Rachel and Matt's Garden

Monday, July 19, 2010

If you though a P-patch was urban gardening...

Then check out our fire escape. How many plants can you squeeze on a fire escape without getting in trouble? Apparently, as many as you want in Hoboken since lawlessness seems to rule the road (double-parked cars galore). So, we decided not to worry about a few plants placed slightly illegally on our otherwise wasted fancy real estate (the "deck").

We missed our P-patch so much that we couldn't just leave all our veggies behind! Tomatoes had to come with us...at least a few...and of course the basil. And one spicy pepper plant for good measure. How can we waste this 100 degree sunlight? It's sweaty and disgusting for me and magic fertilizer for plants. I won't lie though...I do pine for my rhubarb and zucchini plants...but they are simply not fire escape terrace size, this year...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Wintery Carrots

I wanted to called this post "Wimpy Winter Carrots" but Matt took serious offense to that title. He muttered something about them not being "genetically modified overblown hoohas..." and therefore, the title is now just wintery carrots. Delicious, all the same.

: Wimpy but delicious carrots that survived the equally wimpy winter

For two years now, we have sustained a P-patch. Complete novices, trying our hands at urban farming. Barely even close to experts after two measly years of gardening, I am so flabbergasted at how well we fared. Every time we went to the garden it would be like, "Wow, we really did this? Look how Green and Huge! How could we possibly have created this?" And the truth is, we didn't. Growing things is really magical. You supply some sweat, labor and compost...and voila...lush vegetation, and ultimately vegetables appear before your eyes.

For us, novice gardeners, gardening is an incredibly healing experience as well. What could be more basic and pleasurable than connecting with the earth and working with the soil to produce delectable items from mere seed? Getting my hands caked and filthy (ok, I actually hate getting dirt in my fingernails, but I deal with it), watching plants perk up in mere minutes when all I have to offer is cold hose water, seeing the first tiny leaves poke up from the ground: nothing is more awe-inspiring or simply thrilling.