Welcome to Container Culture, TakePart’s new bimonthly gardening column by Taylor Orci. A Los Angeles native with an itch to grow her own food—despite the glaring sunlight that hits the balcony of her Valley apartment—Taylor knows a thing or two about eking a harvest out of a confined, constrained space. Whether you’re planting herbs in a window box, growing tomatoes in a warren of terra cotta pots, or have the luxury of space for a number of raised beds, Container Culture will bring you advice, support and other stories about growing food in a city.

The zucchini had produced a bumper crop of terribleness, and it wouldn’t stop.

At first, the sight of the vegetables in our family’s backyard was quaint, like the motif on a roll of paper towels. I checked the growth of the zucchini every day, feeling increasingly accomplished for the work my mother had done, feeling nostalgic for the days of yore of a farmer that, at the age of 10, I’d never been. When the plants revealed mature zucchini, I scooped them up tenderly in my arms and carried them to the kitchen. I didn’t mind my skin itching from the fine squash hairs—I had watched something grow from nothing, and it felt like magic.

But the blessing quickly became a curse. My view of these vegetables changed. The whiskery vines produced blossom after Kraft-singles-colored blossom. Then, each yellow single petal would shrink and fall off, and in its place would grow a long, bulbous Muppet snout. I shortly abandoned my squash coddling, and the onus fell on my mother to pick them, only to have them deflate on the formica countertop, their potential squandered, but for what I know not. Because as a household, we did not eat much zucchini. There was one New Mexican version of picadillo my mom would make, but even then, I’d pick out the mushy squash and root around in the tomato sauce for the ground-meat chunks.

Why we would decide to plant three squash plants is anyone’s guess. It was a new house for us; maybe this was part of my mom’s nesting ritual. It could have been an impulse buy at the Target garden center. Even if our family had actually liked the vegetable, it was simply too much of it. You’d think the lesson was learned.

But last spring I decided to grow squash, because it’s a thing I know how to grow. Looking at the young seedlings, they seemed harmless enough, like mogwais yet to get wet. Two seemed like a completely sensible number of squash plants to have. That is, until harvest season came, bringing too many squash gremlins along with it. I’m not ashamed. I ripped one up and threw it in a wheelbarrow, putting it out of its misery.

Contrastingly, I did the exact opposite with my beans, as if two plants are really going to yield anything substantial for my house, which eats beans on the reg. Like the super reg. Like I just ate some while writing this, twice.

Planning a garden always requires some mental gymnastics because you never know if you’re going to plant too little or too much of one thing. How many pea plants and how many broccoli plants and how many people are in your house? Add guests, subtract days you’ll be out of town, and divide by…ugh.

So here are some comprehensive tips that will make planning your fall garden less of a mathematical headache:

First off, plant things you’re going to eat. This seems obvious, but for example, chard is beautiful. If I’m going on looks alone, then it’s chard all the way. But I have yet to taste chard in a dish I like. And if this is a vegetable garden of crops I’m planting for the sake of eating, I’ll give that valuable garden space to another crop and save the chard for an ornamental landscaping project for the make-believe Spanish colonial mansion I have in my mind.

Next, check out some sample plans. One inspiring source is Renee’s Garden. Better Homes and Gardens also has a solid database of garden plans to get you started. When planning your garden, think about the plants you’ll be growing that will only produce once, such as beets and cabbage, versus plants that will produce multiple times, such as beans or…squash. If you eat more of the things that only produce once, plant accordingly.

Lastly, to determine how much of this dream will actually fit into your plot of land, check out My Squarefoot Garden for an intro lesson about plotting out crop space and making a cohesive plan.

Gardener and food enthusiast extraordinaire Michael Pollan once said, in reference to having luck in the garden, that there’s no such thing as a green thumb—there’s only good planning. So sit on your hands and fight the urge to scatter your seeds willy-nilly. Good planning and patience will make the fruits of your labor that much sweeter—plus they won’t rot ’cause you planted too much, or underwhelm you because you planted too little.

BERWICK, Maine — A community effort has been in the works in Berwick since October 2012 when the Bowie family of 3 Little Harbor Road reached out to their friends and neighbors for help with a special home renovation.

Garreth and Heather Bowie are the proud parents of two vivacious boys, Liam, 14, and Aidan, 12. Raising boys has challenges of its own, but imagine trying to care for a child with special needs in a home that cannot accommodate him safely.

Aidan has epilepsy and an undiagnosed developmental disability that prevents him from being able to speak out loud or walk, eat, or drink on his own.

