A Giving Garden bed at Phinney Ridge P-Patch.

Serving as both restorative and neighborhood gathering spaces, Seattle’s P-Patch community gardens have strengthened community networks through civic engagement and comradery since their formation in 1973. Giving back to the community through volunteer hours and donations of fresh, organic, and locally grown produce has long been a priority of the P-Patch Community Gardening program. Each growing season, community gardeners at more than 60 P-Patches across the city spend time supporting the program’s Giving Gardens. Volunteers start seeds, tend garden beds, harvest produce, and deliver food to local food banks and meal programs. Many gardeners also donate produce from their personal plots to ensure that less people worry about where their next meal comes from. 

With the growing season in full swing and harvests becoming more bountiful, we wanted to share updates from some Giving Gardens around the city!

• Haller Lake P Patch (HLPP) -This Friday we had a lot of lettuce and so did a couple of other gardens. I consulted with the leadership at United We Stand, the tent city in the parking lot. They were delighted to accept a large box of greens. The rest went to the Helpline Food Bank on Linden. Next Friday we will start taking donations to the camp and to food banks.

• Magnuson P-Patch has over two dozen food bank gardens of various sizes that are planted and harvested by volunteer gardeners. Gardeners also donate from their “own” P-Patch gardens. Organic produce donations are made to the Mercy Food Pantry of Magnuson Housing, University Food Bank, and Lake City Food Bank. The organic produce is greatly appreciated by those who receive the donations.

• Linden Orchard’s longtime Giving Garden lead volunteer moved out of Seattle this year. This is a small garden, but historically had a thriving Giving Garden. The gardener who stepped up to be the new Giving Garden lead has been doing a tremendous job! They’ve already donated 65lbs of produce so far to the University District Food Bank.

• The Interbay P-Patch Giving Garden is in full grow mode! We have already harvested a variety of produce, including beets, kale, peas, leeks, chard, collard greens, radishes, and herbs, just to name a few.

• Judkins P-Patch has a small but mighty growing for giving team that has donated food to Byrd Barr and St. Mary’s food bank already this season. Crops include glorious organic greens like mustards, kale, collards, and Swiss chard, as well as herbs, lettuce, potatoes, and nasturtiums!

• Phinney Ridge P-Patch has two plots that are extremely shaded by large evergreen trees. Over the last few years, new gardeners who have been assigned to these plots have really struggled and ended up abandoning the plots or leaving the garden after one season. This year, gardeners decided to use those plots as a giving garden to grow lettuces and other greens, and it’s been a success!
  

Thank you to all of the P-Patch gardeners who put extra effort into cultivating this charitable program. All donations, large and small, make a difference in helping neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Because of you, more people in Seattle have access to fresh, organic food grown with love!