Know the perfect P-Patch site? City wants to hear about it

| Gardening | West Seattle news

Just got an announcement from the city Department of Neighborhoods that it’s “welcoming suggestions … for possible future P-Patch sites in the West Seattle area.” Click ahead for the criteria, and to see how to send in your suggestion(s):

Full text of the city announcement:

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ P-Patch Community Gardening Program is welcoming suggestions from the community for possible future P-Patch sites in the West Seattle area. If you know of a potential site that might be a good fit, please submit your idea at
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/levyComment.htm.

What constitutes a “good site,” you ask? A good site is:

* Publicly owned (or easily leasable at low or no cost)
* Mostly flat and sunny
* At least 5,000 square feet

Recently, Seattle voters passed the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, which includes $2 million for new P-Patch community gardens. The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods wants to use this money in order to serve areas that are getting denser, have relatively high percentages of under-represented populations and are currently underserved by the P-Patch Community Gardening Program, as well as areas that are specifically called for in the Parks and Green Spaces Levy. West Seattle has been identified as one of these areas.

To see a map of all the priority areas, go to
seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/documents/LevyMap.pdf.

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is proud to help improve Seattle through its P-Patch Community Gardening Program by providing gardens which supply food and encourage community. In 2009 alone, gardeners contributed more than 18,500 hours (equivalent to 9 full time workers) and donated more than 12.4 tons of food to Seattle food banks and feeding programs.

Like all P-Patch community gardens, these levy-funded projects will be public resources that build and sustain community as they are imagined, built and cared for into the future. Suggestions from the community for locations are the first step.

For further questions, please contact Laura Raymond at Laura.Raymond@seattle.gov or (206) 615-1781.

The city already has some new P-Patch sites in the works around the peninsula, including the 34th SW/Barton parcel behind the biodiesel-fuel station.

miws July 30, 2010 (11:09 am)

Well, it doesn’t fit the first two criteria, but, the (no longer)Whole Foods hole! ;)

Mike

Truth out July 30, 2010 (11:14 am)

How about the hole? Why isn’t this city thinking forward and using spaces like the hole for developing projects that will have benefit for everyone in the very near future? We need secure food sources in urban areas. That space could grow a huge amount of food. It could be done on top of under ground parking that will serve as a park and ride for transit. This city needs to focus on the future needs of it’s citizens. Look at Detroit, Brooklyn, and other cities that have taken blight and created projects that are enhancing and securing the community. Couldn’t we give one hell of a tax break to the company that owns it…

d July 30, 2010 (11:33 am)

Well, the West Seattle Reservoir/Westcrest new park topography has an area designated as a POSSIBLE P-Patch/community garden, but I don’t know for sure if that is locked up and firm at all with funding, etc. I don’t think it is, but someone correct me if I’m wrong.

If it is not, it would be a great location that has already been penciled in by Parks and supported at the Design Meetings for the Park. If additional support through this is required, then I hope my neighbors support the finalizing of the West Seattle Reservoir P-Patch.

It seems to me to be a perfect fit for every criteria for a location.

MargL July 30, 2010 (12:52 pm)

I wonder if the patch at Barton and 34th is currently funded and In Development or is it just under consideration?

WSB July 30, 2010 (1:00 pm)

https://westseattleblog.com/2010/06/34thbarton-p-patch-closer-to-reality-after-city-council-vote
.
More than a month since that so I’m overdue for checking.

lg July 30, 2010 (1:50 pm)

bottom of hill on charlestown. a big corner lot that’s very open.

Pam July 30, 2010 (2:19 pm)

The back field of Pathfinder/Gennessee Elementary – they already have a few raised beds that were started years ago.

austin July 30, 2010 (2:42 pm)

I’m pretty sure the corner lot at the bottom of the charlestown hill is someone’s yard..

JayDee July 30, 2010 (3:44 pm)

I don’t know if it would qualify, but the 14K sqft lot owned by Providence Mount St. Vincent at Charlestown and 49th. I saw folk setting up croquet courts there the other weekend. Perhaps they might be willing to lease this long-neglected unofficial dog playground for a p-patch?

homedk July 30, 2010 (3:46 pm)

I noticed that they are looking for areas that are mostly flat, & am going to suggest that they also consider areas that aren’t flat but that could easily be terraced.
.
I know of an unofficial P-Patch in a neighborhood outside of West Seattle that is located where a street dead ends because of hilly terrain; the community members created terraces on the hillside & then created a garden there. The area is now a wonderful well-maintained garden, whereas formerly it was overgrown & neglected.
.

West Seattle has many similar neglected areas, especially those that are near staircases that go from one street to another. Some of those areas might make great sites for a community P-Patch. It would be an added plus to make these spaces safer for the neighborhoods & less intimidating for pedestrians.

MargL July 30, 2010 (4:37 pm)

Are there raised beds behind the Delridge Community Center? I thought I saw some while walking around the tennis courts there. Probably related to the school classes but it’d also be cool if they were expanded.

westseattledood July 30, 2010 (5:07 pm)

Expanding the requirements to include terraced areas is brilliant, homedk!

I wonder what their reasoning would be why only flat? There is a terraced p-patch at Constellation Park, right? In the International District….eastside of Madison/Cap Hill…they are already all over the city. That really is a great idea.

The city would not have to purchase property. It would eliminate the maintenance and safety issues of the unmaintained, unsafe staircases….and completely reverse the staircases to something USEABLE, USED and communal.

City: Heads up on this!

Mike D. July 30, 2010 (10:25 pm)

Public Right of Way at 26th and Dakota near All Star Fitness and Longfellow Creek. Flat, sunny and begging for something other than lawn.

CeeBee July 30, 2010 (10:32 pm)

Building a P-Patch on sloped ground requires much more engineering and cost quite a bit more to construct the retaining walls. The Solstice Park P-Patch was built on a slope and I can tell you how labor intensive that project was! But I’m not sure if the new P-Patches funded by the levy will be built by volunteers or by the Parks dept, it’s a killer if it has to be done by volunteers. But I’d happily let Parks do it…

westseattledood July 31, 2010 (1:09 am)

Ack, I meant Solstice Park not Constellation.

But maybe if staircase slopes were used they would save some leasing/purchase costs and could offset the engineering/labor expense?

The terraced p-patch in the ID has always been my fave in the city. That is always SO active year round. Cool patch.

alkistu August 1, 2010 (9:44 am)

Puget Park next to Pathfinder School on Pigeon Point. The site already has fruit trees and would be a good learning opportunity for the k-8 Pathfinder School Earth Project. Just have to keep the rabbits out of the gardens.

LA August 2, 2010 (1:38 pm)

Any of the problem properties along Delridge the community leaders have been talking about remedying for a few years now. What about the old reddish one to the right of the West Seattle Bridge entrance at the base of Delridge?

Sorry, comment time is over.