The Daily

While I took a break from writing last week, you know we still worked in the garden! We started harvesting last week. Also, we cleaned and started planting this week.

So far the harvest includes: fava beans, a neighbor’s purple lettuce, Greek oregano, Italian oregano, two types of mint, and our first sprigs of lemon verbena. The lemon verbena shouts out to our people in Argentina. Lemon verbena grows wild in that part of the world.

We added broccolli and cabbage between our directly sewed summer squash. We have many broccollis and cabbages in the front half of our parcel. So far we sewed three scallop, also called patty pan and sunburst, squash. We directly sewed the following winter squash: delicata honey boat, table king acorn, waltham butternut, and burgess buttercup.

Over the years I have learned that one squash plant usually yields adequate fruit for one family. With so many squash plants we will have enough squash for 6-8 families in our community. The squash plants bear fruit between July and September

We also added a row of oregano and time on the west border of our parcel. We use herbs to protect our plants. The herbs block harmful insects and other pests. Right next to these herbs I sewed Italian parsley, Garden cilantro, and romaine lettuce. These will be wonderful salads very soon!

Today we did that hard labor for our summer, fall, and winter food. The olive tree grows,the doves fly, the sea gulls chatter and all the other birds sing. This fills me with happiness and hope.

Sun and Rain

Alternating days of rain and sun for the past few weeks have been a blessing for the plants.  Many of our earthbound green friends have been actively photosynthesizing and have grown significantly.  The pigeons enjoyed a snack of rice, given by Don Domingo.  Lining the walkways of the garden are narcissus flowers blooming, and gladiolas preparing to bloom.  Today Carlie harvested oregano, mint, tarragon and cilantro from the garden.  These herbs have survived the winter and are entering their productive phase again with the lengthening of the days.  The blueberry plants have sensed the arrival of spring, and have their first small fruits.  The Nopal cactus, taking a cue from the blueberries about the arrival of spring, have awakened and are sending out tasty shoots that will soon be grilled, salted, covered with lime and wrapped in a corn tortilla.

Planting Cilantro

Cilantro is a flavorful herb grown by many cultures the world over.  The leaves and seeds are commonly used for their fresh, spicy flavor.  Cilantro is delicious in salsa, chutney, or sprinkled fresh over meals.  The seeds can be ground, and used as seasoning in a variety of cuisine.

To plant cilantro, sew in soil 1/2 inch deep and gently cover.  Rows are optional.  Planting in the ground will give more cilantro, but planting in pots is effective also.  Keep seeds moist during germination, watering about twice a week for the first few weeks, or whenever the soil is dry.

To harvest your cilantro, cut the stalks you wish to use, or pull up the whole plant from the roots.  Pinch and use the leaves, discard the stems.  For best flavor, harvest before your cilantro begins going to seed.

If you wish to save seeds for another crop, allow some plants to keep growing until they flower, and then seed.  Allow the seeds to fully dry until they are very hard.  Gather the seeds and repeat.

June 1-7

This week we continued harvesting the first squash plants. From the communal areas we harvested 7 squash (the two dark green ones that take 40 days and five light green ones with yellow speckles that grow on a vine), many bushels of cilantro, one bag of yerba buena oaxaqueña (Oaxaquen mint), and a bag of broccoli. In the personal plots, gardeners have been harvesting cactus, cilantro, lettuce, broccoli, kale, chard, oregano, cooking sage, peas, turnips, time, squash and arugula. Domingo is saddened because many of the communal squash (in Spanish, calabasas para la gente) that he planted have rotted because he planted them below the ground. Many of the plants still produce plenty of squash, however, Domingo repeats that next year he will be sure to plant all of them above ground so this does not occur again. Because of this he has planted approximately ten more plants in other communal areas so we will still have squash for residents of Beach Flats.

The challenges this week have been gophers and leaking plumbing in the Kid’s Club plot. Although we have gotten rid of many gophers, one has killed two potato plants in two different plots. The drip irrigation that the Christian group installed is leaking in various places. Usually the city administration attends to its plumbing, but for some reason that is not the case in our community garden. One of the former administrators, Rachel Colverwell, informed me that another city supervisor, Robert Acosta, would become the administrator. However, last week Reyna Ruiz, the other former city administrator, informed me that Robert Acosta was not actually officially in charge. Therefore, we have no confirmed city personnel administering the city’s contract with the gardeners. Over the past few months, especially in January, we have communicated, both verbally and in writing, with the City Council and city employees, Carol Skurich, Rachel Colverwell, and Robert Acosta to rectify the city’s absence in this city park. We have received no written correspondence from the city and Skurich informed me that they have, “no idea what is going to happen to the garden.”

Thanks for reading the brief report from our beautiful, bountiful garden. Next Friday, June 12, we will be screening 500 Years of Chicana History in Spanish at 9:00 pm at the garden. Please spread the word and stop by!