Anacortes Community Gardens A Community Partnership

 During World War I and II, millions of Americans planted Victory Gardens to help with the war effort  In 1943, 20 million food gardens were planted in the U.S.  Community “victory” gardens are popular again today

What is a community garden?  Any piece of land gardened by a group of people  Built on public or privately owned space  Gardeners grow their own food or ornamental plants  Provides nutritious food & builds healthy communities  Supports food security for low income families  Community gardens come in many shapes and sizes

Did you know? Community gardens can: Improve neighborhoods Increase property values Revitalize disadvantaged areas Act as a catalyst for economic development "We find that the opening of a community garden has a statistically significant positive impact on residential properties within 1000 feet of the garden, and that the impact increases over time… Finally, we find that the opening of a garden is associated with other changes in the neighborhood, such as increasing rates of homeownership, and thus may be serving as catalysts for economic redevelopment of the community.“ Paul Hughes Calgary Food Policy Council

 Enhancing local food security Supporting our local food banks Helping low-income neighbors grow their own food  Providing a community recreation opportunity  Providing community education Gardening methods, plant selection, composting Food preservation methods Produce above was delivered to our local Anacortes 100 and Salvation Army Food Banks Our garden is …

A Community Partnership  The City of Anacortes and Transition Fidalgo & Friends (formerly Skagit Beat the Heat) formed a partnership to develop and operate one or more community gardens A formal Memorandum of Agreement spells out each organizations commitments and responsibilities  ACG Advisory Committee guides the long term goals and operation of the community garden program

Partnership – Cont’d  City of Anacortes provides: Land, water, port-a-potty Liability insurance coverage Deliveries of compost, mulch, rocks Staff and equipment support for some maintenance work Parks & Recreation “Menu” guide publishes activities  Transition Fidalgo & Friends provides: Leadership of the City’s Advisory Committee Financial and operations management of the garden Management of application process & waitlist Communications –newsletter, publicity, presentations ACG Website –  Composting area and classes provided by Skagit County

Building the Garden  Auto Magic award provided “seed” money for project Beat the Heat raised money and organized volunteers City supplied some labor and materials Local businesses donated materials  Community support has been phenomenal Skagit Beat the Heat WSU Master Gardeners Service clubs Local businesses Local newspaper Hospital Individuals

We hope this will be the first of several community gardens developed by the City of Anacortes and Transition Fidalgo & Friends 29 th Street 28 th Street San Juan Lanes Bowling Alley Bayview Apartments Existing Playfield 29 th Street Community Garden

~ 29 th Street We had a plan … Social marketing important 80’ x 100’ fenced garden is located on City Park property Water provided free Shed & community tools Compost area Onsite education Curtain drain added by City Full or half plots available 12 ea 10’ x 24’ plots Two food bank plots Six children's plots Five ADA raised beds with packed gravel pathways Handicap parking spaces Maintenance Gardeners maintain common areas (8 hours/year required)

How it works – the admin stuff  Advisory Committee meets bi-monthly Reviews finances; future planning  Applications are renewed annually Rules and applications on websites Garden Committee oversees activities Gardeners sign “rules” acknowledgement and liability waiver annually Current gardeners have first right of refusal (if they fulfilled their 8 volunteer hours) If no plot available, placed on waitlist  Plot fees spent for maintenance and upgrades to the garden Garden Committee submits budget to the Advisory Committee for review

29 th Street Garden photos by Dana Styber

2010 Accessible Garden Addition A BIG THANKS to WA Conservation Corp & Kiwanis Sunrisers

The work was hard… 29 th Street Garden photos by Dana Styber

But worth it! 29 th Street Garden photos by Dana Styber

In 2009, Skagit Beat the Heat started Eat Your Yard, a companion lawn conversion project Promoting converting CO 2 intensive lawns to garden space Veggie U classes at Anacortes Library Providing demonstration workshops at 29 th Street Garden

For More Information  Contact Advisory Committee: Betty Carteret, Committee Chair Jonn Lunsford Anacortes Parks Dept.  Visit garden websites at:  Learn more about Eat Your Yard at