I live in East Baltimore City. I am part of the neighborhood association, lead Epic Church Outreach in this area, and love my neighborhood. When Covid closings began, I never thought it was going to go more than a few months. As weeks rolled by, I myself was struggling with the isolation factor; NO church, NO association, and NO time with my neighbors. What could I do to perk things up for myself and my neighbors, since I had no control over the church and association closings.
I thought about my love of gardening and how sharing plants is such a great way to diversify your own gardens. Most of my garden has come from trading with family and friends. Also on my mind was that the best part of spring has always been seeing the perennials begin another season of life. I love sharing my plants, the weather had been cooperating, so early on I split off many of my hostas, lilies, and iris plants while cleaning up my gardens. My front sidewalk became a place to set up my “take one” plant bench. It was a success and the plants were all taken by the 5th day.
Another time I planted from seed, this took a few weeks for the plants to grow large enough to share – basil, dill, green pepper, and cilantro and anyone walking by was invited to take one of each… gone in 4 days! The last plant-sharing project, I purchased from an “almost dead bin” at the local florist… $ 3.00 for 3 varieties of Coleus… barely hanging onto life, but I knew how grateful they would be once propagated and placed in their own little pots. I managed 20 new starters from $3, a great turn around. The Coleus plants were also gone in 4 days.
This project has been a conversation starter. My neighbors have been so happy with this random act of kindness that they brag about how big they’ve grown and continue to ask for tips on how they should manage their plants through the winter. Honestly, it takes some time and a few dollars for soil and small planter cups, but it is sooooo worth the harvest of happiness that we have all received from this little adventure together. I am looking forward to next spring and storing my seeds up already for next year’s give-away!
Thank you to Dorothy Kielian for sharing her story with us!
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