As a kid Roxanne Johnson came over to a plot of land in the Highlands to pick pears. It was a pear orchard then and she fondly remembered the experience picking the fruit in exchange for tidying up the orchard.
About 35 years later, the land which was most recently a vacant lot, is returning to its roots and becoming a community garden.
The project is a collaboration between Calvary Baptist Church and the Sunset Neighborhood Association, of which Johnson is president.
She said that it’s a chance for people to take the fear out of meeting their neighbors, a way to find out what’s going on in the community and swap stories.
“It’s an opportunity for families to come together and work together and for kids to learn where their food comes from,” said Grant Bowles, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church.
The land at Edmonds Avenue Northeast and Sunset Boulevard Northeast is owned by the church and was donated to the Sunset Neighborhood Association for its use for five years. The garden consists of 12 beds, 10 of which will be for the public’s use. Food grown in the other two beds will go to the church’s Helping Hands Food Bank. There are 80 plots available for the public to grow food or flowers.
The idea for the garden came from a neighborhood association brainstorming session last year. Anne Case, who is a member of the church and now the garden coordinator, approached Bowles for the property.
The neighborhood association was awarded a $12,799 grant they are responsible for matching in sweat equity, materials or cash donations.
So far the group said the project has been going well. They opened up the garden for registration and to assign plots this past weekend.
“It just kind of seems like this neighborhood needs something to bring them together,” said Case. “There’s a lot of kids, a lot of moms around here and just a lot of families that kind of need a safe place to congregate. And do something they are proud of,” she added.
The group will offer plots for a minimum donation of $15. Gardeners are expected to help with general chores. The association is also sponsoring families that can’t afford to buy their own plots.
McLendon Hardware has supplied materials such as wood and concrete for the project at a generous discount, said Johnson.
Non-profit Sustainable Renton is also involved with volunteer support for the project.
“Community gardens are a wonderful way to support healthier communities supporting organic agriculture and food and trying to get it out to as many people as possible,” said Chris Conkling of Sustainable Renton.
The non-profit is supplying a student intern from Seattle University’s environmental studies program to help them make sure the garden is healthy and sustainable.
Police Commander Kent Curry thinks the project is a fantastic idea for the area. He is the neighborhood association’s police liason.
“It’s a great sign of this neighborhood association coming together and doing a community project with the help from the public and private sector,” he said.
This isn’t Renton’s first community garden project and organizers hope there will be many more around town.
COMMUNITY GARDEN
The Sunset Neighborhood Association is looking for volunteers to help harvest and cultivate its community garden garden at 1023 Edmonds Ave. N.E. For more information on how to become a volunteer or get a garden plot visit www.sunsetcommunitygarden.com. For more information call 425-221-2324.
