Plotting with friends can help garden grow
Community gardens are popping up all over Spokane these days. They are an ideal solution for those who want to grow a vegetable or flower garden but just don’t have the room.
The way it works is that you and other gardeners rent garden plots for the season for a nominal fee. You tend your plot while developing friendships, and you pick up a lot of helpful tips from your fellow gardeners in the process.
One of the newest community gardens is The Commons, which is near Sacajawea Middle School at 33rd Avenue and Lamonte Street on the South Hill. It serves the Cannon Hill, Comstock and Manito neighborhoods.
I recently caught up with Dennis Anderson, garden master for The Commons, to learn more about it. He worked with the City of Spokane and Erika Steinhardt of the Comstock neighborhood to get this garden under way.
“We had a core group of about a dozen people who met regularly,” Anderson explains. “Our main task was to raise money to build the garden.”
They collected more than $5,000, which paid for the wood to build the raised beds and a fence to enclose the garden.
The property is owned by the City of Spokane. It gave the organizers permission to convert the land into a garden and also provided the water needed to keep all of the plants growing beautifully.
The garden includes 36 raised beds that are either 4 feet by 8 feet, or 4 feet by 10 feet. The beds have been constructed with untreated lumber, which is particularly important for growing edible crops safely.
Twenty-seven families – primarily residents of the surrounding neighborhoods – have paid $25 to $30 to rent the beds for the season. They will have to reapply for a raised bed each year.
What is everybody growing?
“You name it and I think we may have it,” Anderson says. “Lots of tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, beans, peas, radishes, broccoli, cucumbers, squash and assorted greens.”
As garden master, Anderson checks on the garden about five times a week. When it opened May 1, he made sure everyone planted their beds, and he coordinates work parties as needed.
Participants have to fill out an application to rent one of the beds and agree to the rules of the garden. One of the most important rules is that everything must be grown organically.
Gardeners must also volunteer a few hours during the growing season to help out with communal garden chores and keep their beds tidy and well cared for.
Anderson has good advice for other residents who would like to start a community garden:
“Organize a good group. Don’t try to do everything yourself. There is a substantial economic investment required, mainly to pay for fencing. The city has been a great partner for us so be sure to use their resources.”
He has been enjoying his role in The Commons.
“My favorite aspect of it has been the development of community spirit,” Anderson says.
“I have met some wonderful people working on this project. It has been a catalyst for people to come together and work together for a common goal.”