Interbay P-Patch

P-Patch

A P-Patch is a parcel of property used for gardening allotments; the term is specific to Seattle, Washington. The "P" originally stood for "Picardo", after the family who owned Picardo Farm in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood, part of which became the original P-Patch. -List of P-Patches:#Jackson...

, "The Garden Between The Bays", is one of Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

's largest and most involved community gardens, and is recognized as an example of resourcefulness and sustainability.

Overview

City residents may rent up to 400 square feet (37 m²) of space in the garden from the city annually. Gardeners may grow whatever they wish except for trees or large bushes and the produce from each plot remains the property of the gardener. Over 4400 square feet (408.8 m²) of garden space along the fences are dedicated to food bank

Food bank

A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...

 gardening, which traditionally furnishes about two tons of produce to community food banks each year. The east side of the garden features an orchard

Orchard

An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...

 of plum

Plum

A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...

, pear

Pear

The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....

, and apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

 trees, many of which gardeners moved from the previous garden location. Honey bee

Honey bee

Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...

 hives

Beehive (beekeeping)

A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus Apis live and raise their young. Natural beehives are naturally occurring structures occupied by honeybee colonies, while domesticated honeybees live in man-made beehives, often in an apiary. These man-made...

 are nestled in a secure enclosure near the back of the garden.

Gardeners originally established the garden in 1974 as one of the earliest P-Patch

P-Patch

A P-Patch is a parcel of property used for gardening allotments; the term is specific to Seattle, Washington. The "P" originally stood for "Picardo", after the family who owned Picardo Farm in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood, part of which became the original P-Patch. -List of P-Patches:#Jackson...

 locations in the city. First located on landfill

Landfill

A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...

 that is now the northwest corner of the Interbay Family Golf Center's driving range

Driving range

A driving range is an area where golfers can practice their swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range attached and they are also found as stand-alone facilities, especially...

, the garden has moved twice. Since the spring of 1997 it has been at its current site extending north of Wheeler Street along 15th Avenue West.

Finding a permanent home for the Interbay P-Patch was a long and difficult process. In 1980 the Seattle City Council

Seattle City Council

The Seattle City Council is committed to ensuring that Seattle, Washington, is safe, livable and sustainable. Nine Councilmembers are elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections and represent the entire city, elected by all Seattle voters....

 passed a resolution that guaranteed an acre for community gardening on the Interbay

Interbay, Seattle, Washington

Interbay is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington in the United States consisting of the valley between Queen Anne Hill on the east and Magnolia on the west, plus filled-in areas of Smith Cove and Salmon Bay...

 landfill. In 1992, however, with gardens established for 18 years, Interbay P-Patch gardeners had to move the P-Patch to the northeast corner of the landfill to make way for a proposed golf course

Golf course

A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...

. The soil

Soil

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

 in the new location was heavy with clay

Clay

Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

 and lacked humus. Gardeners labored to build the soil. Garden volunteers used money from a Neighborhood Matching Grant

Grant (money)

Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...

 to build the first tool shed and compost

Compost

Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...

 bins. Gardeners also added the food bank area, and built raised beds

Raised bed gardening

Raised bed gardening is a form of gardening in which the soil is formed in 3–4 foot wide beds, which can be of any length or shape. The soil is raised above the surrounding soil , sometimes enclosed by a frame generally made of wood, rock, or concrete blocks, and enriched with compost...

.

Four years later, in 1996, the city announced new plans for a golf course. Gardeners feared the Interbay P-Patch was doomed. But with the 1980 resolution still in force and broad public support, Interbay P-Patch survived. The City Council adopted a new resolution allocating funding to move the Interbay P-Patch and ensure garden plots equal to or better than the existing gardens. The resolution guaranteed gardeners 18 inches (457.2 mm) of soil, and raised beds.

Because the new soil was without life, Interbay again began serious composting and soil building efforts. In addition to recycling the garden's plant material, grass clippings from local landscapers

Landscaping

Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...

 who do not use pesticide

Pesticide

Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...

s or herbicide

Herbicide

Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...

s, and leaf deliveries from the city Street and Parks Departments are recycled to make tons of organic compost.

