Garden, garden, garden, garden, garden!

I've got a garden! One plot. Maybe two!!!!

Breathe.

I fell in love with my first community garden plot in Montreal, which I had for three more or less successful years. Montreal's community garden system is outstanding. It's run municipally, so there is a centralized database of all of the gardens that indicates whether or not there are plots available. If the garden nearest you is full, you can put your name on a list or sign up for the next most suitable garden. I lucked out and got a spot right across the street from my house.

Fast forward to Quebec City. The first year, I couldn't even find a garden. I did by the second year, and had an even less successful garden (yes, the season really is that much shorter in QC). It was still fun, and while I didn't successfully grow more than a dozen beefsteaks (what was I thinking?) I did have a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes that (picked while green, since I was moving to Toronto) managed to gradually ripen and inspire me to make neverending batches of cherry tomato risotto.

Skip a year. Finally find this plot. Looks good, just off the Don Valley, could conceivably make a nice extra-long bike ride home with a little garden-time in between. Would I get a plot?

(The suspense was killing me.)

Yes, I've got a plot. Maybe two. I might not need two. We'll see. I couldn't exactly check out the garden, seeing as how there are still several feet of snow on the ground and the low-hanging skies were spitting a nasty spray of rain and freezing rain down on my face, but it looks amazing. It's on the gentle slope running down into the valley and is gloriously exposed (perhaps even dangerously exposed, knowing me and my feckless ways with watering) to the sun. Damn, baby. I've got to get some seeds going!










Let's hear it for the East York Community Garden!!