Living on the edge

The edges of your garden plot are the most important -- and most overlooked -- place in your plot.

1. WEEDS

That's the first place I look for weeds -- if you can keep the edges of your plot clean, I am less likely to be concerned about weeds in the center (unless they're going to flower). Especially consider the weeds along the edge between your plot and your neighbors' plots. Gardeners often consider this no-man's land and figure the other person will weed. I consider this the first place to weed, since this is the main reason why weeds are a problem (wandering from one plot to the next).

I am not as concerned with weeds right along the grass walkways, but it's good for you gardeners if you keep that area clean. Staff gets the mower close to the plots, but then there's usually a bit of weed-whacking necessary. If you want to protect any veg you have growing close the walkway, keep an extra little area clear of weeds, or just chop them down yourself, and then staff won't need to weed whack there.

2. POSSESSION

Also keep in mind a little bit I learned the first day in my property law class in law school: if a neighbor's apples fall on my property, they become my apples. If your tomato plants drop a tomato in another plot, by virtue of being planted so close to the other plot that branches overlap the airpspace, that tomato now has a new owner.

3. WANDERERS

Some of the plants we grow get pretty big -- squash & cukes get long and viney, tomato plants get pretty wide. While a neighboring gardener might appreciate a tomato falling on their plot once in awhile, they are less likely to look happily on a squash plant bullying its way into their plot. If you have planted squash, cukes or melons in your plot, you are responsible for keeping it in your plot. If you have planted too close to your plot edges and your plants are uninvited visitors in the next plot, please prune or otherwise corral them. Next year, consider planting your vining plants in the center of your plot, and leaving enough room around tomatoes for their full growth.

This applies to the edges of your plot along the walkways, too. Any plants wending their way into the walkways will get mowed eventually if not promptly pruned or corralled.

This is the one time I will let someone use a small piece of fence on the edge of their plot -- to keep vines in. But keep any fencing or containment clearly on your plot, and make sure you have enough room in your plot to weed around the plant. In other words, don't take up any of your plot neighbor's space.