Erica’s reaction to her meager first harvest was commendable. I had hoped her second harvest would be even more bountiful to buoy her spirits, but that hasn’t been the case. There are many reasons for this, some environmental and some personal

On the environmental side, the light there isn’t great. It’s partially blocked by her neighbors garage, her own building, and the trash cans. There’s also the fact that squirrels and opossums have found the garden and have fewer compunctions about eating unripe fruit. We’ve also had a drought earlier this summer which certainly hampered growth. 

Erica and I aren’t completely without responsibility either, though. She’s had a lot going on lately. Between work, her health, and just living her life, she’s had a lot to deal with. Standing outside for 20 minutes on a 90 degree night and watering her garden. She also was a little overzealous in her planting and now the garden is difficult to move around in and some plants are crowding each other out. 

She seems okay with it, though. Despite a relatively high start up cost compared to her other projects. Some of it is just a learning experience, certain things just don’t grow well in her yard, maybe a bush tomato would be better next year, fresh kale is great, but it’s hard to keep the caterpillars off it. Plus, the strawberries are in the ground now. They’ll be there forever no matter what she does. 

It can be hard to see a new project fall into neglect, especially one you were so excited about. But sometimes that’s necessary in order to attend to more important needs. Erica dreams of growing her own food. She’s at least trying a little. But she also doesn’t have adequate time or ideal space. She also needs to take care of her mind and body first.

I also haven’t been as helpful as I could have been. I’ve been more focused on helping Erica with things like cleaning and meal prep than gardening. She’s in a good place with all that now. And Jane is helping her. So now it’s my turn to tend to something I’ve been neglecting. 

-Ella

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