my own drum

OK, I hear you thinking, "What has this got to do with gardening?" Well let me explain.

The Boulevard Community Garden is on Boulevard Avenue in Atlanta. Mention that street to any local and they'll nod in a knowing way - Boulevard is a haven for drug dealers. The garden is on the site of a former apartment building, and there are apartments on either side and across the street. One on side is a nice Christian based group for young people. On the other side is subsidized housing, and the scene for daily drug dealing. The dealers also lounge at the subsidized apartments across the street.

These particular dealers are not very smart at all. (Don't tell them I said that!) They tend to mix business and personal issues together, right there on the sidewalk. This, of course, results in problems for them, and for others.

About two weeks ago there was a fight. The dealers were beating up a fellow who I assume was a disgruntled customer. Anyway, I was working in the garden at the time and my view was obstructed by their apartment building. But I heard the shouting and wrongly assumed it was more of the same that I hear almost daily. I did notice that some people were watching from the Wendy's parking lot across the street, but still I didn't bother to go have a look for myself. Soon enough I heard the sirens approaching - first the police and then the ambulance. For the rest of the day there was a police presence on the street, which of course, is bad for the drug business.

This morning I once again heard loud voices, expressing lots of anger. Taking a quick look on the street I could see there wasn't a fight, only an argument. From what I could tell someone owed someone else money. And the police had been called again (not by me). And, once again, there was a police presence on the street today. First it was a uniformed officer parked down the street. I walked by him when I went to get the seeds today (see previous post), and as I passed him I offered a quick "Thank You".

He left the scene and returned later for a drive around the apartments. Then another officer, in uniform, arrived in his personal vehicle. He parked on the sidewalk right in front of the garden. The dealers sauntered away when he got out of his truck. He spent an hour or so walking around the area. He walked the apartment parking lots, he walked over to Wendy's, he talked to the old ladies on the lawn next door, and he came to the garden gate and talked to me. Our entire converstaion was about gardening. He asked what we were growing, and explained that he was gardening at home.

Finally he left and I saw him make at least one trip around the block. Eventually the drug dealers meandered back to the sidewalk, but I suspect that now their business is going to be interrupted more frequently. I can't say that I'll be sorry to see the dealers leave. But the truth is, there has been drug dealing on this block for as long as there have been drugs, and I don't hold out a lot of hope that will be changed any time soon.

Ahhhhh! That was the sound my neighbors heard last night. I came in after 10pm, and took my flashlight out to the garden to have a last look at my new tomato sprouts. I had planted the seeds in a plat, and set that plat on one the paid spots in the garden so it could get some afternoon sun. Sometime after I left yesterday that gardener came in in worked their space. My best guess is they never saw the few little sprouts in my plat. They emptied the plat onto one or more mounds that were built. My poor seedlings! I'm bummed.

Today I went to the dollar store in hopes of finding more tomato seeds. There weren't any, but I did pick up quite a few other things.

Back at the garden I got busy with my new seeds. At the front of the garden I planted flowers - marigolds, bachelor bottoms (mixed colors), cockscomb (plumosa mixed colors), and gypsophila (babys breath). These were planted in the first two plots near the front. These two plots are under the trees and mostly shaded all day. I hope to have some color near the front of the garden now. No one else is planting flowers that I can tell.

Then I got busy in my plot at the back, where I planted vegetables. I started there about 10 days ago with Wanda peas, which are already out of the ground. Today I planted lettuce (Black Seesed Simpson), summer squash, turnips, carrots (Mantes Coreless), early radish, and eggplant (Black Beauty).

I still have a few more things to plant there, including two varieties of radish, and okra. I'll post more when those get into the ground.

For those who are following my blog, you'll have noticed that today I crated a new category, Community Gardening, where I'll be writing about the garden. There is much to learn and much more to tell.

del.icio.us tag: Community Gardening