Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Imperfect Gardens


I started my blog about a year ago to document my progress with my yard...sometimes i get stuck...sometimes i accomplish things. We had an article in Oakland Macarthur Metro newspaper which made us instant urban homesteading stars even though many people have been doing permaculture, chickens, bees in the laurel long before we even moved here. But it's cute how we've become "experts". we even received a nice postcard from a lady about chickens lost in the laurel addressed to us as the "chicken daddies" Gave us a nice laugh and made our day

Along with this heightened interested, I received an email from the Metro's garden columnist Adina Sara back in the fall. She was having a new book come out and wanted me to review it. First off I really don't consider myself a writer. It's just a means to document but i was thrilled by the compliment so decided to help her out as neighbors and community members.

Her promo copy of "The Imperfect Garden" arrived in march just as i was beginning to start working on my spring garden. Something else to distract me from half completed garden projects that stopped once the fall rains and winter cold hit. I went to her house on a rainy day. I'd been over to her garden before for plant swaps. We had a nice little chat at her house about the beauty of imperfection and forgetting scientific names. Just enjoying the plants as they are. As someone who is studying up at Merritt's landscape horticulture program, I can really appreciate her simplified approach.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the book. It was a little dinky thing. Obviously published by a small group. The fonts bugged me and the type set. My boyfriend was horrified. But once i looked past its initial flaws the words spoke to me like no other garden book ever has.

She spoke of befriending common foes within our gardens such as oxalis and acacia trees. Finding the beauty of a struggling seedling emerging from the chaos of old wood/debris. You know we all have these "problem" spots in our gardens. Things we easily avoid discussing when chatting about the beauty of our yard. However, Adina gives them the limelight. Shows the beauty in the imperfections.

Alot of times I'm ashamed to have neighborhood groups over to my garden. They'll see the uncompleted projects, the falling down chicken wire, the plants that have been sitting in pots too long. This book gave me confidence to face my gardening demons. It is ok. it is all part of the process....

Laurel neighbor Rachel Michaelsen's photos helped to illustrate Adina's stories. I was nodding with nostalgia to all her common misadventures. The book may be small but i never felt like it was too short. However, I only wanted to devour a little bit at a time. savor the beauty of it over a month or so.

This book is not only for our community who knows Adina and the Laurel district of oakland but for the whole gardening community. She captures the struggle we all share and love so much.

Adina will be reading selections from her book at Laurel Bookstore [4100 Macarthur Blvd]on May 21st. You can pick up the book there or purchase through her website www.adinasara.com

Monday, April 6, 2009

Greenhouse, Fear, and Spring


My friend Ira used to be terrified of growing anything. Slowly I introduced him to cultivating herbs then a lemon tree. I'd give him extra seedlings of whatever i was growing that year. Now a few years later, he is harvesting all kinds of produce from two raised beds in Oakland's Lakeshore district. The house were he uses the raised beds has an old greenhouse that wasn't in use. So starting in December we started to refurbish it. Just last weekend we put our first seeds in to start. Not sure how it will turn out since we aren't sure of how the exhaust fan works exactly. Maybe everything will get fried but it's a start to this spring season