Beginning my farming experience right here in New Haven! Last month I joined the New Haven Farms team, helping maintain several of their local community gardens. Despite repeated admittance of my complete lack of gardening experience and knowledge, I was easily welcomed onto the team and trusted to start managing the plots solo. No one seemed apprehensive about letting my neophyte self loose in the garden with seeds and trowels in hand!

Workday #3, Maura and I plant at the Market & James plot. We had some lovely strawberry plants, which I’ve worked with before. We also had some asparagus, which I had never seen outside of the grocery store. Who knew asparagus looked like this??

Equipped with the meager knowledge that asparagus like to be deep in the dirt with a good amount of room, I dug deep, planted a row, and called it a good day. Fast forward to about 2 weeks later, Rebecca’s (our team leader) mom comes by to admire and advise our gardens — and to deliver a special message. Apparently, in my brilliance I had planted the asparagus upside-down!! Yep, for 2 weeks we had been watering them with the roots sticking up out of the ground and no one had a clue! HAHA

I have a feeling this is just the beginning of many more goofs to come in my new farming adventures. Can’t wait! Luckily, the mistake was easy enough to fix and the asparagus is now coming up nicely. Hello, babies!