Containing my enthusiasm

I inherited something pretty special last week - a set of six wonderful containers setup and ready for gardening. Unfortunately due to my current schedule, it doesn't make sense to plant until the first of August, which means I am trying (with minor success) to control my excitement until planting day.

Contrary to what you may think, it's not unheard of to plant a fall garden and in Northern California. Of course, I'll purchase mature tomato seedlings, but I should have no problem with root vegetables like carrots, beets, turnips and the like. Summer doesn't really start until August anyway. If you've been here in June and July, you KNOW what I'm talking about!

How did I get my hands on these container plots? They actually belong to the complex next door but they haven't had residents knocking down the door to garden, so I thought I'd ask about being a foster mother to some of these lonely containers. After a short visit with the resident manager, she showed me six that I could use - of course with the understanding that as residents become more enthusiastic about playing in the dirt, I would have to return my mini-gardens to their rightful owners.

For now, I'm delighted to be dreaming of my little garden...not quite like fellow-Oaklander, Novella Carpenter - a legendary urban farmer who runs Ghost Town Farm, but a start regardless. If all goes well, I might just be digging up vegetables by the time it cools off here in California...'round mid-November.

As I wrote this entry, I remembered one of my favorite Waifs' song about a unique urban gardener...on the fourth floor of an apartment building.

Listen to Fourth Floor by the Waifs' here.

The lyrics:

On the fourth floor of the building
In a shallow window box
She's digging in the soil with a silver spoon
Her hands inside rubber gloves
Planting seeds pulling out weeds
The cycle of life is complete
Who would've thought it in a city of stone
Four floors above the street

I cannot tell what kind of flowers they are
I'm too far below on the street
But the colour they add to the building so drab
Brings a warm splash of welcome relief
Something worthwhile for the sun to shine on
A reason to radiate heat
Well that small window box puts a skip in my feet
Four floors below on the street

For every good seed she plants in the soil
There's a dozen bad waiting to grow
To strangle the goodness she's trying to nurture
And kill all the seed that she's sown
Every time you water the garden you also water the weeds
A profound illustration of sin and temptation
Four floors above the street

Some people don't understand why she does it
Some people look for a reason
Maybe she just likes the feel of the soil
Or keeping in tune with the seasons
Maybe she has so much pride in herself
Got to keep it all visually pleasing
A small paradise in a world of concrete
Four floors above the street

A small paradise in a world of concrete
A small paradise in a world of concrete
A small paradise in a world of concrete
Four floors above the street