Interns Growing in the Garden

Every season, BTLT interns are offered a plot in the Tom Settlemire Community Garden to collectively try their hand at gardening. For some, this is their first experience getting their hands in the soil, for others, it is a fun opportunity to try growing something new. Each season it is so fun to watch this intern tended plot transform from soil into a vibrant colorful garden! Read below to learn more about each interns experience tending their plot this past season…

Izzy:

Our garden plot began with a zucchini seedling and a cucumber seedling gifted by Sound Pine Farm. These seedlings looked like they had perhaps seen better days, being leftovers from the Farm’s seedling sale, but we were confident that with some tender love and care, they would thrive. Soon we could see tiny zukes and cukes starting to grow! Harvesting was so fun, and I made my favorite chocolate chip zucchini bread and fresh cucumber watermelon salad!

Alexei:

After the zucchini and cucumber, we planted tomato seedlings. We went for a diverse selection: two cherry tomato varieties, Washington and Sun Gold, and two larger tomato varieties, Celebrity and Striped German. Out of everything in the plot, the cherry tomatoes were what I was most excited about. They’re a garden staple for a reason, and they taste so much better when they’re home grown!

Alexis:

The latest in our garden plot are rows of radishes planted from seed. They are robust and flavorful, although it was hard to believe these tiny seeds could grow to where they are now! While I personally am not the biggest fan of radishes, getting to watch the different stages of these radishes grow has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The harvest was a blast!

Kaia:

Finally, perhaps the most prolific producer in our plot has been our lettuce. Stretching across a large corner of the bed and meandering along our small path through the center, our lettuce quickly became my favorite part of our bed. Its vivid shades of green and purples, and big, healthy leaves became the perfect bouquet for me to take home and create numerous salads, lettuce wraps, and sandwiches.