Our New Garden Plot!

Hello again!

As you may remember, our little garden at home is approximately 300 square feet.  We've always done well with the space. Last year, we harvested 315 pounds of produce from the plot. We both felt that it was quite a success. One of the crops we grew was butternut squash.  When I bought the seeds, I just assumed it took up only as much space as the summer squash we plant each year.  That was definitely not the case! It pretty much overwhelmed the rest of the garden by its very large size, spreading 20 foot vines in all directions!

BUT, we really liked having that late season butternut squash nearly into November. Which, as dangerous as it may seem (cue up the "scary movie" music), got us to  thinking.

What if.....we had more space? Hmmmm. We'd be able to grow the butternut, or even two of them. And how about some acorn squash! And delicata squash! And pumpkins!  And ornamental gourds! And, if we had enough space, some extra onions and even carrots! All are very space consuming late season items (except the onions and carrots). Always, the wise and practical one, Lois didn't think my idea of annexing our neighbor's backyard would work. But then, like the proverbial "bolt out of the blue", she suggested that we could rent a garden plot at the county park!

So today, we did just that. Our plot will be 20' x 20' which more than doubles our garden space. And for only $20!  (They also have 20' x 40' plots for $25.)  We were quite lucky to get one. The plots become available on March 1 and nearly all of smaller ones were rented. The program allows gardens to begin on April 15th.  The ground has already been plowed. So now the planning begins. 

We rented a plot many years ago. We were both working. Charles was still young and living with us. It was just too much trouble to get there after working all day so we pretty much left it alone. But since time is no longer an issue, we can enjoy the luxury of being able to care for the new plot as is needed. An additional huge plus is that the park is only ten minutes from our home and water is available at the site. You can even park your car in front of the plot!

So those of you who are space challenged, you may want to look into your county and/or other possible sources for community garden plots for rent. In PA, we have counties, and we have townships, and we have boroughs, and we have towns, and we have many school districts - all with their own organizations, rules, ordinances, and services. (Lancaster County PA alone has 60+ separate government or school related entities. It's really awful compared to MD) So, if your property happens to have a herd of browsing deer like someone I know, or you're in an apartment, search your local resources for the opportunity to get out, get some fresh air and grow some of your own food.

I hope to see you here again soon!