Living - Peninsula Daily News

“This garden has hosted families with young
children who have had as much fun playing in
the dirt as their parents have had growing food
for the dinner table,” says Marilyn Harbough,
another of PAVG’s founders.
Beginning gardeners, uncomfortable with
taking on plots alone, have partnered with others
to share the experience and share the harvest,
she says while adding that, “as a bonus to
growing great vegetables, they have grown
great friendships.”
Marilyn says that children and teachers
from BoBaggins Daycare and Learning Center
have been digging, planting, laughing, playing
and bringing smiles to the faces of fellow gardeners
at Vineyard over the years.
Although there are many gardeners who
have been tending their plots since the garden’s
inception in 2009, Marilyn says several others
participated in a community garden project to
learn gardening basics so they could then cultivate
garden space at home.
Since the beginning, some plots have been
maintained for charitable donations, but in 2011,
the Vineyard Garden had a larger-than-usual
excess of available plots which were planted or
seeded with donations from local garden centers
and tended by Vineyard’s own gardeners, with
help from community-service workers under the
supervision of gardener Bob Shaffer.
“Through his commitment and hard work, we
were able to deliver hundreds of pounds of
fresh, nutritional, organically grown produce to
the Port Angeles Food Bank,” Marilyn says.
Marilyn describes the Fifth Street gardeners
as “a wonderful mix of people.”
Among that mix last year, the garden’s first,
were preschool children from the adjacent First
Step Family Support Center and a group of
nearby office workers who collectively gardened
two plots during their lunch hours.
She says one man framed his plots with an
innovative moveable greenhouse cover, all the
while offering his elderly mother a peaceful
place to gather plentiful dandelion greens
already growing in the garden.
“A mother and her 10-year-old son actually
grew corn to maturity during last summer’s cool
weather; an experienced, creative gardener
amazed everyone with ripe tomatoes in July; a
local carpenter raised a healthy harvest and
contributed his expertise to garden construction
projects,” Marilyn says.
One of Fifth Street’s senior gardeners was
able to comfortably garden in raised beds
designed and built by the architect of both of
the community gardens, Hank Gibson.
Plots were also set aside and tended to
deliver produce to the Port Angeles Food Bank
plus supervised community-service workers provided
many hours of labor toward maintaining
the garden.
These gardens are green spaces, and not
only provide plants that produce air and food,
but also serve as inflow points for rainwater
helping the city minimize its combined sewer
overflow problem, says Port Angeles City
Councilman Max Mania.
“Allowing rain water direct access to soil is the
best way to address our overflow issues,” he says.
“I’d also argue that gardens are aesthetically
much, much more pleasing than almost any
other form of ‘development’ on any given plot of
land, and thus add to the value of the homes
and properties near them.”
The gardens give the community a place to
interact and provide a means for social service
organizations to grow or harvest foods for local
low-income residents.
In its simplest form, Jill sees community gardens
as a place where people come together and
grow food — the most basic human need.
“At a time when it is difficult to figure out
exactly where our food comes from — let alone
how its grown or what chemicals and gunk are
used to grow it — it’s empowering to be able to
grow it ourselves,” she says
Although North Olympic Peninsula residents
are lucky enough to have a thriving community
of local farmers that offer a bounty of the best
produce available, Jill says the ability to grow
your own food is just one more way to make the
area a healthy and self-sustaining place.
Not to mention that growing your own
organic produce for $35 a year is great for the
pocketbook.
Metaphorically, Jill says that people involved
with PAVG are growing community.
“As a recent transplant, I found it a bit difficult
to meet people in Port Angeles. It’s amazing
what connections can be made with hands in
the dirt or in a discussion about the best way to
use all of that kale!” she says. “Working with
others to create a beautiful space makes you
feel like part of something bigger.”
Getting involved
Both gardens are welcoming new gardeners.
Plots are currently available for the 2012 growing
season.
Details and information can be found online
at www.pavictorygardens.org or by calling Robin
Gibson at 360-457-3744 for the Vineyard Community
Garden; or John Danks at 360-809-3301
for the Fifth Street Community Garden.
Each gardener is expected to give eight hours
of volunteer work in communal areas around th
garden per year. Gardeners receive water, access
to tools and gardening classes once a month.
— STORY BY JENNIFER VENEKLASEN
COGS photo by Pam Larsen.
SUSTAINABLE LIVING
sequim gardens
There are two Community Organic Gardens of Sequim (COGS).
The Fir Street Garden is located in a field behind St. Luke’s
Episcopal Church, 525 N. Fifth Ave.
The June Robinson Memorial Garden is located on the corner of
Sunnyside Avenue and Spruce Street.
Each garden features numerous in-ground 10-foot plots and 4-foot
by 8-foot raised beds that community members can lease for $45 per
year to grow organic vegetables, herbs, berries, fruits and flowers.
The fee includes organic gardening classes, access to tools,
water and garden supplies and a variety of seeds.
Organic gardening practices must be used.
Some community work hours to help keep community areas of
both gardens well-tended are required.
“After four years, the Fir Street Garden has become a wonderful
and unique gardening community,” says organizer Liz Harper.
Many of the gardeners have had their plots or raised beds for
several years and feel a real sense of community with the garden.
“Gardeners take excellent care of the community areas as well
as their own plots,” Liz says. “They often share recipes and gardening
stories, meet at the garden to work on their plots or have lunch
and feel the garden has had a positive and sometimes profound
effect on their lives.”
At time of publication, there were three plots left at the Fir
Street Garden and five plots and four raised beds at the June
Robinson Memorial Garden.
People interested in a plot or raised bed at the Fir Street
Garden should phone Liz at 360-683-7698, and those who want a
plot at the Spruce Street location should phone Anne Holgerson
at 360-683-4139.
Gardening classes
Classes are free with community garden plots, but they’re also
offered to people who want to grow their food at home for just $30.
Classes will be taught by Pam Larsen, a COGS founder and
experienced organic gardener.
“It seems there’s ever more interest in healthy food and the surest
and least expensive way to get what you want it is to grow it
and to grow it without chemicals,” she says.
Classes will be from 10 a.m. to noon for 10 consecutive Saturdays
beginning March 10.
People will get the basics for a successful first year garden,
grown without chemicals. In addition participants will tour two
organic gardens so they can see the different ways people approach
growing organic food.
Those interested in classes should phone Pam at 360-582-1106.
PENINSULADAILYNEWS.COM | HEALTHY LIVING | MARCH 2012 7