Community Gardening in the time of Covid 19- part 2

 

Nov. 3, 2020

This is an update to the previous post written last spring during Shelter in Place. 

Initially, none of us could have imagined this situation would last as long as it has. In the spring we thought it might only be for several weeks. As noted in the previous post, the garden was in maintenance mode for a time, but in May we reopened under phase 1 guidelines which allowed up to ten persons to gather in an outdoor space while maintaining social distance. Basically that continued all summer until the fall, as we never really opened to the public. About fifteen gardeners have contributed in some way to the effort, with a core group of eight or so who have been most active. This was about half as many gardeners as we had in 2019.

In spite of everything that happened we have managed to continue through the year and had some good crop yields which allowed us to continue donating produce to the food pantry almost every week. And it has been on a week-by-week basis, of just staying focused and doing what needed to be done at the garden.  The garden is large enough that it is easy to work while maintaining social distance. 

We have the reward of being outdoors in a pleasant environment and also the satisfaction of doing something productive to help others by donating many pounds of fresh produce. For that opportunity we are grateful. All of us miss being able to move about freely and spend time with friends and family, and activities that we were involved in and perhaps took for granted prior to covid 19. Working together in the garden also provides the benefits of some social interaction with others in person that we otherwise might not have.

Community Gardening in the Time of COVID-19

Like everything else this spring of 2020, our garden plan has been upended. Fortunately we began planning this year's garden during the winter. In January we placed some orders for seeds and supplies, including 90 peat pots, thinking we might start more of our own plants this year.
We planned to add more perennials this year, and we ordered and planted early. We added more blueberries and a fig tree in February. In March we planted asparagus, potatoes and peas, which all went in before more stringent stay at home orders took effect. We are thankful for that.
Tomato and broccoli plants were started in March.
Now more and more seeds are being planted, and soon all available window and porch space will be filled with plants, which is a great activity to fill the long hours of stay at home time.