The Year of Community Gardening in Seattle: A winter visit to Capitol Hill’s p-patches
Thomas Street Gardens P-Patch is a community garden at 1010 E Thomas. It was established in 1997 and covers an area of 3,200 sq. ft. with 28 plots and 2 ADA beds
CHS Staff
February 19, 2023
Excerpt:
Seattle is celebrating 50 years of p-patch gardens. CHS reported here on the milestone — and the long wait for the coveted plots on Capitol Hill. We under-reported the wait — readers have described some of the waitlists as apparently never ending. Instead of raising hopes when we should be planting kitchen counter herb containers, here is a smaller celebration of the sights and scenes from some of the Hill’s planted corners that even in this winter season shows signs of color and activity. We can all enjoy the spaces of growth with strolls around and through and, for some of us, the perpetual hope that our name will be called and we, too, can plant part of a neighborhood garden.
Thomas Street Gardens P-Patch is a community garden at 1010 E Thomas. It was established in 1997 and covers an area of 3,200 sq. ft. with 28 plots and 2 ADA beds. The garden was designed by architect, landscape architect, and Master Gardener, Lyle Grant, and features a three-foot high curved aggregate wall that creates an illusion of the site being larger and provides a feeling of being a neighborhood pocket park. The main path is made of stone and accessible to all, while the tool shed is modern in design. The front gate and trellis are also well-designed to tie in with the neighboring houses. The garden includes herbaceous borders and perennial beds, and a rockery planted into the aggregate wall. There is also a wrought iron bench designed and made by Lambda House youth and artists from Pratt Institute. The wait time for a plot is 1-2 years.
