Urban Gardening
featuring NYC Rooftop Gardener
Valerie Block
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Valerie Block is a deputy managing editor for Crain’s New York Business, where she has worked since 1997. Ms. Block graduated from The City University of New York’s Baccalaureate Program with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 1994. Before entering journalism, Ms. Block was a singer and songwriter signed to Sony Music. She became an urban gardener in 2005, taking advantage of her new apartment with a large terrace space. Through trial and error, she has learned how to cultivate prolific crops. She began blogging on the subject at nycgardener.blogspot.com in 2007.
A few favorite photos from our garden
Cherokee Tomatoes
A variety of our tomatoes and peppers.
NORDSTROM.com
Ying and Yang

Summer here in the North East seems to be slipping away more quickly than I expected. Warm weather and billowy skirts have given way to cooler air and fall colors. While I contend with the onset of autumn, I find myself looking back on this year's planting season with pride (and just a few regrets.)

When we plant our garden each spring, we hope for healthy, bushy plants that grow strong and tall and produce endless amounts of ripe and delicious fruit. We look forward to the joy of the harvest with anticipation as we grow our seedlings, fertilize our young plants and then watch them get heavy with veggies.

We want our garden to be perfect, free of bugs and pests, and highly productive. We want the weather to comply with ample sun, balmy warmth, and enough rain to aid the harvest but not to drown the crops.

Of course, wanting the perfect garden is like asking for children who never get an earache or teenagers who don't rebel. The joy of gardening always comes hand in hand with the pain of its imperfections.

Each year we endure aphid infestations, hornworms or powdery mildew. We deal with the disappointment of crops planted with such love and care that never grow any fruit at all (my cucumbers come to mind.)

And of course, we can't control the weather. This year blistering heat scorched our lettuce, killed our blueberry bushes and stunted the basil (not to mention the impatiens, which just wilted in the heat.) Last year, endless rain caused tomato blight in gardens and small farms across the North East. Every year, wind storms knock our pots over, crushing fruit, and the occasional heavy rain causes nearly ripe tomatoes to burst right on the vines.

Yet, at the end of the day, I know we'll keep taking our chances and planting again season after season, because the joy of tasting that heirloom tomato or roasting fresh peppers and eggplant grown by hand makes it all worthwhile. By planting our garden, we spend less on commercial food, eat healthier and make the world a little greener. What about you? Did your garden behave this summer? Would you ever give it up?