Screenwriter Finally Gets Her Organic Garden

Michael Amy Cira-Scippo has spent most of her adult life in either New York or LA. Living in these urban settings was just a part of her career as a screenwriter, like the shell that comes with a turtle. “ I loved the lifestyle and culture, but I never had enough space for a garden,” she explains. “ I always wanted one though, and  it’s nice to finally get my wish!”

Michael Amy’s pink bungalow sits nestled near the edge of a large tract of forest in Plaza Midwood. Ancient oaks shield most of the house from hot afternoons, but there was one sunny spot in the front yard that was perfect for an organic vegetable garden. Michael Amy liked the look of our Timbers style raised beds, which are made by interlocking three layers of rough sawed Western Red Cedar timbers. Initially we installed two 3’x5’ beds, but the following day, Michael Amy decided to add a third bed for herbs.

We love when folks value their gardens enough to put them not where it’s most aesthetically pleasing, but where it will be most successful, and convenient to the kitchen. Michael Amy’s garden has all three!

To keep her new garden fertile, we installed a two bin pallet compost station just a few feet from the beds. Her half acre wooded lot has plenty of stuff to compost, as does the family of three’s kitchen.

We planted the beds with bush beans, beets, chard, lettuces, and eggplant, and Michael Amy’s daughter personally planted a patch of Tokyo Verte soybeans. We even worked  a tough strip of ground between the sidewalk and street and planted a few tomato and squash plants.