A plot along South Third Street 40 feet wide and half a block long contains a proliferation of garden vegetables where in 2007 floodwater was several feet deep.
After the flood, the property and others in south Iola were purchased by Iola with federal assistance to keep structures from popping up again where floodwater has found its way now and again.
This particular garden space, under lease by the city to Milo Kellerman and Bill Dible, is covered with lush plants of several varieties and already has produced generous harvests.
One morning this week, Kellerman was in the midst of picking green beans for the umpteenth time.
“We’ve frozen 23 to 25 quarts and eaten quite a few,” said Kellerman, from just a couple of rows.
He attributes the ground’s fertility to not having supported more than grass for many years, with ample rainfall being another key ingredient.
Along with the beans, Kellerman has had great success with root vegetables — beets and carrots, along with a couple of short rows of potatoes that produced enough to fill two five-gallon buckets.
“I’ve never grown carrots like these,” he said.
“And I’m ‘beat’ with pickling beets,” Kellerman said with a chuckle. “We’re put up about 25 pints and a couple of quarts,” of the sweet-tasting beet variation.
Kellerman has gardened for years and the past three years took advantage of the Elm Creek Community Garden, next door where about 70 people this year have seized opportunity to raise and enjoy garden-fresh vegetables.
He and Dible arranged a lease for their garden — more about how that’s done later — and sprayed the grass several times in preparation for this spring.
“Vic Sigg ran his tractor tiller over it and Bill gave it a bit of a crown with his little tractor and plow” to facilitate drainage, Kellerman recalled.
When Dible’s health tanked a bit, Dale Roberts stepped in to keep his garden going. Roberts also planted a few tomatoes and green peppers of his own, but “mainly I’m taking care of what Bill planted.”
While weather gods have smiled on local gardens with relatively mild temperatures and ample moisture, if Kansas lives up to its reputation drier and hotter days will descend soon.
“We’ve been lucky so far,” Robert said, and that a shower anytime would be good.
