Seattle Community Farm at Rainier Vista

All photos were taken in November 2014.

The Seattle Community Farm at Rainier Vista covers half an acre of the Rainier Valley between the Mt Baker & Columbia City Stations, west of Martin Luther King Jr Way S, against the Cheasty Greenspace.  It is associated with Solid Ground through their Lettuce Link program, which provides produce to lower income people in Seattle.  The garden was built in 2010 with the help of the Seattle Housing Authority & the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods P-Patch Community Gardening Program.  It is a pleasantly bucolic place to visit in the midst of the bustling city, accessible by bus & light rail, with parking easy to find.  The Rainier Vista Dakota Garden P-Patch is nearby & the Rainier Vista Snoqualmie Garden P-Patch is a bit farther south, if you are in the mood for community garden touring.   

Picardo Farm P-Patch

Picardo Farm P-Patch in September

Picardo Farm P-Patch in September

Picardo Farm P-Patch in September

Picardo Farm P-Patch in September

Picardo Farm P-Patch in September

Picardo Farm P-Patch is the oldest community garden in Seattle.  The P in p-patch stands for Picardo.  The Picardo family, Italian immigrants who arrived in Seattle in the 1890s, bought this property in 1922 in what had been the Ravenna Swamp & farmed it until 1962.  The swamp was essentially a peat bog & the soil here remains exceptionally rich in organic matter.  It is one of only 2 historical farms preserved in the City of Seattle.  This p-patch & the p-patch program were established in 1973.  There are 302 plots on 98,000 square feet owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  It is located in the Wedgwood neighborhood of northeast Seattle along 25th Avenue NE between NE 80th & 82nd Streets. 

In 2013, resistance to the new policy limiting the size of individual plots was centered at Picardo Farm.  It was said that one gardener there had more than 2,000 square feet of space, 10x the size of the average plot.  The P-Patch Program sets maximum & minimum plot size for each p-patch based on 2 criteria, the average wait for a plot & the p-patch size. In December 2013, 45 gardeners in 13 gardens (2% of all gardeners) had to reduce plot sizes.  Plot sizes are generally 50 to 200 square feet.

Angel Morgan P-Patch

 Rockery & tool shed at the Angel Morgan P-Patch in August 2013

Tool shed at the Angel Morgan P-Patch in August 2013

Grape arbor at the Angel Morgan P-Patch in August 2013

The Angel Morgan P-Patch is a very pleasant surprise to find in the quiet residential heart of the Brighton neighborhood in the Rainier Valley of Seattle.  It has a lot going on.  There is tool shed made stylish with an attached trellis, a rockery filled with perennials, espaliered fruit trees & a grape arbor, all in good condition.  Most of the 26 plots are well-tended.  This p-patch covers 22,650 square feet on land owned by the City of Seattle on 42nd Avenue S, between S Morgan Street & S Angel Place.  It was established in 2004.

Hillside Garden P-Patch

The Route 8 bus stops here.

Martin Luther King Jr Way S. All photos are of the Hillside Garden P-Patch in July 2013

The Hillside Garden P-Patch is one of the most visible community gardens in Seattle.  Terraced upward from the very bottom of the west slope of Mt Baker Ridge, this garden lies along busy Martin Luther King Jr Way S near S McClellan Street.  The gardeners here are all tenants of the Mt Baker Housing Association, which provides low-income housing in a small campus above the garden.  Many of the residents have been southeast Asian immigrants & refugees.  They began terracing & gardening the slope independently, after their arrival in the late 1970s.  The garden became a p-patch under the supervision of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods in 2001.  Concrete retaining walls were added & plumbing installed.  There are 38 plots on 8,000 square feet, with plenty of space to expand.  The land is owned by the Seattle Fleets & Facilities Department.

