Leaving the Plot
Friday, August 03, 2007
It is with mixed emotions that I write today's post. My husband and I are about to embark on the next grand adventure in our lives: We bought a house! And we are exceedingly excited about making a home that we can call our own. This means I will be leaving my little garden plot that has become such a cherished part of my life for the past four years (and the inspiration for this blog). Actually, it's not so much the plot itself that I will miss; it is the people. I can dig up my herbs and flower bulbs and cart them along with me (and I will), but I can't take the people who give this place its true spirit. There are people here whose personalities are imprinted on me indelibly. Without them, the community garden is just a jumble of fences, an anonymous array of flowers, and some struggling tomato plants. All together, we've made an extraordinary place here in the city. I am certain I will miss it.
I must press forward now because moving day will be here before I know it. Where I'm going, there is ample space for a vegetable garden -- a bigger vegetable garden -- and I am excited about all the possibilities that lie before me. All of a sudden, I will also have trees, shrubs, and a lawn. Oh, my! A lawn! I will probably spend about two seconds leaping through that lawn -- a celebratory cartwheel or two fueled by the glee of home ownership -- and then that boring turf has got to go! Where there is lawn, I see space for food. And flowers. Yes, more food and more flowers. I have plans. Big plans.
27 Comments:
How exciting! You'll miss your garden, for sure, but look how much you have learned, how ready you are to branch into an even bigger garden!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Congrats on the house! My reaction to the lawn was pretty much the same as yours when we bought our house four years ago....it's been so much fun getting rid of it :-)
Oh, my! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I moved into my first "my house" 2 years ago. There is absolutely nothing like it. I'm in the process of getting rid of my lawn too... Starting in the back yard. Raised beds. Lots of raised beds... Oh, I'm so excited for you! All the very best of luck, and may your move (which is, after all, a 4-letter word) be an easy one.
christa - I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU! Congrats on the house! I hate that you will be leaving your community garden - i can tell from your words that you really love it. Is it far from the new house? Maybe you could still visit? Or invite the community gardeners to your house? I sure hope you will share your new house and garden with us all. I can't wait to see it!
How exciting! Believe me, you will love having your own garden right at your house. Right now I can walk out my back door and I have a big patch of basil on one side of the steps and a big patch of mint on the other side. It's the best.
Much congratulations!
Congratulations! May your nights be filled with dreams of perennial beds, annual borders, and vegetable gardens!
I would love to take over more of my lawn here, whenever I can get DH to agree!
Congratulations! Oh, this is wonderful news and hearing it is such a nice way to end my day.
Go get that lawn. Fill it with thyme and eggplants, peas and garlic, rhubarb and other things you've only dreamed of growing.
This is wonderful! look at all these people who want to get rid of your new lawn and fill it with vegetables! I feel right at home here.
Good luck with the move. And have fun redesigning the lawn. The hens merge border with lawn then I have to recut the edges - the lawn is getting smaller!!!!
Celia
Congratulations, Christa! Very exciting. A whole new world of gardening opportunities lies before you. It will be fun to follow your journey via this blog.
Wow...congratulations to both of you, even though I know there are things like this that make it just slightly bittersweet. But you have your stories and your photos to help keep those memories close, and like others have said, you can always go back for a visit! Plus...the season's not over yet...will you be totally abandoning your plot before the season ends? But congrats on home ownership...I know, firsthand, what a tough thing that is to accomplish in the DC area, so I'm really psyched for you!
Moving may be hard, Christa, but I've found that it's also a chance to leave our gardening mistakes behind...so that we can go make new ones!
I hope all goes smoothly as you start this new adventure.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
So exciting getting a place of your own. But now you can grow and plant whatsoever you wish in your own yard!
Congrats!!!
Good for you! "And now for World Domination, Number Two..."
Please don't stop blogging. I want to see the full story of how you turn the turf into a veg garden!
I can imagine how much you'll miss your plot and the friendships you formed....but how exciting the times ahead of you are. Such new gardening adventures to share with us all :o)
Thanks, everyone, for your good wishes. I hope you'll stick with me as I go through this next phase of my gardening life. I'm surely going to need guidance as I make my way into uncharted territory (e.g., How should I take care of those rose bushes I'm inheriting? Can I move them without killing them?!).
I can't wait for the day when I can step into my own back yard and pick blueberries (and strawberries and...etc., etc.). It is so exciting! :-)
This is wonderful news. There's nothing more exciting than having your own place and garden space to fill as you wish. Getting rid of lawn is great fun...
While you'll miss your plot, it will always remain full of enduring and happy memories... and I will never forget your bandaid solution.
Oh I still miss my community gardens in Boston, 11 years after the fact. But think of all you will learn and get to grow, now!
Congratulations on your new home purchase! How exciting that you'll get to start all over and make a garden!
I'm sure you'll miss your current place, but the excitement of the new one will quickly take over!
Congratulations on your new adventure! I understand your desire to have a bigger area for vegetables...since I live in a townhouse that has a postage stamp yard! I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the new place and all that you plan. Take care!
congrats on your new home
Yes, moving is bittersweet.
Congratulations on getting a house of your own.
Very smart decision.
I know the feeling of leaving the friends that you live near and I'm sorry.
Good luck.
Christa,
That's very exciting news and I know it can be bittersweet.
Rip up that lawn and plant plant plant - happy veg planning and more photos please when you get time.
Best of luck with your new home and garden. It will be exciting to see the new garden take form.
Oh Christa, congratulations! Are you staying in the DC area or venturing out of the city?
congratulations! that's so wonderful... i can't wait to see how you begin! most of the garden blogs i frequent are definitely a few years old, i'm much more excited to see how someone builds a garden. thanks for inviting us all along.
It sounds exciting - new space, more space - I've moved around quite a bit, and I always take a piece of one garden with me to another one - there's something wonderful about that continuity. Somehow, the people come along with the plants, if not directly, in spirit.
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