We are doing a lot of preparation for October right now. Canning, drying and juicing. Making sauces from summer abundance. I am very thankful for a project that we started in June next door.

The neighbors to our east had a large backyard in grass and wanted a big garden but didn't feel they had time to plant and tend it, nor eat all the food themselves. Meanwhile, I was aching for more space. My 1000 sq ft just wasn't enough and I coveted the potential beneath their sod. Our other neighbor one more lot to the east again, Ron (who we made beer with) and I said we'd help with the garden, and share the watering duties, etc.

Here's what the plot looked like when we started.

Sod in June

We measured out the area, put in stakes and string to guide us, soaked the ground a bit, and started digging in. It was very good soil.

Defining the bed

We made beds 4 ft wide by either 16 or 20 ft long. Then I took corn, soaked it a while, and planted it with my seeder in all the beds. I also put in some dry beans along the margins of each bed. In the nearest beds to our gates we planted cucumbers among the corn. In another some runner beans. In another melons. In another summer squashes. And lastly, in the back, winter squash and pumpkins.

And guess what. It worked!

In Just 2 Months

The corn is an amazing variety called Painted Mountain. The colors are spectacular--yellow, red, white, purple--and the taste is outstanding too. It can be used as a sweet corn or kept on to dry for flour. Right now it is past the sweet stage but not dry. Would be good for a corn chowder.

This has been a wonderful arrangement, the neighborhood garden. There has always been plenty of food to go around and we have enjoyed socializing with each other while out back watering, weeding and harvesting. Because 3 families are sharing the space, each family can relax 2 out of 3 weeks while another does the watering. And to make sure we have good access to the space, backyard gates connect all three of our yards. Now the kids can wander back and forth among the yards and homes unmolested by traffic.

Peace of mind, strong social bonds, and healthy food...what a great investment of our time and effort.