Spokane Parks & Recreation

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Community Gardens

Peaceful Valley Community Garden

The Earth Turners Community Garden in Peaceful Valley began taking root in the spring of 2011. The garden is made up of 15 raised beds, producing more than a dozen varieties of fruits and vegetables as well as herbs. Produce raised is being sold at the Farmers’ Market in Spokane, with proceeds going back to the Earth Turners program. A portion of the harvest is also being donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.

The garden is a project of the Earth Turners, an organization of high school age people guided by Community-Minded Enterprises. The Earth Turners work with children from the Peaceful Valley Community Center, mentoring them in gardening, healthy eating and environmentally sound food production. “We want to expose these kids to the many benefits of community gardens,” said Taylor Weech, who runs the program for Community-Minded Enterprises. It is very clear that kids that try fresh fruits and vegetables at a young age are more likely to eat better as they grow into teen and adulthood, Weech said.

The garden is unique because it is run almost exclusively by youth. It is also one of only two in the city of Spokane on land owned by the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department. On June 28, 2011 Spokane Mayor Mary Verner visited the garden as part of a kick-off garden tour, but visitors are welcome to come by anytime for a self-guided tour. Mayor Verner walks through the garden in the photo above.

The garden is located on Water Avenue just west of the Peaceful Valley Community Center.

The Peaceful Valley Community Garden is supported by: City of Spokane, Spokane Parks Department, The Peaceful Valley Community Center, Spokane Regional Health District, Spokane Public School’s Community School, The Whole Plate and School’s Out Washington/Washington Afterschool Network Healthy Youth, Healthy Futures, WA.

East Central Community Garden

A ceremony to dedicate the new East Central Community Garden was held Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 6 p.m. at the garden at the corner of South Ralph Street and East Hartson Avenue. The project is partnership of the City of Spokane, neighbors in East Central, the WSU Cooperative Extension Office, and the Spokane Regional Health District.

“Through this garden, we are encouraging healthy eating, more sustainable living, and most importantly, a greater sense of community,” said Council Member Richard Rush, who helped champion the new garden. “We have neighbors working side-by-side and getting to know one another better.”

Interest in community gardens in Spokane and across the nation has grown in recent years, as people have developed a focus on healthy food and eating locally. And with current economic downturn, even greater focus on such gardens has developed.

In East Central, the community garden has been developed on vacant City of Spokane Water Department land. Community Development Block Grant funds helped pay for fencing and other materials. Pat Munts, the small acreage grower coordinator for WSU Cooperative Extension who works with the Master Gardener program, is helping to coordinate the effort. The garden is completely organic, which means that growers can’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

East Central neighbors apply for 10-foot by 10-foot plots within the garden to grow their own produce; they agree to tend to the space for the growing season.

They can keep whatever they grow in their section, but they are encouraged to share their harvest by planting a row for the hungry or giving away what they can’t eat themselves.

“We will see more community gardens on City property through this program,” says Mayor Mary Verner, another driver behind the project. “Beyond the neighborhood and community benefits, the City will see reduced maintenance costs and water usage because the vegetable gardens will replace lawns.”

A second garden on vacant Water Department land is being developed in Hillyard and is expected to be dedicated later this summer. Additional City sites also are being considered for gardens that would be developed in 2010.

For more information on Community Gardens in Spokane click here.

Grant Community Garden

Grant Community Garden is one of the newest additions to the neighborhood gardening community and is a pilot program for community gardens on Park land.

Memorandum of Understanding
Rules

Hillyard Pumphouse Community Garden

A ceremony to dedicate the new Hillyard Pumphouse Community Garden was held Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 at 4 p.m. at the garden at the northeast corner of North Crestline and East Hoffman. The project is partnership of the City of Spokane, the Spokane Regional Health District, and neighbors in Hillyard.

The Hillyard garden is the second developed on vacant City Water Department land. A garden in East Central was dedicated last month. Additional City-sponsored community gardens are being planned for the southwest and northwest parts of Spokane and are expected to be started in the spring.

“We are excited to see this program really begin to take off,” says Council Member Richard Rush, who helped champion the plan for community gardens. “Community gardens create lasting impacts: people eat healthier, develop sustainable practices, and get to know one another better.”

Hillyard neighbors apply for 10-foot by 10-foot plots within the garden to grow their own produce; they agree to tend to the space for the growing season. The garden is completely organic, which means that growers can’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Gardeners can keep whatever they grow in their section, but they are encouraged to share their harvest by planting a row for the hungry or giving away what they can’t eat themselves.

For more information on Community Gardens in Spokane click here.