Our Plot

This is what we all have to work with here at the PennWell Community Garden. It's a 12-foot by 36-foot plot on a slightly raised bed, though you can't tell by the angle of this photo I snapped.

So far I'm told it's been roto-tilled, fertilized and had some peat moss tilled in. To me, the soil seems about a foot deep and is a little bit sandier than I'm used to working with. Still, sandy soil can be good for herbs and veggies because it tends to not get compacted and hardened, which lets their roots dig deep for water and nutrients. Also a garden with this makeup will tend not to get waterlogged, which can damage or even drown plants.

Just now, I brought my trusty steel garden rake from home and tried to attack some of the fescue rhizomes that are still strewn throughout the bed. The tiller didn't get them all, and fighting back yard grass in an established garden is a major headache.

I put my back into it during 30 minutes of lunch break, but still wasn't able to work through a quarter of the total space. It's a deceptively big garden! More space than I've ever gotten to work with before anyway. I'm looking forward to starting the planting process.

My fellow community gardeners have said that we will get started by next week with some starter plants. At the meeting we talked about planting tomatoes, peppers, cabbages, onions, potatoes and various herbs. I've also sent a few e-mails around about getting some mulch, and Jan Simpson and I are interested in getting a composting operation off the ground with a 3X3X3 compost bin made from sawed-up lumber (I have it in mind to build something like what I have at home).

If you're a PennWell employee and would like to lend a hand in some way, we're open to that. Best thing to do would be to contact a member. Our members right now are myself (Jeff Postelwait), Jan Simpson, Amanda Brumby, Kathryn Dickerson, Sharryn Dotson, Traci Huntsman and Shelly Haire.

I'm ready to move some dirt this season, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, so stay tuned and see what we'll be up to as the season progresses.

Also, don't forget that this blog allows for comments, so if you have any suggestions on what you'd like me to write about in the future, specific topics you'd like addressed, or if you'd like more information about the group or our plans for the garden, please type them into the comments section.