Recently , I had the pleasure of gossip thePicardo Farm P - Patchcommunity garden in Seattle with my married man and daughter . It was all the more gratifying because it happened all by accident . We were on vacation to see folk , and we decided to walk through the vicinity to burn off DOE and see the sights .
We entered this unique urban blank through the Wedgewood Demonstration Garden , which sits on a narrow strip of nation between two residences and lead through to the larger garden . The demonstration garden is beautiful in its own right , but at the time it belied the scope of the larger community garden behind it .
A Community Oasis
We had our first look at the Picardo Farm P - Patch with fresh eyes , not knowing where we were or what to look . The space is opened , with small sheds and buildings around its edge and garden plots replete the space between . My daughter at once began to run and recreate , my married man seemed relaxed and deeply concerned in the garden , and I felt a sense of calm wash over me . I’ve been gardening a lot since I got hook up with , and I bed being able to put tonic green groceries on our table . My husband and I belong to to alocal CSA — a residential area supported agriculture curriculum at a local farm — in Southern California , but I ’d never experience an urban community garden like this . We passed a few courteous gardener who cordially utter with us about the garden , and I could find the strong community presence in the place , even though the garden was mostly empty .
It was this lingering sense of community of interests that I could intuit but not directly see that intrigued me most . This was a place where people plain came together , and I wanted to eff more about this garden and others like it .
As a footnote to our Seattle risky venture , we bring forth to call another amazing garden in the city , theMercer Garage Upgardencommunity garden , which we first spotted from the top of the Space Needle . With downtown Seattle as its backdrop , the Upgarden emphasized the strong sense of community these open space can bring to an urban setting .
Deep Roots
I had to eff more , so I reached out to the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods , which I learned administers the P - Patch computer programme .
“ The Picardo P - Patch garden is the first community of interests garden in Seattle in the innovative era , ” Rich Macdonald , supervisor of the P - Patch Community Garden Program , informed me . “ It set out in 1973 and has a really interesting background . It was part of a remnant motortruck farm — mayhap 10 blocks long and 10 blocks wide , a magnanimous belt of dry land — like most truck farm that ring the city of America . ”
Now sitting on about 2.5 acres , it was repurposed by postgraduate students at the University of Washington in the early 1970s who wanted to farm it as a community garden , bring kids in and generate corporate natural action , Macdonald added . finally , the city buy the land from the Picardo family , which is where the “ P ” in P - patch come from .
“ As a community garden , the numbers of people need have risen and fall through the years , ” Macdonald said . “ At this spot , there are about 300 families that are gardening there . ”
Almost all activities in each P - Patch are plow by voluntary . Each P - Patch has a program to provide produce to nutrient banks or blistering meal programme , and everything from organisation to special effect — such as the end - of - time of year cider make session and a fundraising dinner — are handled by local gardeners .
The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is responsible for the logistic and administrative stuff relate with the overall plan , and they keep the whole organisation run . They check that spots are allotted fairly , they assess and reassign abandoned pile , and see to expansion plans and land direction issues . Otherwise , it ’s up to the local gardener to build their volunteer base of operations and keep the show running in the garden .
Community Gardens On The Rise
Seattle has 90 community garden , Macdonald said , with more than two - third base situate on land owned by the urban center . The metropolis ’s history in promoting community garden come from a deep - seat desire to further connections between hoi polloi , he lend .
However , Seattle is far from the only urban center where community gardening is a growing concern . The American Community Garden Association is a non - profit organization that seeks to foster growth in urban horticulture and greening , and it ’s come after in its foreign mission , with grand of community gardens spread across the Carry Nation .
“ It fall in a more orbicular perspective than a lot of biotic community gardening individual metropolis stuff and nonsense , ” say Sandy Pernitz , a control panel member of the ACGA . “ You ’re a part of a web … I recall Seattle is a ripe influence , but it is n’t the only one . You could look to New York , Boston , Chicago , Philadelphia , around Atlanta and places where there ’s been quite a moment of interest in community horticulture . ”
Interest is widespread , and the ACGA offers information to gardeners from literally every state .
“ In Sacramento , where I ’m at , and in California in universal , we get a spate of calls , ” say Bill Maynard , former president of the ACGA and residential district garden coordinator for the City of Sacramento . “ ( We get a line from hoi polloi in ) neighborhoods across the country too that want to start community gardens . ”
Getting Involved
Interest in residential district gardening ebbs and hang opposite the economy , Maynard suppose . When times are good , people tend to abandon their game . When time are knotty or food scarceness is an issue , however , people flock to their community gardens .
almost all found garden I look into had two- to five - class waiting tilt . Despite the ebb and stream of interest in residential district horticulture , the trend is for more gardens to be developed and more multitude to get ask . One such garden started in 1995 has seen rapid growth in interest . More modest in scale than the Picardo Farm P - Patch , but not in beauty , theDel Mar Community Gardenin Costa Mesa , Calif. , has 60 share , and each one reflects the personality of the someone or kinsfolk tending it .
Gardeners benefit from leisure activeness , family time and saucy produce , articulate Cecily Renteria , assistant recreation supervisor for the Costa Mesa community garden program . Though interest is strong , Renteria said they do need more Volunteer .
“ We are in a transitional stage where we are work to reconstruct the military volunteer committee , ” Renteria say . “ We are hoping to create a more active volunteer group so that we can further build the sense of community at each garden . ”
Although metropolis and community - based administration can help organize local garden , it ’s up to those with a vested concerned in their garden ’s success to tread up and get involved . The same is true if you desire to start a community garden in your own area .
“ You need to find a place , and then find someone who consider in what you need to accomplish , ” Renteria said .
After you ’ve found a localisation , you ’ll have to verify your ability to habituate it , organise others who are interested , and start the process of establishing the garden . There ’s a flock to consider before you’re able to take off planting , but a smashing place to start is with the ACGA . The organization offers a riches of data to new gardeners and those concerned in starting gardens in their area .
This article originally appear inBest of Urban Farm .
