The Castle Garden - May 8 & 9

I live in a Castle.  It's not a Disney sort of castle.  It's a Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York sort of castle, a loose-knit intentional community.  We call our home The P Castle in Bushwick, or just The Castle.

We're an eclectic group of 10.  Some words used to describe one or more of us are: queer, trans, cis, gay, lesbian, straight, bi, Mexican, black, white, activist, faerie, mother, child, DJ, programmer, painter, sculptor, musician, carpenter, archivist, filmmaker, cook, witch, costume designer, makeup artist, performance artist, and my favorite--slut!

We're taking on a new project, the Castle Garden.  We hope to grow some of our own food, so we joined the Secret Garden Project at the Linden-Bushwick Community Garden.

This year is off to an odd and late start at the Secret Garden, because soil testing showed elevated levels of lead.  To continue planting and raising safe and healthy food crops, raised beds are were constructed throughout the garden.

On Saturday, John, Natalie, and I lined our new garden bed frames.

On Sunday, Aderonke and I began filling our beds with lush imported soil.

We haven't yet decided what all we're planting.  Definitely on the menu are tomatoes, peppers, and a variety of greens.  I'm hoping for a ton of herbs, some Brussels sprouts, and perhaps some carrots and other root vegetables.

I plan to keep y'all updated throughout the year as we work on farming a little patch of New York City!  I can't wait to cook with ingredients we have raised.