“We give him opportunities to communicate,” explained Heather who has introduced Aidan to the GoTalk app on his iPad that allows him to select ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers and choose between pictures of different foods and drinks, etc.

“We’re guessing a lot what he’s thinking, but we believe that he’s understanding us. We expose him, we talk to him as if he understands, but we don’t get a lot back from him.”

Ryan McBride/Staff photographer In Aidan Bowie’s room, a large “dream big” painting was created at his Berwick home where he and his family live.

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Aidan can walk short distances with assistance, but relies heavily on his power wheelchair for mobility.

In the Bowie’s small family home, this created some serious accessibility issues. The home simply could not accommodate Aidan’s power wheelchair and it had to be left at the door when he was home. Additionally, the configuration of their small bathroom made him unable to use the home’s shower or toilet because of safety concerns.

Garreth is a skilled cabinetmaker and Heather works part-time, but the extent of the renovations needed to make their home accessible was not something that they could afford.

After collaborating with builder Jason Lajeunesse, of JDL Design Build, in October 2012, they came up with plans that would put the project cost at approximately $75,000.

“We worked with the Bowie’s to understand what they needed and developed a plan that would be the most economical way to pull that off,” said Lajeunesse. “We took feedback from the family and the home.”

Thus began a community effort to make this project possible. Monetary or material donations were given throughout the year, as well as physical labor, and even meals cooked for those volunteering their time to work on the house.

Ryan McBride/Staff photographer Heather, left and Garreth Bowie, right, talk about their son Aidan, who has developmental disability, epilepsy, and complex motor control issues. They raised enough money, with family and friends helping in the process to provide a handicapped accessible home.

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The project was spearheaded primarily by the Bowie’s close family friends Sue Adler and Talley Westerberg.

“I work in the field and I know how hard it can be. I felt like I had a skill that I could offer to make life easier for my little chunk of the world,” said Adler, a special education teacher at Stratham Memorial School.“Most people got on board really quick and nobody said ‘I’ll just do this,’ everyone was really excited about it.”

“It’s astounding how many contractors gave their time and gave materials and just gave, and gave, and gave some more,” said Westerberg, a social worker at Winnacunnet High School. “Everybody helped out in the ways that they could help out.”

“Giving leads to giving,” is what Adler truly believes about charitable work.

Ground broke at the end of December last year and phase one of the project began.

There have been some snags along the way. The original design plans called for a large new addition at the back of the house. “The day that we went to go start digging the foundation we found out that there was an easement on the back of the property that prevented us from building on the back of the house,” explained Lajeunesse. “We had to redesign the addition to provide what the family needed.”

Garreth Bowie, smiling and his best friend Brian Jobin, who gave his friend free electric work for his new addition to the home of Jobin Electric, share an emotional moment at the Bowie house as the building was recently finished, on Sunday afternoon in Berwick.
(Ryan McBride/Staff photographer)

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“He stuck with the original figure, we just moved from the back to the front,” explained Adler about the cost of the project.

During phase one, Aidan’s old bedroom was transformed into a large accessible bathroom, which is now airy and open with a large shower space.

Phase two began in the spring with the demolition of the home’s entrance and new construction on the family’s mud and living rooms. The home now has a covered lift at its entrance that allows Aidan easy access and also to not be touched by falling rain or snow. In the mudroom, framed tiles hang one the wall with signatures from many who were involved with the project.

The living room is now larger and open, with mason work and a pellet stove provided by Abundant Life Stove. A guitar and a drum sit in the corner by the stove next to a big comfy chair. “Garreth plays guitar and Aidan likes to play the drums,” said Heather.

The hallways have been widened, another major benefit to Aidan. “He loves it,” said Heather. “Now that everything’s wide open and has open spaces he can just go.”

Ryan McBride/Staff photographer Heather Bowie explains the old and new bathroom layouts that will help in assisting her son Aidan in the mornings as the family readies for their days in Berwick Sunday morning after the “Bowie Project” finished up.

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The hardest part of the project, according to Lajeunesse, was the coordination of everyone involved. “Coordinating all of the different parties involved, the materials needed, and coordinating all of that to happen as efficiently as possible while working within all of the people’s schedules who are donating time made it complicated.”

“The best part of the job is seeing the project completed and the family enjoying the space,” said Lajeunesse.

“Aidan has loved everyone, all of the people coming into the house. He is very social and loves being around people,” said Garreth.

