Garden and the City: June 2012

Hey everyone. Sorry for the late start to my posts. I have been gardening but so busy being Michael Jackson. I'm Newark, NJ's first female impersonator and I go by Mikette. I've been making so many appearances lately. I had to pause and say "What about my urban gardeners like me? I have to keep them interested in such a relaxing and fun past time." Thank you all who have been following me this long. This year is my second year with my community plots. My family and I are trying to have a much more successful looking garden after learning from mistakes we have made the previous year. We did have a late start and still pretty awkward run because the conservancy still haven't sealed the rain barrels properly, so the water is exposed to contaminants. Luckily, we have had plenty of rainy days to supply water. Other than that we a lugging our watering cans across the street, but we are not too far from the plots. We still have to place marigolds in the plots for insect control. As Mikette in the garden after my performance

This year we decided to plant less in each box, because last year the vegetables were fighting for sunlight and water. They were a bit too close together. This year we are growing cabbage, collards, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and with a new addition of broccoli. This is my first time growing broccoli and I can't wait to see how it turns out. We also used Vigoro All Purpose Plant Food the first week to help them root stronger. Tuesday May 29, 2012 Plot 1