New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden

 New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden in August 2013

The New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden is another charming garden located in the City of Seattle Power Line Right of Way on land owned by Seattle City Light adjacent to the Chief Sealth Trail.  The New Holly Power Garden is located not far to the south.  This is a very well-sited, well-designed & well-tended garden of 50 plots on 5,000 square feet.  I found the gardeners very friendly when I visited this place.  They are clearly very happy to garden here.  The garden was established in 1999, rebuilt in 2006 & expanded in 2011.

New Holly Rockery Community Garden & Market Garden

New Holly Rockery Community Garden & Market Garden in August 2013

New Holly Rockery Market Garden in August 2013 

New Holly Rockery Market Garden in August 2013 

New Holly Rockery Community Garden & Market Garden Tool Shed & Greenhouse in August 2013 

New Holly Rockery Community Garden in August 2013

The best thing about the New Holly Rockery Market Garden is that you can buy fresh produce here during the growing season.  It is located not far from the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr Way S & S Othello Street, & the Othello Station, on S Holly Park Drive between 40th Avenue S & Rockery Drive S. The whole place is a bit of a mess & the community garden looks rather forlorn.  The market garden is approximately 16,000 square feet & has 8  gardeners, mostly southeast Asian & living in Seattle Housing Authority low-income housing at New Holly.  It was built in 2002.  The community garden has 23 plots on 6,000 square feet of land owned by the Seattle Housing Authority.  It was established in 2005 right next to the market garden at the north end of New Holly Central Park, which is a pleasant & ample park space.

New Holly Power Garden

 New Holly Power Garden in August 2013

The New Holly Power Garden is located in the New Holly development on Beacon Hill in Seattle.  This charming & well-established garden sits in the City of Seattle Power Line Right of Way on land owned by Seattle City Light.  The Chief Sealth Trail passes by on its way to other community gardens, including the New Holly Youth & Family Community Garden, not far to the north.  I like this vibrant & slightly chaotic garden very much.  There is almost a rural feel to the site.  It is an excellent use of land under power lines.  There are 28 plots on 12,000 square feet.  The garden was established in 2003.

John C Little Garden

 John C Little Garden, with John C Little, Sr Park beyond, in August 2013

The John C Little Garden can be found at the north end of John C Little, Sr. Park, located in the New Holly development, at the south end of the Rainier Valley of Seattle.  John C Little, Sr. was a member of the Board of Park Commissioners who developed programs & services for disadvantaged youth & low-income families.  This modest & very rectilinear garden was established in 2013.  The land is owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.

Colman Park P-Patch

Tool shed at the Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

 

Colman Park P-Patch September 2012

Although the Colman Park P-Patch is fairly large, it is only a small part of beautiful Colman Park, itself only a very small part of the grand & venerable Olmsted Legacy in Seattle & other cities in the United States & Canada.  The p-patch fills the broad ravine at the top of the park, near 31st Avenue S.  Access to the p-patch is most easily gained from 32nd Avenue S, where it dead-ends into Colman Park, just south of S Massachusetts Street.  This is one of the most lovely settings for a p-patch in Seattle, surrounded by trees & sloping toward Lake Washington in broad terraces.  It was once a Department of Parks & Recreation nursery.  There are 47 plots here on 14,000 square feet of land owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  The Colman Park P-Patch was established in 1974.  You can walk from here to the excellent Bradner Gardens Park P-Patch, which is very different, but equally worthy. 

New Holly 29th Avenue Garden

New Holly 29th Avenue Garden August 2013

The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden is my favorite garden in the New Holly Development at the south end Rainier Valley of Seattle.  It was in sharp contrast to the very nearby & superficially similar New Holly Lucky Garden, which was quite a mess when I saw it in August 2013.  The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden was beautifully maintained.  I lived near New Holly from April to September of 2013.  The New Holly 29th Avenue Garden is located at 29th Avenue S & S Brighton Street.  It covers 2,000 square feet with 11 plots that each measures 100 square feet.  The land is owned by the Seattle Housing Authority.  This garden was established in 2001.  New Holly (formerly Holly Park) was the first of the large Seattle Housing Authority properties to be redeveloped.