Nichols Park Community Gardens Reduced

I cut through Nichols Park the other day and saw this:

That's a big change from a few months ago. It used to look like this:



 I'll have to revise my community gardens page. There still seems to be some space for gardening outside the wrought iron fence. Anyway, they appear to be shifting toward youth centered activities. For more info, see: http://www.hpnclub.org/

55th/Woodlawn Gardens Revisited

I love before and after photos, and now I can finally offer some from the 55th/Woodlawn community gardens (see original post).


55th St. -- Before



55th St. -- After!

 As usual, I am amazed by what good sun conditions can do for a garden. Look at these monster green beans!

It was hard to capture the dazzling array of zinnias and other flowers on my little camera, so I tried a semi-artsy shot of these orange ones (which I can't quite identify...some sort of coreopsis?).

These giant blue cabbages dominate several plots. They're beautiful, if also perhaps frightful... This one had its own pet frog:

An avid gardener I met on-site eagerly ushered me over to the delicate blooms of borage, which I had never seen before. He was sorry to say they were just past their prime, but we found a few left to admire.


Borage

The heat made me appreciate the rest spot in the center of the garden beneath a tall shade tree. In this garden, you definitely want to sit and enjoy everything for at least a few minutes!

See you again in the fall! 

62nd St. Gardens - Guest Photographer

I had meant to go over to the 62nd St/Dorchester community gardens and take some photos, but it is about 100F out today and generally very hot lately. So I am thrilled to be able to publish someone else's photos, namely those of professional photographer Deborah Marcero. Deborah says she is a "first time city gardener" and is enjoying her experience so far. She is also an aspiring aviator.

Her gorgeous professional website can be found here:  http://honeyandlightphoto.com/ 
and her (also gorgeous) blog is here: http://honeyandlightphoto.com/blog/

Enjoy!

Please note that these photos are the property of Deborah Marcero. If you wish to use/reproduce them in any way, please contact her via her blog.

Some little snapdragons?...Must have been taken a while ago!

...And a hen?

How can you not want to grow your own tomatoes?

And the gerber daisies...perfect for vases, or just little spots of happy.

Stay cool everyone! 

Community Gardens in Sweden

Since my husband is Swedish, I can't resist sharing some photos of community gardens in Sweden. Allotments or "colonies" (kolonier) are rented out as individual plots just as they are here. But Sweden is a country the size of California with about 1/4 the population of California. There's a lot of land to go around, even for those who can't afford a house with a garden.

The photo above was taken just outside a large residential co-op apartment complex. Resting on the edge of uncultivated fields as it does, with thick forests all around, gardeners struggle with (and adore) red deer like this one.

Given that outdoor produce stands (open daily) are a ten minute walk from here, some people focus only on flowers and the cultivation of peaceful, beautiful spaces (below).

But here (below), the allotments are larger, and serious fruit and vegetable growing takes center stage. Roughly 6 separate allotments are visible in this photo:

To my mind, the most notable feature of Swedish community gardens is a sense of permanence. Sheds, greenhouses, and even exquisite miniature houses (for adults) adorn many plots, while a recent article in Dagens Nyheter shows seven photos of a plot that looks professionally landscaped(http://www.dn.se/bostad/lycka-ar-en-egen-kolonilott ). See photo #6 especially. They really do build little houses like that. In my next post, I'll share photos of one very unique space that is elaborate but also possesses a certain DIY charm.

For now, just one more photo. Imagine getting off work, hopping on your vespa, pushing through (minimal)city traffic, and then zooming through the Swedish meadows toward your own semi-private agricultural happy hour.

Spotted: Kenwood Scarecrow Garden

Between Wilder House and the Lillie House on Kenwood and 58th is a communal garden, though I don't know who tends it. It may not be in full swing yet, but being so close to the university, surrounded by massive, famous buildings, tennis courts, and carefully landscaped homes, it seems an unlikely and (thus) happy space for a gardening experiment.

But surely the most notable feature of the garden is not what's growing here. It's got to be the scarecrows.

With the stylized elegance of a Greek tragic chorus, this football player works hand in hand with the one-eared cat man toward their common goal.

I know better than to attack a straw man, so let's just say that if you work 24/7, I guess you get to stand around with your belly untucked.


In any case, I look forward to seeing what precious crops require such careful vigilance.


 

Fields of Dreams

I love before-and-after photos, so I took this one a few weeks ago at 55th/Woodlawn...and I'll be back for re-takes in July and August. More info on this location can (soon) be found on my new Community Gardens page.

It doesn't look like much yet, but I can see people were already gearing up for a good growing season back in early May. I really like the bricks laid out on the left. Maybe there should be a "Best Garden Plot" contest...? Gardening can be many things to many people, but one thing I'm always drawn to is the way some people go about creating their own space. ...But forget the contest. I'm just going to keep an eye out for great spaces!

But maybe we should have a "Best Scary-ass Scarecrow" award...I nominate this one.

Pics 3 and 4 were taken May 24th at the Nichols Park Field House, where the gardens are up and running, despite the cold and rain. I always see gorgeous butternut squash growing on the wrought iron fence later in the season. 

The plots here seem more expensive and harder to come by, but you get some perks. Benches, a picnic table, and other amenities within the Nichols Park Field House. But in the end, any bit of soil will do (and with hydroponics, sometimes you don't even need that!). So happy gardening to all!