WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: Couple’s gift transforming into community food garden

(WSB photos)

Yes, the sun really did appear for a while on Saturday, and our photos from West Seattle’s newest community garden are proof. A work party at “Beyers’ Bulldog Garden” at 54th/Edmunds – a block inland from Beach Drive – was on our Saturday event list, and we stopped by to see how things were going. We just missed the biggest wave of volunteers, but there’ll be more events to come. The site has a heartwarming backstory (read it here) – Margi and Bill Beyers used to garden there, and after they died, bequeathed it to GROW. Some of their plants remain – we noted these artichokes:

That’s a hint at what Kristin Parker from GROW explains as the site’s destiny – a community-tended “food forest” including existing fruit trees, some espaliered. Donated raspberry plants are going in, too.

Though this will be operated in connection with the city’s P-Patch program, it won’t be following the model where individual gardeners sign up for individual plots – it’ll be collectively tended. You can sign up to help with this via the P-Patch website; here’s how. Part of it will be used as a “giving garden” – a shed the Beyers installed on the west side of the lot will be used to grow tomato starts!

8 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: Couple's gift transforming into community food garden"

  • Ronald March 24, 2025 (12:10 am)

    That’s awesome 😍😍😍

  • Suzanne March 24, 2025 (3:17 am)

    West Seattle will have its own food forest! Fantastic news. Because of your article, I discovered Dr. Beyers obituary published through the UW Geology department. He worked there for more than 52 years, including as as a cartographer, faculty, and chair. According to his obit he would sometimes jog to his workplace on the UW campus from his home in WS. He sounds like an extraordinary teacher and person. His students were very fortunate.  https://geography.washington.edu/news/2022/02/15/department-geography-marks-passing-our-long-time-faculty-colleague-and-former-chair

    Really looking forward to volunteering to help with this food forest. Thank you Margi and Bill Beyers.

    • KT March 24, 2025 (5:03 pm)

      We have also have fruit forest at South Seattle Collegehttps://fruitinwestseattle.org/

  • Jennie March 24, 2025 (7:19 am)

    That is a terrific legacy!

  • BD March 24, 2025 (8:38 am)

    The West Seattle Garden Tour selected  GROW and this garden as one of its ten grantees for 2025.  $5000 is going towards a new irrigation system.  Good luck growing!

  • Christine March 24, 2025 (9:18 am)

    I love this! What a wonderful legacy. I am an avid gardener and will explore volunteering.

  • Alkistu March 24, 2025 (11:58 pm)

    Puget Ridge Edible Park welcomes Beyer’s Bulldog Garden to community. We can make food security more accessible and preserve a legacy of harmony with nature. Resilience is Resistance!

  • Maika March 25, 2025 (10:04 am)

    Thank you to West Seattle Nursery for donating the raspberry plants!! Welcome to the community, Beyers’ Bulldog Garden!

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