A winter's harvest in the city garden It was mid-summer when my sister and I decided to join the local community garden. We live near the desert, in Zone 9 and friends, coworkers and fellow gardeners warned us: "Seeds won't grow now, it's too hot for them to germinate." We weren't sure either but we forged ahead. Planting was the easy part; the hard part was filling the raised beds with soil in the August heat. We sifted the soil that was provided through a homemade contraption made from gopher and boards. It must've come from a construction site; we tossed aside pieces of concrete and asphalt as we filled a wheelbarrow dozens of times, filling two raised beds. We amended the soil before planting the seeds. We watered the plots by hand, and seedlings began to grow: kale, swiss chard, basil, parsley and tomatoes. It seemed like it would take forever for the veggies to be ready -- plants definitely follow their own schedule -- but we had so much fun we ac...