Throughout the summer I found myself drawn to New Jerusalem two to three times a week.  All I had to do was to put on my used and dirty overalls that I kept on a hook in my garage, load up the back of my car with a big bag full of tools, Off, sunscreen and drive the 20 plus minutes from the safe suburbs to urban North Philadelphia. Summer months brought sweat and sunburn, dirt under my nails and many mosquitos!  But there was so much to do.

 I was hot and itchy many days but couldn't stop weeding, digging and watering. I felt a need to prove myself for some reason.  I knew only about shade plants, hostas, lilies, bee balm, and annuals.

 But now I had agreed to help with over 25 raised beds. The gardens were planted with kale, collard greens, (I had never really eaten them by choice), and beautiful and colorful lettuces of all types. There were beds of green beans, beets, carrots, asparagus peppers, eggplants and so many tomato plants. Seedlings had been donated by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society (PHS).



 There were snug balls of purple cabbage nestled in beds