P-Patch Gardens

The other day we took a trip to two community gardens around Seattle. We were introduced to the P-Patch program, which provides garden space for residents of Seattle. This showed me that even in a city such as Seattle, there are spaces for anyone who wants to grow their own organic food. These gardens are opened to the public and unlocked, so it’s on a trust system that no one takes more than their share or ruin anything. The first garden we went to look at had a variety of plants, both flowers and vegetables. As assortment of roses in various colors were in the back, next to a patch of herbs such as sage. The entrance was lined with colorful flowers I cannot name which led to a small pumpkin patch in the middle. Eggplants and other vegetables that I have forgotten filled up the rest of the space. The next garden we went to visit was smaller, but tidier and well kept. The majority of the plants were flowers. I think I only saw a handful of vegetables like a small patch of strawberries, a rich red and looked delicious.

Earlier that week we visited the UW farm which had plants growing in every space available, even right next to the bike path. Even in such a small area, the space is well used. Four foot deep holes were filled with soil to be used as garden beds. Plant pots lined the walls so the plants could be easily moved when needed. We were also told that plants could be placed in plastic bags and grown from there. Taller plants could be placed so that the shade could be provided for other shorter plants. We received tips for growing in the city to make the most out of limited space, and to also grow efficiently.