Today I officially started cultivating my community garden plot at Colonel Summers Park. Earlier this week, when it was dry and somewhat sunny and warm, Sarah and I made plans to go to Mt. Scott Fuel for a load of compost to split between our plots. Today, we woke to a perfectly soggy Portland morning. The kind of morning that makes you question most of the day’s commitments and which often results in a day devoted to endless pots of tea and high carbohydrate snacks. Somehow, Sarah and I coaxed ourselves into the adventure. We fetched the Zip truck Sarah had reserved, picked up the compost and headed to the garden, where we were immediately covered from head to toe in muddy water and chunks of compost. The wheelbarrows in the community tool shed were a nice gesture, but in practice were as effective as moving a truck load of compost with a small bucket. In the pouring rain we moved load after load in these wheelbarrows and with each trip I considered the possible consequences of breaking a community garden wheelbarrow. Do they kick you out? We’d gotten a 1/2 yard of the three-way compost blend for $17, so we each spent a mere $8.50 to dress our beds with about three inches of nutrient rich food for our coming seedlings.
It is incredibly satisfying to see the garden in this bare-bones, tidy state. The lines of the raised beds are clear, walking paths are visible, the soil is dark, rich and waiting. Right now it is just a bunch of potential. I know that the coming season will be complete with harvests, disappointments, surprises and specific events. In just a few months this clean slate will be a beautiful mess of lush green growth in all directions. A mess that has an order to it that you can’t quite pin down. An order which prevails even within the most chaotic growth. An order which exists because of the smart infrastructure you’ve put in place at the get go, and because that is what nature does.
I came home muddy and chilled, but happier than in months, my spirit and body restored and excited about the process I am beginning.
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