Having officially started my summer position at the Shedd, I have already been exposed to a variety of the woes and perks experiences by people working in horticulture, landscaping, and other similar fields. The first, and likely most important thing I have learned, is that half--if not more-- of sustaining a garden is weeding. So. Much. Weeding. It was the first thing I did on my first day, and it was the last thing I did on shift yesterday. This task, however annoying, tedious, and occasionally painful it may be, it has truly made me appreciate the amount and consistency of work that goes into producing food or maintaining a visually appealing and ecologically sound garden or landscape. Though I've gone home many days with my arms covered in tiny red dots from uprooting thistle plants (not as easy as you might think it is), I always walk into my apartment with a sense of fulfillment-- and often with a bag of fresh produce harvested by myself and my peers.
When I had my initial meeting with Christine before I started the job, she told me that we got to take home produce all the time--but I had no idea how much produce she was talking about. My first day, I got to take home three ziplock bags full of lettuces, along with several large radishes and turnips. Yesterday, I got to take home a container full of fresh strawberries, a kohlrabi, and several stalks of kohlrabi greens. It is so satisfying to bring dinner home from work--it tastes better, and it makes me proud to make and eat dinner. The gardens at the Shedd are essentially capable of sustaining the entire Horticulture team (7 of us, in total). This dynamic has triggered my interest in sustainable urban farming, and has sparked inquiries regarding the current status of food systems in Chicago and similar cities, and how we can make a change if we want to.
The two garden beds I will be personally working with this summer are the basis of my control study. One bed is amended with compost and natural fertilizers, while the other is un-amended. I planted the same things in both beds--two Russian Red kale plants, a parsley plant, a clear pink tomato plant, and three varieties of beans. With these beds, I will essentially be conducting a comparative study across the course of the summer. This study, however, comes with a particular risk that plagues the gardens of the Shedd--the Red-winged blackbirds.
If you visit the grounds and gardens surrounding the Shedd, you will likely see multiple warning signs depicting this bird on top of a caption reading "Watch Out! Good parents at work!". Good parents they may be, but while the blackbirds protect their nests and their fledglings, they become extremely territorial and offensive. I have been "swooped" by the male blackbirds multiple times, and it is terrifying. Surely, guests have caught a glimpse of me sprinting away from a garden, frantically flailing my arms above my head in protection. It had come to the point where I wear a bandanna every day, so that they cannot grab onto my hair and yank away. Despite this, I am excited to see what this summer will hold for me. I am already tired, sore, and afraid of the birds, but it's worth it to go into work each day not knowing what's going to happen. This makes every day an adventure, and I can confidently say that this is the most entertaining and interactive position I have ever had the joy of holding.
