Despite all the grief that the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic brought on us, one of the positives has been how this was a much greener year in decades. Today I read that in New York City exclusively, 3000 more sidewalk gardens made their debut and thousands are planned for 2021. Numerous people around the world like my own family found alleviation in gardening. This year I learned so much from making my own backyard compost to understanding what grows when and how much water and sunlight is needed for my plants, I have evolved from a novice to an experienced gardener. On top of that, I am the lead of the Gardening/ Hydroponics of Dublin High School’s Environmental Sustainability club, where we use our knowledge and robotics (Arduino/ Raspberry Pi) to create a more sustainable environment in our community. Who would have expected my garden beds would help overcome food insecurity in the community during the pandemic by contributing my fresh produce to my weekly drives to the local food pantry.
I am already getting started for 2021, as I wrapped up preparing the beds for early spring. First, I planted spinach and all kinds of lettuce in grow bags, and once they had roots, I transferred them to my beds. I also replenished my beds by amending my garden soil with fresh organic soil and compost. The cooler temperature is already helping the salad leaves flourish. Over the year, our kale has grown tremendously. Among fruits, mandarins have done exceptionally well. Lately, my father and I built a compact gate around our garden beds to protect our curious 12 week old puli (puppy), Rudi. If you have a dog and crave to cultivate a garden for 2021, you must understand that alliums, avocados and grape trees are toxic and dangerous for dogs.
As the year comes to a close, I want to highlight a follower of my blog, Mr. Om Prakash Misra, who has stunned me with his efforts to lead and help develop a kitchen garden for all houses in the 10 inland community of Lakshadweep, an island in the Indian Ocean. He shared this presentation with me which I hope will inspire many of you to be a community gardener.
There's something about producing some of our own food which has been highly rewarding and therapeutic during the pandemic. Whenever I felt stressed by the events of this year, I realized that gardening helped me cope with some of the depressing headlines. Google reported a 39% increase from last year to this year on the "gardening" topic — a reassuring indicator of what’s on people’s minds. So if you are yet to make your new year resolutions, go ahead and include a green one today.
