Working In Solitude

April 29, 2015

Cleared and Ready To Plant

The soul warming spring continues as does tending the Prospect Gardens.  I worked alone today and yesterday for about a total of five hours.  I enjoyed the solitude while at times missing the companionship of my neighbors and fellow gardeners. Ernie stopped by on his way to quote him "Look over the back 40" (the path area boarding his property). We had a nice chat along with some good belly laughs.  

Tasks included weeding and preparing a new area for planting. Near the end of the 2014 season, Laura and I "accidentally" cleared an area West of  what was the then boundary of the gardens.  I say accidental because we did not intend to expand the gardens. However, as we proceeded to clear out the weeds and vines we kept moving west and soon discovered that we reached the electric pole.  For some reason, electric poles serve as boundary lines.

I have this dream of gardens along the path up until the recently installed butterfly garden to the West of Prospect Gardens. My aging body tells me that to achieve this dream will require either a miracle or convincing property owners to take on areas bordering their back yards. So this is another project for another day and time.

Meanwhile, Bob the mulching king is eager to spread mulch . So tomorrow at 1 p.m. we will begin and diminish that pile of 45 bags.

April 26, 2015 Prospect: What's Growing

Spring has indeed arrived and Prospect Gardens reveals the results. Here's a sample of what's growing: rhubarb, strawberries, one of the cherry trees and the forsythia. The forsythia was the very first plant in the garden put in nearly six years ago. There are four pictures.

April 25, 2015 Gardening Season Begins

April 25, 2015

The gardening season at Prospect has officially started. Ann who is my wife, Andy, Laura, Joyce, Steve and I worked in the Prospect Gardens.

We started at about nine and ended at about eleven. As usual, I arrived early to set things up including making this crude sign. We needs these signs to alert the bike riders and hopefully the Spandex Warriors.

We pulled weeds paying special attention to garlic mustard, the bane of all gardeners along the commuter path.  Never got to the mulching.

 Along the path are several other gardens. About a half block west is a lovely butterfly garden, put in last season. Next at the intersection of Glenway is a well established prairie garden. I helped plant this garden and worked in it until we developed the Prospect Gardens about five years ago. So this one has special meaning to me. Further on down the path at the intersection of Odana is Sue's impressive prairie started at least 12 years ago. It's considerably larger than the Glenway Prairie. And then at Midvale are the mother and baby buffalo statutes surrounded by prairie plants. Somebody decorates the buffaloes during holidays.  For example, on Easter the two stately animals wore jaunty Easter bonnets. 

So another gardening season is underway.  We ignored the overcast sky and the threat of rain while enjoying each others' company and swapping information about our lives. However, the chilly weather contributed to quitting at eleven rather than working until noon. Ann added extra enjoyment when she served her delicious zucchini bread. We missed Bob and Claudia, two of our regulars. Bob came down with a nasty cold and Claudia had other commitments.  

Our next schedule session in May 16th (9 to noon). In the meantime, I may start mulching. We have a pile of 45 bags of leaf mulch waiting to be distributed and to do their job. Beware weeds!!

Link to Past Article

 Below is a URL to an 2013 article about the history of the Prospect Gardens.

https://wingrasprings.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/from-guerrilla-to-community-gardening/

April 24, 2015 Working In Garden

April 24, 2015

Today, in contrast to the unseasonable spring day of clouds and cool temps my energy for gardening was, to use a trite phrase, sunny and high. I received some grasses and prairie plants from Sue early in the morning. Sue was so generous and I enjoyed her company while digging up the plants from her home garden. Sue is the keeper of a lovely prairie just down the bike path from Prospect Gardens.

Two neighborhood associations support our efforts: Dungeon-Monroe and the Regent Neighborhood Association.  The gardens are located along the sides of a commuter path that runs along a former railroad right of way. The path is populated with bikers, some that I refer to as the "Spandex Warriors", walkers, mothers with baby strollers, roller bladders and a few wheel chairs. The Spandex Warriors go zipping along at such high speeds, making me wonder what's their hurry while being relieved that I no longer have the high energy levels needed to be a warrior. Aging does have its advantages.

Anyhow, the warriors are fellow citizens and users of the path. We do pay them grudgingly respect as we work in the gardens; wouldn't want to get hit by one of them by carelessly steeping onto the path. Being mindful is required.

Rejuvenated a bed on the Dudgeon Monroe Side of the gardens and planted Sue's donation. Ann, my wife and I also cleared out the last of the plant material left over from the winter.

Tomorrow we have a work session.  Neighbors should arrive to help weed and mulch. I never know how many will appear and they always do. Here's hoping the rain the begin this afternoon abates.  It would be too much to ask for sunshine.