The Dzen Garden
When I applied for a community garden plot back in December, I had no idea, 1.) What I was getting myself into, and 2.) That COVID-19 was about to wreck all of my summer 2020 plans so I’d have plenty of time to figure it out. Very auspicious timing—my quarantine saving grace and silver lining.
Now, I suppose it isn’t fair to say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into because I did work in a garden center all through high school caring for annuals, perennials, and house plants (I had a quick stint as a florist too), but aside from a few potted veggies and herbs on my porch, I’ve never attempted an actual garden of my own until now.
Because the yard at Dan Ranch (our house—what, your house doesn’t have a name?) is really shady and gets a bit swampy when it rains, gardening here has never been a possibility. Ann Arbor has a ton of community garden spaces though, so I applied for a half-plot this year and got one about half a mile down the road—and it’s huge—12’ x 30.’
I spent the first half of spring in research mode, and after watching a few webinars and a MasterClass, reading a Beginner Gardening ebook, googling all sorts of things, and talking to friends and family members who have actual experience, I made a plan and started prepping. Here’s what I did (and this is by no means a gardening how-to, don’t trust anything I say until my garden actually produces something):
I started by making a list of every vegetable, herb, and flower that I had an interest in growing, i.e., stuff I knew I would actually eat/use.
I talked to my friend Jess (she and her husband run Working Hands Farm out in Oregon, absolutely follow them on IG if you don’t already) and had her run through the list with me and make sure I was picking things that were beginner-friendly and that would produce a decent yield. I also text her daily with various questions and she always seems to have the answer. Love you Jess!
I plotted out my space and divided it into 6, 4’ x 8’ beds and did a little research on companion planting in an attempt to arrange things in a way that made sense.
I decided to use plant starts this year and not grow everything from seeds (baby steps), so I ordered online from a few local spots and made my rounds to pick everything up. I was really bummed not to be able to luxuriously stroll through the garden center aisles and pick everything out myself, but ordering online seemed to make the most sense right now.
Last weekend my friend George volunteered to come over and help me do some manual labor, so we spent the afternoon in the mud shaping the beds…and then we drank margaritas. A note on soil: I was on the fence about getting compost delivered, but a few seasoned gardeners in the space told me that they’ve found the existing soil to be very nutrient-rich on its own, so I skipped it. We’ll see.
This weekend I finally got in there and planted my little babies and I’m so excited that everything is finally in the ground! I even have my first flea beetles, super. Now to get some row cover…
So what am I attempting to grow? A lot! Tomatoes, basil, arugula, parsley, chives, peppers, hot peppers, cilantro, chamomile, dill, rosemary, eucalyptus (this was an impulse buy, no idea if it will even grow here), lavender, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, kale, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, leeks, Swiss chard, onions, potatoes, zinnias (I did a whole bed of just zinnias, my fav flower), statice, strawflower, cornflower, and dwarf sunflowers.
Oh, and because I love naming everything, I’m calling my plot the Dzen Garden—but come on, it pretty much named itself (I work in marketing, sorry).
Wish me luck! Fingers crossed my green thumb carries me through.
p.s. I am very open to any and all advice, fire away.
