Seattle P-Patch Community Gardens
Seattle, United States · Operator: City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods (P-Patch Program)
Overview
Seattle's city community-garden program, begun in 1973 with ~90 sites, where immigrants and refugees grow heritage crops from their homelands—Ethiopian kale, Hmong herbs and more—recreating ancestral tastes and food cultures in the city and forming one of Seattle's most multicultural public spaces.
Citizen participation
Residents rent plots; immigrants, refugees, BIPOC and low-income households are prioritized and grow heritage crops from their home countries.
Operating model
A city-run public program funded by plot fees, the municipal budget, donations and volunteers.
Impact
Has provided equitable garden space sustaining immigrant food cultures for over 50 years.
Crops
- bok choy
- collard greens
- Ethiopian kale
- Hmong herbs
- heritage crops from immigrants' home countries
Scale
City-wide program of ~90 community gardens; among Seattle's most ethnically diverse public spaces
Sources(2)
This entry is compiled from the public sources, official sites and research below.
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