone else had just given up a plot in a different community garden.  So it was offered up to us and off my husband went to secure it at the country office coordinating the community garden.  Okay. It gets even better.  How you ask?  Well, I will tell you.  The community garden referenced in the NPR story was in fact not so close to our house.  But the plot that had just opened up was in a community garden within walking distance from our house! We pass it every day on the way to my son’s school and when we go grocery shopping.  As a matter of fact, just a few days back, we noticed the area and thought maybe a skateboard park or something was going in as the area was newly plowed and circular.   But in fact, it was a new community garden and we were proud plot owners in it. Well, it is times like this that I believe fate shines down upon is in positive and unexpected ways.

The plot will be ready in May and I will be so very ready to begin planting.  I already have visions of bucket loads of tomatoes (so long as they do not get taller than 6 feet and create shade for fellow gardeners,  according to the community garden rules) that I can can for the winter.   Happy happy times.   I will post photos soon.  May the planting begin!

Click on “Pea Pods” for more photos of the Community Garden space