Vegetables & the City, Pt. 2

As I mentioned in the last post, coworker Brenda has a knack for spotting vegetable plants in unusual places.

The latest one she noticed was on a narrow strip of land between a parking lot and the street on Huling between South Main and Front. This is a bona fide vegetable garden and an impressively productive one at that — peppers, tomatoes, squash, melons, herbs, eggplants, cucumbers, etc.

After a few phone calls, I discovered the Huling garden was no guerrilla effort, as Dan Oppenheimer of Jack Robinson Gallery had asked and received permission from the property’s owners before planting.

“I love fresh produce. I love gardening. It’s really that simple,” Oppenheimer explains.

Oppenheimer is a long-time gardener and says that the Huling garden, which he planted well into spring, is his most prolific. He suspects this fertile ground is the result of a good drainage, 100 percent sun, and the key ingredient — years upon years of dog poop that made the soil rich. (The excrement factor at this spot has reportedly been an issue with nearby residents and business owners for years.)

Oppenheimer says that most of the vegetables go to the gallery’s employees and the rest is given away. He also says we ain’t seen nothing yet as far as this plot goes, “Give it another month — my goodness!”

... And check out these scarecrows. Who is Warren Beatty marrying?