Check out the Northern Light Community Garden in Canton!

This time of year, many of us are getting our gardens planted. The growing season has just begun.  Around our region, you’ll find backyard gardens, CSA gardens, flower gardens and community gardens. So, Todd Moe and Monica Sandreczki, co-hosts of NCPR's morning news show, Northern Light, just started their own garden plot.

Todd Moe and Monica SandreczkiCheck out the Northern Light Community Garden in Canton!

Todd Moe and Monica Sandreczki, co-hosts of NCPR's morning news show, Northern Light, successfully weeded, hoed and planted habanero peppers, cherry tomatoes, herbs and lavender in their St. Lawrence University community garden plot.
Todd Moe and Monica Sandreczki, co-hosts of NCPR's morning news show, Northern Light, successfully weeded, hoed and planted habanero peppers, cherry tomatoes, herbs and lavender in their St. Lawrence University community garden plot.

Welcome to the Northern Light Community Garden! Todd had the great idea that he and I should tend our own plot at the St. Lawrence University community garden and report back to NCPR listeners and fans with our progress.

When I arrive on our first day, it's lovely out: sunny and 65 degrees. Todd is already down on his knees pulling weeds.

"A weed is just a plant in the wrong place," Todd says. "Don't worry about missing out on the weeding, Monica, there will be plenty of that this summer!"

Rip up shallow sprouts. Dig up deep-rooted grasses. 

"If we want to plant something in pots along the outer edge, we can do that," Todd says. "Or we can get a garden gnome!"

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Todd sets down four buckets - thunk! - he filled with top soil at the Canton Municipal Dump.

"And you get to take the hoe and mix it in," he says. I grab the hoe and mix in the new soil to augment the existing soil.

"Farmer Monica!" Todd exclaims.

"Am I a natural?" I joke.

"Yes! You must be from the Midwest! At this point, we've got most of the weeds out; the soil's looking really good," Todd says.

Monica digs a deep whole for the cherry tomatoes and loosely fills the dirt around it. Photos by Todd Moe.
Monica digs a deep whole for the cherry tomatoes and loosely fills the dirt around it. Photos by Todd Moe.

Next, we plan out our placements: vegetables on the right, herbs on the left.

He and I both picked out seeds and plants to include in our 4x8 plot. Todd bought an habenero pepper plant thinking that I enjoy spicy food. Ouch! It's not for me, but we figure we can include it in chili or salsa at the end of the summer.

Todd also brought a cherry tomato plant because we both can't get enough of them.

I brought basil seeds so that we can make caprese salad, plus thyme and cilantro and dill from the Ogdensburg Public Library Seed Library (we'll bring back some seeds to them at the end of the summer when our herbs go to seed. I also brought lavender in honor of my mom, who planted lavender at our house growing up.

"What should we plant first? Your lavender? I would just go row-by-row," Todd says.

I sprinkle the lavender seeds along the edge of the plot and just poke them in with my thumb since they should only be planted a quarter inch deep.

"I brought a seed, too."

Todd pulls out a packet of bright crimson Velvet Queen Sunflowers and plants them along the walkway of the garden. We're just about done for the day, but get excited about our plans for what we can cook when our herbs and vegetables come in.

"Gazpacho?" he asks.

"Yum! Tell me about it!" I say.

"I can taste it already! I'm imagining it nice and cold in August," Todd says. 

A big accomplishment! We'll update NCPR listeners and fans throughout the summer with our garden's progress. Photo by Todd Moe.
A big accomplishment! We'll update NCPR listeners and fans throughout the summer with our garden's progress. Photo by Todd Moe.

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