Filed under: Gardening, Garden Tours
Getting to know the faces and stories behind our favorite gardens. Today: Mechanic/urban gardener Trevor Jack.
Trevor Jack's container gardens. Photo: Marie Viljoen
On a corner lot in Brooklyn, surrounded by new development, St. Vincent and the Grenadines native Trevor Jack grows vegetables and salad greens in dozens of white construction material buckets, an empty bath and paint cans. Across the road, raised on scaffolding behind the garage where he works as a mechanic, he has another small garden, elevated to reach the sunlight between high buildings. In the lilting accent of the islands, he talked to me about his gardens.
1. Why do you garden?
I like all my things to be fresh. My vegetables are more fresh than what comes from the store. They spray chemicals on those vegetables.
2. Who or what inspired you to garden?
I start to garden from the day I was born. My mother and father taught me. We grow everything. You name it, you can have it.
3. What was the first plant you grew?
Banana! I had a tree.
4. How often do you garden?
Every day.
5. What is your USDA zone?
I don't know about zones.
6. What size is your garden?
My boss lets me garden in his parking lot and I grow on scaffolding behind the garage.
7. What plant has most disappointed you?
All plants are good.
No plant make me happiest. It's how you take care of them...
Eggplants ripening. Photo: Marie Viljoen
9. What do you love about your garden right now?
The eggplant is getting ripe.
10. What do you feed your garden?
Miracle Gro. You got to give them nourishment. I have not tried other fertilizers, so I cannot compare.
11. What would you like to grow, that you can't?
Everything. Here people only grow two, three vegetables -- tomatoes, peppers, corn.
12. Food, flowers, native or ornamental?
Vegetables. Vegetables can make me grow, but flowers I must throw away.
13. Most inspiring gardener, garden writer, thinker, blogger, personality?
I don't have time to think about other gardeners.
14. What plants do you dislike?
I like all plants.
15. Would you like more sun or more shade?
More sun. Here we only have two months of real sun. Garden need more sun than shade. Two things make garden grow: sun and water
16. Where is your favorite public garden?
I don't have time to look at gardens. I water by hand every day, carry water from the garage. The time I finish work, taking care of my garden and making something to eat, is time to go to bed.
My advice? It is very important to teach kids to garden. Construction, fixing cars? If there is a choice between gardening and these other things, choose gardening.