In support of community gardens

Didn't seem like much. Just two acquaintances who decided to form an alliance and grow vegetables in the same raised bed.

But since January of this year, when a fellow plant-lover and I started a community garden in our homeowner's association, I have had a great time and I've learned so much from him.

His one tomato plant has been a star, pumping out huge fruit for months, while 3 feet away my three plants have *ahem* produced some fruit. What's his secret? He pruned back a good portion of the foliage and didn't let the plants go all leafy. My plants are too vegetative; his plant's energy went to the fruit.

He turned me on to delicious banana peppers, which I plan to grow every year.

I was simply blown over (with admiration) by his guff ... he planted 5 or 6 raised beds at the other end of our community ... without permission from the HOA. His response: "It looked so ugly over there. This looks better." No argument from me. And the HOA retroactively approved it!

Always happy, always had a great outlook on life. Definitely an attitude to emulate.

Community gardens are the best way to meet people who share a love for horticulture -- even if it's just one cool dude. I'll be sorry to leave the raised bed we started here when my family moves, but I hope it will be a way for others in the HOA to have the same social-gardening experience that I did.

So, who's with me?

Now it has been a little more than two weeks since I first planted everything. Notably absent? The spinach and the broccoli.

Spinach should show up almost immediately, and there has not even been one tiny sprout. I'm mystified, because the rest of my greens have sprouted fine. Is my soil too acidic? Spinach (from what I've read) doesn't do well below a pH of 6.0.

The broccoli (or what may have been broccoli) looks like a tiny stalk with its leaves eaten off. For what it's worth, most gardening books say to start broccoli inside and transplant the seedlings outside.

Best so far from seed? The sweet peas (below). So tall and healthy I'll need to make a teepee for them soon.


The transplants (tomatoes, eggplant, strawberries) are thriving. Only issue is spacing: my neighbor's absolutely gigantic tomato plant shades over onto my side. Just look at that monster (below, far right). Harrumph.

Edited to add: Owen and I yesterday replanted the spinach seeds, and I bought and planted a broccoli seedling Nov. 5.

Now the waiting ... (or "High Hopes")

Hooray! Here is my Square Foot Garden (and the lovely Charlotte), modified a teensy bit to fit my raised bed's overhanging interior lip.

I've got 3 kinds of tomatoes, 6 types of lettuce (including arugula and other spicy greens), spinach, carrots, broccoli, onions (white, red, green), leeks, peas, 2 kinds of strawberries, eggplant, basil, parsley and cilantro.

Charlotte and I met our raised-bed-sharing friend Cathy today. (She has the other 8 feet of the 16-foot bed.) She got her plot the same day I did and also is not a Palm Desert resident. Cathy already has some thriving tomatoes, basil and strawberries.

Another angle: