From King County Council staff
The Metropolitan King County Council today took a step toward establishing “neighborhood farms” with its unanimous adoption of legislation calling for the creation and management of community gardens on county-owned land throughout King County. The legislation is part of a broader Council goal to create “Safe, Healthy, and Vibrant Communities.”
Community gardens are a way for people who don’t own land, including apartment-dwellers, to produce fresh, local, organic produce at a very low cost. Community gardens are also a source of local produce for the wider community—in 2009 the Interbay P-Patch donated over 5000 pounds of produce to the local food bank. In the city of Seattle, over 2,000 people are on a waiting list for P-Patches.
A 2008 study found that the County owns more than 2,000 parcels of land in urban areas. Of these unused parcels as many as 84 may be fit for siting community gardens. The adopted legislation calls for the development of a plan to create and manage the gardens. The plan would be developed in conjunction with an advisory council made up of representatives from Public Health-Seattle and King County, Washington State University, King County Agricultural Commission, food banks, gardening organizations, schools, and homeless shelters.
The legislation mandates the County Executive present a garden implementation plan to the Council by November of this year.
This is a great thing. So many people will benefit from access to gardens: better fresher food, more wholesome lifestyles, plus the healing experience of being able to spend more time outdoors! This year I helped start an extensive, campus-wide garden program for 8th graders at Einstein Middle School in Shoreline. We are sharing the gardens with community members during July & August! We need more ways to provide garden space for folks. Good going, King County!
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