dirt / By Amy Stewart

The Obama Garden

Celebrating election results with an all-American victory garden

(Nov. 13, 2008)  I am writing this on the morning after the election, trying to tame my hangover in time for more champagne at another victory party tonight. During his acceptance speech last night, President-Elect Obama laid out many challenges that Americans face, but he overlooked our most pressing problem: What to do with all those hours that we have been devoting to obsessively checking the polls and monitoring YouTube for Sarah Palin snafus that we can forward to our friends.

I’m glad that I did my part — who knows what might have happened if I hadn’t forwarded all those videos and generally kept a close eye on this campaign for the last twenty-one months? — but to have the Internet-campaign-insanity feeding tube unplugged all at once is a little distressing. I seem to be connected to half of Humboldt County via Facebook now, and I can tell from your Facebook profiles that many of you are feeling the same way. What are we supposed to do now?

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I wish Obama would keep up his daily e-mails to his considerable base of supporters and give us all new instructions on how to fill our time. “The first thing I’d like you to do is drop and give me 10 push-ups,” he might say. “If we’re going to change the world, we’re all going to need some upper body strength. Then — go outside and pick up some trash. We’re going to have clean streets in this administration, and I’m putting you in charge of that. There’s more coming, but now I have to go pick a Secretary of State. I’ll get back to you this afternoon.”

Lacking any instructions from the president-elect on how to fill my day, I’m heading outside to do a little pre-winter cleanup in the garden. It gets me wondering: What would an Obama victory garden look like? What can I do in my own backyard to support this administration?

I’m only half-kidding about this. Here are my ideas; write to me if you’ve got some of your own.

Plant an apple tree. What could be more hopeful, and more all-American, than an apple tree? It’ll feed not only your family, but every family that lives in your home for generations to come. Those apples will keep you healthy, so you’ll be taking the first step in our soon-to-be-reformed health care system. After all, any improvements to health care have to start with us, right? You’ll also have a surplus to share with friends and neighbors. Make a point of taking some to the food bank; you have no idea how much they appreciate fresh produce. Spread that wealth around.

It’s harvest season right now, so get to the farmer’s market or the grocery store and find a locally-grown apple that you like. In a couple of months, bareroot apple trees will be available at garden centers around town. Get ready to plant now before the ground is totally saturated. Clear the area of weeds, dig a big hole and mix aged compost with the native soil. Leave a mound of compost on top — it’ll settle over the next few months and be ready for planting in January.

When it comes time to plant, look for a variety that is naturally pest- and disease-resistant: The last thing you want to do in an Obama victory garden is spray harsh chemicals. Humboldt County is home to a number of wonderful heritage apple varieties; to find out more about them, visit www.greenmantlenursery.com. I particularly like ‘Pink Pearl’ for baking and ‘Waltana’ for long storage and great flavor.

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