Interbay P-Patch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Interbay P-Patch
Interbay P-Patch Garden Shed and Kiosk
Location	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Area	43,000 sq ft (4,000 m2)

The Interbay P-Patch, also known as "The Garden Between The Bays," is one of the biggest and busiest community gardens in Seattle, Washington. It is known for being very clever and good at using resources wisely.

History of the Garden

Gardeners started this garden in 1974. It was one of the first P-Patch gardens in Seattle. A P-Patch is a community garden where people can rent small plots of land to grow their own food.

The Interbay P-Patch first started on land that was once a landfill. This land is now part of the Interbay Family Golf Center. The garden has actually moved two times since it began.

In 1980, the Seattle City Council made a rule. It said that one acre of land on the Interbay landfill would always be for community gardening. But in 1992, after 18 years, the gardeners had to move the P-Patch again. This was because a golf course was planned for their spot.

The new location had very heavy clay soil. It also did not have much humus, which is rich, dark soil. The gardeners worked very hard to make the soil better. Volunteers used money from a special grant to build the first tool shed and compost bins. They also added an area to grow food for food banks. Gardeners built special raised garden beds too.

Four years later, in 1996, the city announced new golf course plans. The City Council made another rule. This rule gave money to move the Interbay P-Patch again. It also made sure the new garden plots would be just as good, or even better. The rule promised gardeners 18 inches of good soil and raised beds.

Cool Features of the Garden

People who live in the city can rent up to 400 square feet of garden space each year. Gardeners can grow almost anything they want. They just cannot grow trees or very large bushes. The food grown in each plot belongs to the gardener who rents it.

A big part of the garden, over 4,400 square feet, is for growing food for food banks. This special area usually gives about two tons of fresh food to community food banks every year. On the east side of the garden, there is an orchard. It has plum, pear, and apple trees. Many of these trees were moved from the garden's old location. There are also honey bee hives in a safe spot at the back of the garden.

Recycling is a very important part of the garden's way of life. The main path that goes north and south is made from recycled pavers. These pavers came from Alki Beach. The main path also has granite pavers from South Africa. These stones were not quite right for the Westlake Mall, so the garden got them.

The Rowe family gave the greenhouse to the garden in 2000. In 2003, the city gave the garden its fancy entrance arches. These arches used to be security fences for public toilets. Interbay gardeners also put a special bench at the north entrance. It honors Claire "Pappy" Watkins, who was known as Interbay's "King of Compost."

Ray Schutte designed and built the cobblestone entrance path in 2006. These cobblestones were first used as heavy ballast in ships. Later, they were placed in Seattle's Occidental Park. When the city changed the park, the Interbay P-Patch was lucky enough to get these old cobblestones.

The 30-foot tall aluminum flag pole is also very special. It was one of the first 50 poles placed in front of the 1962 World's Fair Flag Pavilion.

The garden's amazing tool shed, library, and kitchen were finished in 2002. They were designed by a company called CAST design/build. This shed and the area around it are a main spot for many garden events. These events include Friday night potluck dinners, Saturday lunches, and a New Year's Day party. The garden also holds several fundraisers there each year.

CAST design/build also designed the kiosk, which was added in 2004. Lease Crutcher Lewis gave materials for it. A grant from Starbucks also helped pay for the kiosk. Bruce Swee, a gardener and facilities helper, designed the kiosk's water feature. He did this to honor Anne and Mac Magruder, who were long-time gardeners at Interbay. They planted the grape arbor.

The "Gathering Bell" is at the edge of the garden's main area. It was given to Airgas Nor Pac as a thank you for their money to help find a cure for cystic fibrosis. Airgas wanted to share this bell with the community. So, they decided to give it to the Interbay P-Patch in 2006.

Bruce Swee also designed the Interbay P-Patch flag. John and Vickie Bjorkman gave this flag to the garden in 2005. Money from garden fundraising events also helped pay for Bruce Swee to design and build the steel gates on the chipper/shredder storage shed in 2007.

The volunteers who garden at Interbay build and take care of all the buildings and shared areas in the garden.