Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • s p r i n g 2 0 1 5 65 They would stop to chat and admire the garden. They would "just happen to grill an extra burger" and bring it to me for dinner. Even the grouchy Italian woman upstairs would bring me fresh herbs and offer advice. The kids in the complex were equal- ly drawn to the garden. Two little boys became my constant compan- ions, bouncing around me, chatting incessantly, helping me dig in the dirt. I looked around for parents but never saw any. Five-year-olds were rare and exotic creatures for my sin- gle, underemployed, largely nocturnal demographic. So I was completely unprepared when one of the boys came down to the garden one day and had questions about a small concrete frog that sat in the garden. "What is that?" he wanted to know. "It's a garden frog," I said. "No it's not," he said, "it's a garden PEEEENIS!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, cracking himself up and twirling and collapsing on the ground. Once again, I looked around for parents, certain that I would be accused of corrupting this young soul with my evil garden- ing ways. Besides the young and elderly, there was yet one more person I became acquainted with due to my first gar- den. I never learned his or her name. She/he was a shadowy, mysterious figure. It was the former caretaker of the garden. Just as that first pur- ple blossom miraculously appeared (which I now know was a perennial geranium), soon other plants emerged out of nowhere. There was no way I could fathom the mystery of what would appear next or where. I was inheriting an unknown legacy I never asked for from a person I never knew, each emerging tendril an unexpected gift. I came to understand that every patch of soil has a history. And work- ing that soil links you to a past that you unearth like a detective. It's a process of surprise and discovery. You realize you are dealing with something larger and more eternal than yourself. Caretakers are temporary and shift- ing. The patch of soil and its secrets lives on. When I eventually evolved from my burrow into above ground living, I packed my newfound love of garden- ing in with my sofa and books and moved it to my next house. It followed me through two more rentals and finally came to rest in the home I have owned for the past twelve years. Now I've experienced what it's like to work the same small plot of land for over a decade. I've learned that gardens have minds of their own. The weak are killed. The bullies survive. The nomads will move themselves out of foolish locations you thought were perfect. There is no such thing as a shrinking violet—only tough and clever ones. And for every rule, there is a plant that breaks it. The shade lover that thrives in the sun. The water lover that is fine in arid August. People now tell me things like, "You have a green thumb," or "you have such an eye." While flattered, I can't help but think how wrong they are. My garden is lovely but I know I am only one element of its vast ecosystem. I am equal to the bee, the sunshine, the water, the soil, the shade, and the plants themselves. I am merely a temporary factor in a dark, beautiful, and mysterious business. u Christine Menapace is a freelance writer and a long time contributor to this magazine. She lives in Keyport. Visit her garden and many others in the free Keyport Garden Walk on June 6 and 7, 2015. For more informa- tion, visit: www.keyportgardenwalk.org. HOME PORT continued from page 66 Berna Namoglu Avoid overuse of fertilizers. Test your soil, apply the right amount of fertilizer, and don't apply before a heavy rainfall. Pesticides are toxic! Use organic when possible. If you must use them, follow directions carefully. Use a car wash that recycles water. Or wash your car on a lawn or stones, not in the street. Don't litter—it travels to the street, ends up in storm drains, and then the bay. Recycle bottles, cans, newspapers, and motor oil. Compost yard waste. Use re-useable grocery bags. Always pick up pet waste! Use a pump-out service facility for your boat waste. Safely dispose of household toxic wastes. Call Ocean County Solid Waste Management: (732) 506-5047 Anglers—don't leave fishing gear behind! Conserve water! Take short showers. Shut the tap off! Courtesy of ReClam The Bay www.reclamthebay.org 10 THINGS You Can Do To Maintain A Healthy BARNEGAT BAY

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