BUG Gardener Jill
Kindergarten teacher Jill wanted a garden for many years, but it never fit into her life plan until September 2020. Creating the infrastructure and deciding where to place her garden in her east Bend backyard felt daunting, though.
As she gears up to start another school year this week, she reflected back to her initial on-site consultation with Bend Urban Gardens, “ I had a dirt back yard, a little dog running around, and an idea of two raised beds. I was pretty sure Ashley would say, ‘No, this will not work because of this... and this... and this...’ However, when Ashley was in my back yard, she was excited, inspirational, and full of confidence that I could do it! We decided upon two raised juniper beds with covers and she helped figure out the best placement for beds in my environment. It was so exciting!”
Since Bend Urban Gardens installed her first two raised garden beds in October 2020 and the mini hoophouses in March 2021, Jill has added three more raised beds. In January 2021, BUG created her personalized crop plan based on her eating preferences and she also committed to 24 hours of garden lessons for the season, which included all of the seeds, annual plant starts, and balanced organic fertilizer to bring her personalized crop plan to life. In April 2021, together, we put in her first succession of cold tolerant plants.
Jill shared, “I never knew that I could plant things over and over and that it isn't just a one and done process! That was a game changing, eye-opener! I love spinach and so we planted more! Easy! Prior to working with Ashley and BUG I just thought I planted something and then it grew and that we'd eat it and it was over. That is not the case. It's a cycle of finding out what we like and what works for us.”
“My backyard has become a place of contentment and, literally, growth! I had no idea how to put in drip systems, combat root maggots, find aphids, sow seeds, transplant or fertilize. Actually, I had no idea how to garden or grow anything to eat. Now I do. ”
Even though the 2021 growing season brought lots of continuous growth with the warm weather, it wasn’t without challenges. Jill says, “I think the most challenging thing was realizing that the beauty of gardening is just doing it. I don't need to panic when I see root maggots or earwigs or yellow leaves. I just consult with Ashley, with her calm nature, and we solve it. Thank heavens. It was important to me to realize that if something doesn't grow right away I can either wait a bit or try again. There are not set rules and I can make it work for me and my garden. I thought it would be a lot of pressure to keep everything alive, but in reality, it's relaxing! It's one of my favorite times of day. I enjoy looking at the new growth and talking to the spider that lives in one of my beds. I keep waiting for a word to appear in her web, but maybe it's not Charlotte.”
We still have some more lesson hours remaining to get more cold hardy greens planted for overwintering and plan for Jill’s 2022 gardening season. BUG’s mission is to empower aspiring vegetable gardeners and we were truly honored by Jill’s comments, “Besides gaining confidence about growing food, it was getting to know Ashley. She is a kind, wonderful human that really wants me to become a successful, lifelong gardener. I have enjoyed our sessions and, I believe, that we have become friends. I love her knowledge and personal stories that she shares as she teaches me gardening skills. I feel completely at ease in asking her questions and knowing that if she doesn't know, she'll find out and we can learn about that together. I highly encourage anyone that is considering learning how to garden to get in touch with Bend Urban Gardens and go for it!”
