More on the Community Pea Patch--and Sharing the Bounty of Gardens

Half-way through March--it's gardening time in Enumclaw.  I see neighbors tidying up winter debris in their plots, turning over the soil, planting the first seeds.  I'm behind in my chores this year--will catch up this weekend.  Which reminds me:  Did you see the announcement about the Community Garden applications?  It has moved off the front page, but you can access it from here to get the details.  Please pass the word about spaces available to anyone you know who would just love to have a garden but has no room at home.  Let them know the fertile field behind the library which becomes a pea patch every year is waiting to produce their summer and fall food supply.

I took pictures of the community pea patch launching in 2010 (shown here) and similar preparations will be happening this spring.  As you see, the area had been plowed and a pile of mulch brought in, as well as a pile of Moo-Doo provided by Hy-Grass Farms in Auburn.  Wheelbarrows were there for common use.  A hose and water source is on the site.    That year Cynthia Duval did some major organization work with volunteers to jump-start the garden and get the field measured and staked off into individual plots.  Once the plots were assigned, gardeners marked their territory and planted seeds and seedlings.  Cynthia managed some plots herself exclusively for providing produce to address hunger in our community.  (If you read Enumclaw Patch, Cynthia, thanks from us all for the contribution you made.)  (More noteworthy contributions ahead--this year Hope Lutheran and New Life Foursquare are planning a sustainable garden to raise vegetables for the food banks.)

Speaking of hunger and food banks:  If you buy more seeds than you can get planted (which I generally do) or even find that half a pack of something is more than you need or have room for (which I generally do), why not pass them on to food bank clients?    Last spring Janine Carpenter and Maureen Soler of Soler Farms Nursery in Orting brought in 100 tomato plants, and later on some squash plants, to give out at POM, which enabled families to have home-grown vegetables supplementing their food supply.  Which leads to another thought--when we buy a six-pack of seedlings and it's really more than we wanted, the extras could go to the food banks, too.  Of course if you have space, follow the tradition of Plant a Row for the Hungry and deliver as you harvest.  (For inspiration, visit the Matson Family Gardens, where Art in the Garden happens, and see the Rows! that Cathy Matson manages and shares with the food banks.)   Back to the pea patch, I wonder if volunteers might partner with someone who would like to take on a plot but needs help getting started.   POM might know of people in this situation.

If you have any pictures of our community garden from other years or later in the season, please add them to those above, which show only the very beginning steps.  (The plots do become more beautiful and more satisfying as the pay-off for all that work draws closer.)  Let us know of your experiences if you've participated in community gardens--or comment with suggestions or questions.   And start thinking lettuce, peas, green onions....