I moved to Jennings Lodge from Seattle in August 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, to be closer to my daughter and family who live in Milwaukie. For the first two seasons here I shared a small plot with them in Milwaukie. But the Gladstone Community Garden is just a mile from my house, so it seemed like the better place to revive my gardening genes. I grew up on a farm in upstate New York where my multi-generation family grew and raised pretty much everything we ate. But it has been 50 years since I had my own garden, so I am relearning old methods--and some new ones. Plus, I am still trying to understand the Willamette Valley growing climate. I hope to not make too many stupid mistakes (like planting peas and beans and spinach too early this year).

I had wanted just half plot, but none were available, so I took a full plot (L1). At first I was intimidated by the size of the plot, but now I'm feeling like I can experiment more and fill the space with things I otherwise would not try to grow.

I'm happy to be part of the Gladstone Community Garden. Everyone has been very welcoming.