Recycling

Recycling

Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...

 is a part of the garden's culture. The main north-south walkway is made from recycled pavers from Alki Beach, and the main walkway includes granite pavers from South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 that did not meet the standards for Westlake Mall

Westlake Center

Westlake Center is a four-story shopping center and twenty-five story office tower in Downtown Seattle, Washington, USA. The southern terminus of the Seattle Center Monorail, it is located across Pine Street from Westlake Park, between 4th and 5th Avenues. It is named for Westlake Avenue, which now...

.

The Rowe family donated the greenhouse

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...

 to the garden in 2000, and in 2003 the city donated the arbor entrances, which previously served as security encosures for portable public toilets. Interbay gardeners donated a memorial bench at the north arbor entrance in honor of Claire "Pappy" Watkins, Interbay's late "King of Compost".

Ray Schutte designed and built the cobblestone entrance walkway and planter in 2006 from cobblestone

Cobblestone

Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...

s first used as ballast

Sailing ballast

Ballast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...

 in ships before their installation at Seattle's Occidental Park

Occidental Park (Seattle)

Occidental Park, also referred to as Occidental Square and Occidental Mall , is a 0.6 acre public park located in the Pioneer Square district of Seattle, Washington. Created in 1971, it essentially consists of the Occidental Avenue S. right-of-way between S. Washington and S...

. When the city redesigned the park, Interbay P-Patch was fortunate enough to receive these cobblestones.

The 30 feet (9 m) aluminum flag pole was one of the original 50 poles placed in front of the 1962 World's Fair

Century 21 Exposition

The Century 21 Exposition was a World's Fair held April 21, 1962, to October 21, 1962 in Seattle, Washington.Nearly 10 million people attended the fair...

 Flag Pavilion.

CAST design/build designed Interbay's award-winning tool shed/library/kitchen, completed in 2002. The shed and surrounding open space are the focal point for many community events, including Friday night potluck

Potluck

A potluck is a gathering of people where each person or group of people contributes a dish of food prepared by the person or the group of people, to be shared among the group...

s, Saturday lunches, a New Year's Day celebration, and several garden fundraisers each year. CAST design/build also designed the kiosk

Kiosk

Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...

, added in 2004. Lease Crutcher Lewis donated materials, and a grant from Starbucks

Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...

 helped pay for the kiosk. Gardener and facilities Coordinator Bruce Swee designed the kiosk's water feature

Water feature

In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, pools, ponds, cascades, waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, though the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon are described by Strabo as...

 to honor long-time Interbay gardeners Anne and Mac Magruder, who planted the grape arbor.

The "Gathering Bell" at the edge of the garden's plaza was given to Airgas

Airgas

Airgas, Inc. , headquartered in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases , and hardgoods ....

 Nor Pac as thanks for its financial support of cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...

 cure research. Airgas wished to share this with the community and decided to donate it to the Interbay P-Patch in 2006.

Bruce Swee designed the Interbay P-Patch flag donated to the garden by John and Vickie Bjorkman in 2005. Garden fundraising events also funded Bruce Swee's design and construction of the steel gates on the chipper/shredder

Woodchipper

A tree chipper or wood chipper is a machine used for reducing wood into smaller parts, such as wood chips or sawdust. They are often portable, being mounted on wheels on frames suitable for towing behind a truck or van. Power is generally provided by an internal combustion engine from to...

 storage shed in 2007.

Volunteers who garden at Interbay built and maintain the structures and community areas at the garden. The gardening community welcomes visitors to enjoy their garden and social events.

External links

• City of Seattle (WA, US) P-Patch Program web page for the Interbay P-Patch
• The P-Patch Trust, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to support community gardens in Seattle
• A virtual reality tour of Interbay P-Patch from very early Spring 2000, before the new shed was built.
• CAST architecture's portfolio page for their Interbay P-Patch garden shed project (formerly CAST design/build)
• CAST architecture, designer of the Interbay P-Patch garden shed and Kiosk (formerly CAST design/build)
• A Seattle P-I newspaper article about the Interbay P-Patch from August 15, 2004