Garden 2018

I did another session of Safe Management. This one was interesting because we were training the WALES facilitators. Those are the people who run the day program where I did my student placement. We also had a crop of direct support people who were recertifying from the first Safe Management session I ever taught. I guess that means I've been doing it for a year.

It was also the first time that I've ever attended a recert-only session, which means that nobody was new to it. Last time I taught it, there was somebody who only needed to attend the second day because she was recertifying, but everyone else was new.

Started my garden for the year. Last year, the only good crop I had was from the cherry tomatoes, so this year I got both cherry and regular tomatoes to capitalize on what I know works. I also got cucumbers because everyone was telling me they are a reliable entry-level crop even though last year my zucchini plants were healthy but didn't produce. Since the two vegetables are pretty similar, I was hesitant but still decided to give it a shot. Figured I'd have a bit more space and wanted to try something new, so I got bell peppers and banana peppers because they were near the tomatoes and cucumbers section and I figured those crops might be place together because of ease of growth. I also built a fence out of chicken wire with bamboo posts and put snow peas around the perimeter, so they can climb up the fence.

My roommate has gotten really into it. He helped dig the plot, pitched in on fertilizer, and is generally helping with the maintenance. We went deeper and pulled out more stuff than last year, and we put more fertilizer than last year as well.

I'm worried I overcrowded. The other people in the neighborhood who are gardening are impressed by how large-scale I went, and they think I've given more than enough space, but honestly I think that's because they just have worse over-crowding issues than I do.

I went into my backyard the other day to see two of my neighbors admiring my plot. When I was building the fence, a young girl from the neighbourhood asked me if I had made it. I said I had and she said "It's beautiful". Nice to see it being so well-received.

Somebody wanted to plant mustard seed in it, but the plot is already over crowded. They asked if I would be making a second plot, but feh, my backyard is pretty crowded as it is. Guy lives in an upper unit. The complex is divided evenly between upper and lower units, and the upper units don't get as much opportunity for agricultural endeavors.

My roommate one generation back came over to hang out.  Everyone in the neighbourhood was surprised to see him because I never managed to squash the rumors that I kicked him out. Since I kicked out my roommates two generations back, I guess I developed a bit of a reputation for it. I'd tell them that for my last roommate, it had been a mutual agreement, that we were closer now than before we'd lived together and that we actually make an effort to hang out but nobody really believed me until he made his reintroduction. Hopefully now people see me less as a person who kicks people out of their homes.