Community gardening season has opened in Binghamton, New York!
For the past 15 or more years, ever since the garden moved to its present location and plowing was provided by the county, we would normally have to wait until early May to get into our plots. Some years, snow was still on the ground in April and the ground was too wet. In other years, I guess the county had other things to do first.
We are in a zone 5 area. Waiting to plant until the beginning of May has been a frustration. We just haven't been able to get decent peas or spinach with such a late start, before either heat or short nights (or both) struck.
But...this year the plots were plowed, staked out and ready for the planting this week. This may be part of our super-mild winter and early spring (we have transitioned into more seasonal weather - had ice pellet storms Wednesday) but it may also be because our gardening season this year will be ending on September 16 instead of October 31.
Spouse, who has very early work hours, got out to the garden in the afternoon and now we (I, in all honesty, provide mainly moral support) have peas, spinach, Chinese cabbage (a gamble) and a couple of other things planted.
Speaking about the early end to the community garden season - apparently the community gardeners were enthusiastic about having a cover crop planted after September 16 and felt it was worth the sacrifice of the rest of the season. (I haven't heard much feedback about the desire to go organic within the next five years, however.)
Later this year we will also see the start of construction (next to our gardens) of the new Regional Farmers Market. We are looking forward to this, after having been to the Regional Market in Raleigh, North Carolina earlier this spring.
Now all we can hope for is good weather and not too many bugs. As for the latter, our mild winter may have made that decision for us. For the former - we'll just have to see.
Good times ahead - after our floods of September, this area needs all the good news it can get.
Do any of my other readers community garden? I'd love to hear from you.
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