Gardening at the Knickerbocker
As August came to a close I went to our little community garden at the Knickerbocker Apartments to take morning pictures when the sun highlights the loveliness of our meager efforts. One gardener, however, has spent many hours tending the garden and has given advice and watered when needed. Robert is from Lebanon and brings old world wisdom, even his mother's advice not to waste a thing, and shares it along with recipes for tabbouleh and his hot peppers, which he grows in abundance.
The Knickerbocker has kindly provided eight raised beds that are waist high, built on stilts so older people don't have to kneel to garden which would prevent many like myself from gardening at all. They also provided potting soil to fill the boxes, sometimes mixing in the clay-like native dirt that is not fit for growing anything. I am surprised any grass grows at all.
When I used up my allotted store bought soil I planted chive seeds in a small pot of the native soil. After several weeks without any sprouts I turned the pot upside down to find it was hard as a rock. I use it as a weight to keep my gardening supplies from blowing away in storms.
Now fall is breathing down our necks. As I enjoy the comforts of morning sun, flowers in full bloom, birdsong, a beautiful and comfortable place to sit alone or visit with neighbors. I wonder how we can extend the growing season with some sort of enclosure to keep the frost from snuffing our flowers and plants.
I would like to invite anyone in the community to give advice, hands-on assistance or resources for this project which is bigger than any individual garden lover. Please contact: TwistedKnickersGardeningClub@zohomail.com.
Chris Funnell
Chris is a Mama Bear, grandma, artist, writer and entrepreneur. She and her husband were recently transplanted from Massachusetts via Utah to be near their grandchildren.