Marvin Parker Memorial Garden I

It is officially spring now. Sometime yesterday AM, March 20th, the sun started to slide northward of the equator, thus we have rid ourselves of winter, sending it down to our friends in the Antipodes. Signs of spring (remember those silly exercises in grade school?? "Class... bring in or describe a sign of spring tomorrow.") are everywhere. One sure sign that we are climbing out of the depths is the activity around the community garden.

The garden now has a name, "The Marvin Parker Memorial Community Garden", named after a victim of the Kansas City Police department's policy of shoot first and ask questions later. Here is a link to a KC blog with some background on the incident: Marvin Parker. Marvin lived just down the street from the garden. His family has a garden plot next to mine.

This year we are organized. Last weekend we tilled, mulched, got the rain barrels arranged and started a mulch/compost pile.









The garden is organized into 15 individual plots surrounded by community plots for tomatoes, corn, okra, herbs, beans and squash.

I opted for a plot (just my luck plot # 13 which I have quickly renumbered 12 A) and have decided to be the Lord of Onions; 160 of the damn things have been planted: red, yellow and shallots. Later when it is warmer, I am setting out bell peppers. I might do some other things too, maybe a Roma tomato if no one else does. If all goes well, onion soup, onion rings, onion everything will be on the menu.

Stay tuned to watch the progress of the garden over the season. And start a fund to buy me lots of breath mints.