Today I had my first taste of home-grown vegetables. The owners of the Yankee Ferry, Victoria/Richard, started their own garden in May on the pier next to the Yankee Ferry. For those of you who don’t know, Victoria/Richard bought the Yankee Ferry in the early 200′s and now live on it. With an area of approximately two thousand sq. feet, they planted zucchinis, tomatoes, corn, and cabbage. They harvested some corn today and generously offered me one. Talk about fresh corn straight from the ground! I love home made produce because it decreases the need for fossil fuel used to transport food around the globe.
The aerial view of the young garden in May, 2010
There were many unknowns when they first started planting. Would the soil be deep enough? Do the plants need fertilizer/pesticide? How dense should the plants be placed? Luckily everything worked out in the end with the garden producing a healthy one pound of vegetable per day.
The tire acts as a protective barrier that keeps in warmth and moisture
They selected tires instead of pots because of two reasons. One, they are promoting a greener earth by obtaining the old tires from the local landfill, thereby reducing trash. Second, the tires actually improve the quality of the plant. The rubber traps in moisture and heat, which lengthens the growing season as well as decreases the water need of the plants. Plants that normally would not start growing until May can now be planted in April.
The garden during sunrise
They also designed a nifty watering system that turns on everyday at 4am and 4pm.
Closeup picture of the corn
Richard and Victoria plan to continue planting each year using the same soil. Apparently, by planting different kinds of plants each year, the soil will remain nutritious and will never have to be replaced. Expansion plans also call for the rest of the pier being filled by next year.
Yummy!
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