Community Gardens

It never really occurred to me that having fresh produce from our own garden was such a luxury until our family moved to the United States. Growing up in the central highland part of Vietnam, we were lucky to be surrounded by luscious green trees and vegetables. When harvest times came, children spent a lot of time with their parents in big gardens of carrots, cabbage and potatoes. Families worked side by side and shared their lunches. A garden, thus, was not only a place where we grew our food, but also a place to nourish the bonds between family members and other community members. For that reason, I love to visit the farmers markets here in Seattle. Talking with the farmers and buying fresh produce from them reminds me of my own hometown.

Have you ever visited a community garden before? Summer is the perfect time to visit one in our beautiful city. To quickly locate one of Seattle’s community gardens, visit the City of Seattle’s P-Patch Web page.

The Seattle Public Library has wonderful books about community gardens for both adults and children. Check these out today!

Greening Cities, Growing Communities: Learning from Seattle’s Urban Community Gardens by Jeffrey Hou, Julie M. Johnson, and Laura J. Lawson.

There are three parts to this book, which helps you understand urban community gardens, looks at case studies of different gardens, and shares lessons about sustaining, designing and supporting urban community gardens.

Still interested but not quite sure if your little ones are ready? Check out these children’s books from our collection:

City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

When the city decided to shut down an apartment building in her neighborhood, Marcy and her neighbors went to the city council and asked for permission to turn it into a community garden. The project has brought all the neighbors together to lend a helping hand in creating a beautiful garden in the lot.

In the Children’s Garden by Carole Lexa Schaefer

This book has beautiful illustrations of children working in the garden. There are also introductions to garden tools, plants and gardening activities.

The Garden of Happiness by Erika Tamar

Marisol and her neighbors cleaned up an empty lot and turned it into a community garden called The Garden of Happiness. She planted a sunflower seed and enjoyed the result of her hard work when it blossomed into a big and beautiful sunflower.