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“Plotting” to Cultivate a Love of Gardening: Spotlight on the South 80 By Pete McBride Mariemont resident Steve Spooner co-chairs Mariemont’s South 80 Commission, which oversees the acreage “below the bluff” off Mariemont Avenue. The approximately 80-acre property, just down the hill adjacent to the entrance to the swimming pool, was once a 9-hole golf course, and was donated to the Village in 1976. The area includes the community gardens, a campsite, Little Miami River frontage, and two hiking trails: a graveled “inner trail” and a dirt “outer trail.” Commission members who manage the asset include co-chair Mark Glassmeyer, Andrew Seeger, Jason Brownknight, John Fakes, and Jon Morgan. Steve’s leadership and experience have been well earned via his own family’s plots for most of the past 27 years. His wife, Terri, and their adult daughter, Jane, tend a flower garden plot bursting with a variety of vibrantly-colored flowering plants. Steve raises peas, garlic, tomatoes (60 plants), cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, beans, carrots, and a type of squash called “cushaw”, which Terri famously turns into a Spooner family Thanksgiving favorite: cushaw pie. All of the existing South 80 plots were rented this year, so an entire extra row of plots had to be “cut out” for new gardeners, with special assistance from Mark Glassmeyer’s tractor. That raised the total to about 150 plots for 75 gardeners. Plots measure about 25 ft. x 25 ft. with about 30 plots per row. Plot applications ($20/year for the first site, plus $10 for each additional site) are available via email mariemontgardens@gmail.com or on FaceBook. Fees can be paid online. In addition to Steve’s knowledge and
experience, The Town Crier thought its readers might enjoy some perspectives from a few other “South 80 celebs,” including: Mary Beth and Randy York, who cultivate a plot of nine beds, growing brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, watermelon, zucchini, cucumbers, edamame, corn, cantaloupes, eggplant, greens, potatoes, bell peppers, and two beds of wildflowers and sunflowers. Probability of gardening in the future: “5 out of 5,” especially having “done a lot of groundwork” - no pun intended - to prepare their plot for this year, including installing raised beds to help conserve moisture and thus reduce watering. What would assist gardeners: A Villageinitiated watering system with a new pump and well, and more people using raised beds, would make gardening easier. Gardening tip: Add molasses to the water jugs used to irrigate tomatoes, which enhances
the garden soil and improves the taste of the tomatoes. Advice to rookies: Enjoy the experience, “but don’t become a slave to it”; set up some “watercollection” capacity to take advantage of natural rainfall. Favorite recipes from what they grow: Eggplant parmigiana. Half-inch thick slices, brushed with olive oil and grilled. Memorable events: Prepping, planting, then rescuing and re-planting following this May’s sudden flooding! Likes: The “community feel” of the South 80 when socializing with others; the Village support and concern for gardeners’ safety. Jon Morgan, a South 80 Commission member, has collaboratively cultivated seven plots with plot partners John Renner and Rob Urbanski for 6-7 years and counting. They grow Cont'd on page 4