A Mixed Bag

for me is a good thing, especially when it comes to lettuce. I tend not to know any of the greens I grow, by name of cultivar that is. I like the surprise that comes from sowing a packet of mixed spring or summer lettuce and then seeing what comes.

 I made it to my own community garden plot last night and it felt good to see that somewhat neglected space again (seriously this was a very good week for weeds and for growth in general..it was that week in spring where everything grew tenfold). I really enjoy working in other people's gardens, but spending even the tiniest amount of time on a windy and surprisingly cool spring evening in a little patch of the earth that's mine to take care of was really grounding for me and familiar. I know there's a lot of emphasis in education in the schools on gardening right now, mostly food oriented, and this is all good, but for me the greatest and most powerful part of gardening, the good that in can can bring in terms of really caring and investing in the environment where you live, comes from getting to know, explore and tend a piece of the earth for yourself.

This is where there is room for the mistakes that will teach you, and this where there is the room for experimenting and playing, and this is the only place that is yours to make the decisions. It isn't the kind of experience you can ever get from a class or a book, an internship, a job, or a magazine article and as ever, I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon a space in a community garden in New York City to call my own.

My lettuce seedlings looked good and colorful last night. I was happy to see them doing so well. It was so dry and warm when they were sown.