Garden Connections Urban
by Gayle Wilson Rose A Cultivating Food and Community Throughout Seattle
t first glance, UrbanGardenShare. org might lead you to think that it is an online dating site for those
inclined to play in the dirt, and that assumption wouldn’t be too far off. Recent headlines include: “Well estab- lished and composted veg beds seek gardener!” and “Sunset Hill garden with a view needs your love.” The website was started in spring
2009, by Seattleite Amy Pennington. She was learning the basics in a com- prehensive organic gardening class taught by Seattle Tilth when the idea for the site sprouted over a post-class glass of bourbon with some classmates. With their shared passion for garden- ing and connecting people, the crew launched the first site in Seattle to match independent gardeners with garden spaces in need of love and attention. When neighbors come together
and cooperatively grow food, “…dirt flies and good things happen,” as Pen- nington aptly puts it. Not surprised that Seattle has embraced the concept with open arms, she explains, “Many Se- attleites eat locally and organically and are very environmentally conscious. Combined with Seattle’s blend of density and sprawl, the urban garden sharing concept has lots of appeal.”
Green + Brown = Magic
Green-thumbed gardeners create a pro- file on the
UrbanGardenShare.org site that provides a sense of their garden- ing expertise, personal interests and goals. They also include details such as their location and desired sharing arrangements. Those who have green space to offer, but perhaps a brown thumb, also create profiles and then view and respond to gardener profiles in search for the perfect match. Amy
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SeattleAwakenings.com
ers,” says Gerry Warren, board mem- ber of Slow Food Seattle, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to serving regional cuisine and promot- ing local farming. The desire to have a connection to how one’s food is grown is becoming common among residents in the area, which offers bountiful year- round farmers’ markets. “People appre- ciate being able to identify the source of their food,” Warren adds. “This is supporting the growth of gardening.”
says that no formal contracts are used when the match is made, though the website offers suggestions on how to build a thriving gardener/garden-owner relationship. Typically, the green space owner
supplies water and the grower provides the motivation, know-how and seeds. An equal sharing of the harvest is com- mon, as well. Most relationships are very collaborative, from the design of the space to its contents. Two years ago the site connected 400 gardeners, and last year grew to about 500 matches. Laura McLeod, a Seattle native, was one of the first to connect via the website. Her 5,000- square-foot green space in Ballard is now in its third year of sharing and feeds six neighbors. McLeod says, “Not only is it rewarding, but it simply feels important to be doing this. To have the space and have it cultivated to feed people is such a positive experience.” “The Pacific Northwest is quite ahead nationally in efforts to eat lo- cally and support local food produc-
2,000 Homes and 73 P-Patches The P-Patch Community Gardening Program, another Seattle nonprofit, offers green spaces for neighbors to come together, growing community and stewarding a piece of open land. Community members pay an annual fee for individual gardening plots, while all shared spaces throughout a garden are cared for jointly. Gardeners also give back to the community. More than 18,500 volunteer hours were contributed in 2009, supplying 25,000 pounds of fresh produce to Seattle food banks and feeding programs. Currently, 73 P-Patches throughout
the city serve more than 2,000 grateful households. Lois Maag, the commu- nity relations and strategic advisor for the Seattle Department of Neighbor- hoods, says that in recent years the demand for space in P-Patch gardens has exceeded supply, but organizers
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