For Heather, the completion of the project marks an adjustment period. “It’s sort of like the day after Christmas when you’re busy and involved and amped and then it’s like ‘where did everyone go?” she explained. “Now that construction is complete we just get to live in our house.”

Tears fell as family friends and all involved took-in the culmination of their efforts. The one thing that the Bowie’s didn’t think to have handy for the open house was a box of tissues. It didn’t take long to see a roll of toilet paper perched on the shelf above where a YouTube video streamed a compilation of photos from the project. The song used in the video sang of having faith, a theme very near to the Bowie’s. They and many of those involved in the project are members of the Durham Evangelical Church.

“God was good,” said Adler of the project.

In the end, there was a total of $37,000 in cash donated to the project and another $40,000 or so in donated time, labor, and materials.

Although it was Laguenesse’s first experience with charitable giving, when asked if he would do it again he said, “Most definitely.”

The following companies donated their time, expertise, and materials to complete the Bowie House project and deserve recognition: JDL Building and Remodeling, Shea Concrete, Eldredge Lumber, Jackson Lumber and Millwork, Bestway Disposal Services, Middleton Building Supply, Jobin Electric, Hydro Air, Creative Masonry and Design, Avery Drywall, Shanley Plumbing and Heating, Exeter Lumber, Industrial Landscaping, Northeast Electrical Distributors, Hall Brothers Roofing, Abundant Life Stoves, Ironwood Construction, G and B Electric, TLP Painting, Churchills Gardens, and Green Penguin Landscaping.

Learn more about Aidan and the project at: http://teamaidan.wordpress.com.

Spurred by new evidence illustrating the problems associated with pesticide use in gardens, Portland’s Overlook Neighborhood is working to become Portland’s first pesticide-free neighborhood.

Incorrect use of pesticides has been in the news lately, starting with the mass bee death in Wilsonville in June. Adding to the drama, some wholesale nurseries have been scrutinized this past week, with the release of a study by Friends of the Earth (FOE) in which it was discovered that many plants marketed as “bee-friendly” in some retail nurseries may contain neonicotinoid pesticides which are actually lethal to bees and other pollinators.

Being green isn’t so easy when toxic chemicals are being used at so many levels in the nursery and landscaping industries. So how to begin addressing the problem?

One option is to start at home – by purchasing organically-grown plants whenever possible. Since organically-grown ornamentals can be hard to find, just ask your retailers if they can verify what, if anything, plants were sprayed with before they showed up on the nursery benches. Most very large stores’ staff probably cannot answer that question. Small nurseries, on the other hand, probably can, as they are either growing the plants themselves or obtaining them from growers whom they know on a first-name basis. This means they can find out directly from their trusted, established growers what sprays if any are used.

Another option is to commit to gardening in future without using toxic chemicals. In the close-in North Portland Overlook neighborhood, nearly 275 households have already committed to landscaping without using toxic chemicals since June 2013, thanks in part to Sustainable Overlook – a program which aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting health, water and habitat for pollinators, wildlife and human inhabitants.

Sustainable Overlook was co-founded by a group of Overlook neighbors including Alice Busch, Leslee Lewis and Mulysa Melco. Growing out of Overlook’s neighborhood association, the three started a sustainability group. A few years later, they partnered with Metro’s Pesticide-Free Gardening program to promote pesticide-free gardening on an even more local level. (Another neighborhood – Sabin, in inner NE Portland – created the popular Bee-Friendly Garden Tour a few years ago, which also promotes pesticide-free gardening.)

Through the neighborhood association, Overlook residents can attend classes with local gardening experts and pledge to maintain a pesticide-free garden. If you’re an Overlook neighborhood resident, check out the Sustainable Overlook webpage for more information and to sign the pledge. If you are a member of any one of Portland’s other 94 officially recognized neighborhoods, sign up for Metro’s Healthy Lawn and Garden Pledge. Either way, you’ll get a free Pesticide-Free Zone ladybug yard sign and coupons for discounts on native plants and other benefits.

To promote the idea to neighbors and the city at large, Sustainable Overlook will hold the neighborhood’s second annual garden tour on Saturday, August 24, 2013. The tour’s eight featured gardens represent a wide variety of landscaping styles but are all pesticide-free. A map and garden descriptions can be found on the Sustainable Overlook garden tour page starting Tuesday August 20, 2013.

Interested in more information about pesticide-free gardening, or want to start your own pesticide-free neighborhood? Visit the Metro contact page.