Signs of Spring in the Bayside Community Garden

By John Affleck
Garden Coordinator

Snooping around the Bayside Community Garden last week, shin-deep in overcrusted snow, taking inventory of raised beds that have collapsed during the winter, I had my first sighting of spring. A mob of Bohemian Waxwings descended on a thicket behind the compost bins, plump grey bobbing bodies, wingtips dipped in yellow and black eye-masks making them look like little cartoonish bandits as they pilfered its berries. Under the blanketing snow, I imagined parsnips in purgatory, nicely sweetened by the winter, and bulbs of garlic nearly ready to wake from hibernation and nuzzle up through the cold loam. Somewhere beyond that thicket, deep in a mound of backfill, a family of groundhogs are about to snort their way sluggishly out of their burrows and amble into the garden to look for early, lean pickings. Visions of succulent greens and sugar snap pea shoots are sprouting in their little pugnacious brains. They are waiting.

For resident groundhogs and Bayside Community gardeners, the wait is nearly over. Preparations for the 2008 season are in high gear. Past, current, and hopeful gardeners have been contacted, grants are being submitted, and we’re in the process of scouting for supplies. When the weather warms a bit, Kate, Clint, and I will be making a trip out to a local horse farm to load the bed of my pickup with free manure. Plans are in the works to hold a seed and plant swap and to bring in master gardeners to offer free classes to gardeners and the community focusing on seed starting, composting, organic pest control, seed saving, and canning. Our basic goal is to supply gardeners with the resources needed to nurture and haul home a healthy crop and to have plenty of fun doing it. There’s been talk about holding potlucks, scheduling garden yoga sessions, and organizing a harvest celebration for the fall. Plenty to be excited about.

That said, the project has its definite challenges. This is a garden that doesn’t hide its blemishes – it is somewhat weather-beaten and world-worn. An old, rusted-out water tank stands up on an embankment, and from it, a gravity-fed hose, partially cracked and leaking, snakes down to the beds below. Stone benches are frequently spray painted with graffiti, and nomads can often be found snoozing on garbage bags in the cool of the shrubs behind the compost bins. It is an urban garden, and to be sure, it feels like it. Simply maintaining the site has been tough at times. Our budget is tiny and tightening. As well, garden beds, resources, and activities are supplied to members free of charge.

To address these challenges, we’re hoping to encourage spirited involvement from gardeners and neighbors this season to ensure that basic needs are met. In the upcoming weeks, we will be making a stab at partially reconstructing our old raised beds, most of which are crumbling and buckling badly. Lumber and hardware will be necessary to do a complete rebuild come fall. A good stash of compost and mulch is sorely needed to build soil fertility, retain water, and keep weeds in check. New waterlines and tools will have to be salvaged, donated, or purchased from early spring yard sales as much of our supply has been loaned to us and may soon need to be returned. In light of all this, both financial contributions and helping hands in the garden are heartily welcomed. They will make a huge impact on what we’re able to do this season and beyond.

After various incarnations, the Bayside Community Garden now serves as a realization of what grassroots sweat, vision, and commitment can do to transform a neglected piece of neighborhood into a thriving, viable community meeting place. Our membership is made up of a spectrum of gardeners: native Portlanders and those from away, Kenyans, Sudanese, Somalis, Russians, and Indians. It is a fascinating place to be, haphazardly beautiful and surprisingly vibrant. Take a stroll along the beds in the high season of July and you’ll discover rainbow chard, swirled eggplant, German hardneck garlic, crookneck squash, purple bush beans, Spanish onions, strawberry remnants, Jerusalem artichokes, husk cherries, Hungarian hot wax peppers, edible and ornamental cut flowers, a kaleidoscopic array of greens, and broad-leafed Italian basil that will adorn succulent wedges of heirloom Brandywine tomatoes. If you see me there, come on over. I’ll give you a tour. And if the groundhogs, blight, or neighborhood gleaners haven’t cruelly claimed my cherry tomatoes for their own, I may just offer you a few to show you what Bayside tastes like in the summer.

To inquire about tending a plot of your own or to make a contribution of any sort, please contact either John Affleck (207) 838-4260 or Kate Pendleton (207) 899-4970.