Hill Rag readers are fortunate to have had Rindy O’Brien as a garden guru and guide with her extensive expertise – celebrating gardening and growing on Capitol Hill in more than 200 articles over nearly two decades. She not only embraces our urban landscape, but shares a great lesson that to be a good gardener takes patience, nurturing and a willingness to suspend disbelief.
In bringing out the joy we feel in taking care of the plants that feed us in many ways, I am grateful for the groundwork Rindy has laid, however it’s daunting to follow in her footsteps. Mostly a utilitarian gardener (I love to cook and appreciate the economy and flavor from growing my own food), I will continue to learn in this space, from all of you, and the abundant resources we find in and around Washington, DC.
Mother Nature Bats Last
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is the country’s primary urban land grant university. I recently spoke with Mchezaji “Che” Axum, the Director of the Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening Education. Che leads a team of researchers at the Firebird Research Farm in Beltsville, Maryland, and oversees several community education programs including the DC Master Gardening Program, Urban Agriculture Soil-Less Certificate, Urban Agriculture Technician Certificate, Introduction to Agroecology and Sustainable Food Production, Gardening and Nutrition Program, and more.
Che offered advice for fall gardening tasks and how to prepare our soil going into fall and winter. “The most important thing you can do going into the fall is to clean your garden of plant debris. This is where insects and plant diseases hide out, especially if it is not a very cold winter.”
Recently, my family and I moved back to Washington, DC from New York City, and I’m excited about a longer growing season here. However, Che told me that most fall produce planting would need to start in August, “The crops that will survive the frost will need at least 90% growth to last in the garden until March of the following year – and they will mainly be crops of the Brassica plant family.” (Brassicas are those hardy vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, and turnips.)
“October is somewhat late to plant unless you use plastic-culture, planting into biodegradable black plastic. You might stand a chance of eating something from this planting but don’t count on it. Mother Nature bats last!” One exception to this rule is garlic which is a garden favorite and goes in the ground early November, providing one of the first spring harvests in the top part of the plant, known as garlic scapes. He adds, “Most herbs will overwinter in our region if you adhere to the 90% growth rule. Only basil will wave the white flag of surrender when the first frost comes.”
Other things to consider when you’re just starting an in-ground garden is testing your soil. Che notes there are many places to send soil samples, and we’ve included a link in the resources section for where you can send out for testing at UDC.
For those of us who like to study and read about growing fresh produce, Che recommended his favorite book for gardening; ‘How to Grow More Vegetables’ by John Jeavons, which talks about bio-intensive crop production, principles addressed in a class at UDC that will be offered in spring 2025.
Community Gardeners
Particularly in urban centers, we benefit from the green spaces around us – whether by improved air quality or serving as an environmental heat sink. Some of the noted benefits of gardening include alleviating stress, providing emotional well-being in a place to gather with neighbors, and increased physical activity. Often, gardens provide access to culturally relevant and nutritious food.
From the People’s Garden fronting the main office of the United States Department of Agriculture, to pocket parks across the city, our community garden spaces are valued. The award-winning Southwest Community Garden, in its 11th year, is a stand-out for the variety of fruits and vegetables found there.
Pamela and Coy McKinney are of the Southwest Community Garden; Pamela serves as president and Coy was an early founding member. Pamela said that she first got involved with this community effort after the two were dating. As Coy was going to tend the garden a couple of days a week, she decided to follow along and found she enjoyed the sense of community.
Pamela showed off the garden’s diversity, “In addition to all of the vegetables, we have a grove of pawpaws started from a single tree, a fig tree started from a graft, and sedum, pollinators, and a number of herb varieties like anise, basil and dill grown in raised boxes – some with a medicinal focus, all part of the communal section.”
She notes, “We have about 150 people gardening in the space each year – it really brings together a collective brain trust and shows just how much you can learn about growing from your neighbors.”
The garden tasks don’t stop once the harvest has been completed, though. Pamela says, “Our big clean-up happens during October. We are already planting cover crops like Hairy Vetch and clover to add nitrogen to the soil, and we will start saving some seeds for the next planting season. We also need to work on re-doing the signage for the communal growing areas – a good project for over the winter.”
While helping his young son with a wheelbarrow and youth-sized gardening tools Coy adds, “It’s all very therapeutic. We always look forward to the new growing season when a new crop of people become regulars. The garden is a great place to gather, bringing people together.”
Kitchen Window Garden
Our backyard gardens don’t have to be vast to produce a good amount of food. Often, a windowsill, balcony or patio can provide a beautiful container gardening space used year-round. Longtime Capitol Hill resident, food writer, avid cook, and former USDA staffer, Bonny Wolf understands the cycles of the seasonal harvest, and the importance of ease of access when it comes to preparing a meal from the garden. Her backyard is a peaceful and beautiful space evolving over the years with equal attention paid to the placement of the edible and the ornamental. While her fig tree didn’t perform as well as she wanted this year, her herb production is robust.
Bonny says, “I purposely place the herbs close to the kitchen, so they are in easy reach. I’m able to easily snip a few that I might need in a recipe– whether from the window box or down below on ground level.”
Her herbs don’t require a heavy lift, either as we transition into the cooler season, “All but the basil will keep producing through the winter – I have fresh rosemary, thyme, chives, and mint year-round.”
Bonny is also a great go-to for cooking advice and suggested this recipe for our transition into winter cooking, a great way to eat up the last of the tomatoes, add some brassicas, beautifully aromatic herbs and more.
Annette Nielsen, a writer and food systems advisor, has recently returned to Capitol Hill from New York where she served as the executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center.
Resources:
Community Gardens
DC Department of Parks and Recreation
dpr.dc.gov/page/community-gardens
Frager’s Hardware
Plants, seeds, and gardening supplies:
1115 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, 202.543.6157
Ginko Gardens
Full Service Garden Center:
911 11th Street, SE, 202.543.5172
High Mowing Seeds
Organic Seeds: Highmowingseeds.com
ReWild
Plants and Planters:
232 7th Street, SE, 202.758.3251
Seed Savers Exchange
Heirloom Seeds: seedsavers.org
Southwest Community Garden
1098 Delaware Avenue, SW,
Swgardens.org
University of the District of Columbia
CAUSES: Center for Urban
Agriculture and Gardening Education
udc.edu/causes/land-grant/center-for-urban-agriculture-gardening-education/
Soil Testing at Environmental Quality Testing Laboratory (EQTL)
https://docs.udc.edu/eqtl/BH7-Fee-Schedule-updated-on-August-22-2023.pdf
Tuscan Bean Soup
8 Servings
1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Add carrots and onions; continue cooking until softened. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add the stock, ham (if using), tomatoes and their juices.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mash half the beans with a fork and stir into the pot with the pieces of bread. Bring to a boil over high heat. Return the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the remaining beans, parsley, and kale (or spinach) and simmer for 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, approximately a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.
*You may use a one pound bag of dry cannellini beans, instead of canned; follow package directions to cook until soft.
Note: For an added finisher, you can make a lemon-garlic-rosemary oil a day ahead – with ¼ cup olive oil, zest of one large lemon, 4 cloves garlic, sliced, and a few sprigs of rosemary, thyme or sage. This mix can be placed in a jar, covered, and stored for a week or so. Strain and drizzle oil on finished soup.
Annette Nielsen, a writer and food systems advisor, has recently returned to Capitol Hill from New York where she served as the executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center.
