The garden's gone better this year than I could have imagined. I've made some new friends, we've…read moreenjoyed looking out for one another, and I harvested over $200 worth of gorgeous produce from my $60/year patch -- and I have probably another $200 worth still in the ground (beets, carrots, onions, flowers, Chinese broccoli, celery, rutabegas, parsnips... the fun never ends!) And I still need to see if our popcorn will get big enough to eat... and I really really need to brave the rain to plant some lettuce! The early summer lettuce we enjoyed was so fantastic, the sweetest lettuce I've ever eaten. The Crossroads P-patch garden was featured in the Bellevue City cable channel's October edition of "It's Your City". To view our segment (and to see me in my pink shirt and lots of shots of my garden!) go here: http://bellevue.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=27&clip_id=2305 You can click the segment link on the right side to skip the Bellevue bicycling program review if that bores you to tears. :-) I will definitely be renewing my patch membership next year... as the first gardener to register, how could I do otherwise? Kudos to Ron Sher for having this lovely idea and for making it happen, spending a lot of money to make a delightful community resource available. He is an amazing guy and Bellevue is lucky indeed that he is so invested in the Crossroads neighborhood (he is the head of Metrovation, the company that owns Crossroads Mall). It's been a pleasure to get to know him a little bit as he tended the artichokes, tomatoes, and sunflowers in his plot.

I live really close to this P-Patch and while I don't garden there, I absolutely LOVE wandering…read morearound when it's warm. Sometimes it's nice to see people working on their plots, but mostly I just love it because it's so peaceful and it just feels so GOOD here. I also remember seeing beautiful big sunflowers here in September :)

Historically, the Picardo P-Patch was Seattle's first p-patch and it was from this garden where the…read morep-patch program grew out of. Prior to the p-patch program, the field itself was one of the city's few urban farms. So the soil at Picardo has always been fertile and well drained. I joined Picardo three years ago hoping to grow an absinthe garden complete with wormwood hedges, hyssop, and hops. Well that never came to fruition but I live in an apartment without a backyard, front yard, or even a stretch of easement to grow my own food. So the Picardo farm (and P-patch program in general) has adequately met my needs. As for getting a plot, there's an application fee that is $35. I waited 1 year on a waiting list before getting an assignment at Picardo, but there is also an option to take any assignment at any garden for anyone that wants to avoid a waiting list. Once you're assigned a plot (typically 100-200 square feet), you're supposed to contribute 8 hours of volunteer service to keep your plot. There are all kinds of volunteer garden work parties, activities, and committees you can join to put in your 8 hours. At Picardo, there's a community herb garden, mushroom garden, food bank beds, children's garden, and even a honeybee yard run by WSU students. Every summer there's a Paella dinner fundraiser in the garden and nearby urban wineries sponsor a booth for tasting. If you can get a plot here, you will absolutely not be disappointed.

Fantabulous group of conservation-minded, organic growing, urban/suburban gardeners with a…read morebeautiful demonstration garden in the city. The setting at Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford is perfect for strolling the grounds, walking the dog and running the children around till they fall asleep with exhaustion. Need ideas for composting? Tilth has 'em. Want to know if tomatoes will ever get ripe in Seattle? Tilth can fill you in on growing tips. This is a great association to associate with.

This past growing season I bought a half share in the Seattle Tilth CSA. I've gotten CSA boxes…read morethrough several other farms before (both in Seattle and Wisconsin) and the Seattle Tilth CSA really delivered. Each week the produce was diverse, fresh, and delicious. Items were well selected and I had very little produce go to waste. The half share was a good amount for my wife and I. I also really liked the add-on options; we were out of town one week, and were able to get credit, we used our credit to select goat cheese and honey from the add-on options. That goat cheese was truly incredible! I've also got to commend Seattle Tilth for their educational programming and community empowerment work. Really a great resource for our city.

Nice little neighborhood Park. Playground equipment, Picnic tables, Green Grass, Restrooms, a path…read morearound the park, even a couple Park Benches. What's unique about this small little park is that it's a Community P-Patch Garden and Demonstration Garden. From my research I've found that it started in 2009 and has grown significantly over the last four years. The garden program is a partnership between WSU Extension Master Gardener Program and the City of Bremerton Parks & Recreation Department. The Land was known as White's Blueberry Farm, a commercial enterprise that harvested blueberry plants. I've heard that a small number of the original blueberry plants remain and can be found in the NW corner of today's Blueberry Park. This place seems like a great place for new gardeners just starting out, or for seasoned gardeners looking to share their knowledge with others. They even donate most of the produce to the Bremerton Food Line. It's worth a stop just to relax a bit and check out gardens that other folks have been working on.

Not too bad of a park pretty well-maintained Lots of walking area and even an nice track. It is…read morenice if you're trying to avoid the large crowds because I don't hardly ever see too many people at this park

This is a beautiful, small garden. Nice for a stroll, perhaps some plein air painting. It has a…read morelot of little scenes, love the plant diversity and garden rooms. We were there in early September, the perennials were still gorgeous. Everything is artfully planted with different textures and complimentary colors. It's really a lovely garden.

Went for a stroll with just me and my grandson in his stroller. Lots of places to roam and walk…read morewith lots of beautiful flowers and plants. A great place to spend a sunny day. The only complaint I would have is that online it says some areas are not wheelchair accessible but it should say most areas are not unless you park down below. Or maybe they should have signs to tell you where to go if you're in a wheelchair or stroller. It was very difficult getting around in a stroller with many stairs and there are lots of paths that you cannot go with a stroller or a wheelchair. Highly recommend bringing some kind of a backpack to carry your child in

This is a great place that's next to Jefferson Park…read more If you check out their Instagram page, they post about volunteer meet ups weekly to tend to the gardens and clean up around the area. The amazing thing about this place that there are plots where you can rent them privately to grow your own produce. There are other plots that the volunteers and community members utilize to grow various fruits and vegetables for anyone to harvest. Depending on the season, you can get apples, lavender, thyme, tomatoes, squash, etc. I highly recommend taking a stroll through this area to admire all the amazing fruits and foods that are being grown in an urban area. Sometimes they have paper bags available so that you can harvest various items from the gardens, but they aren't available all the time so be sure to bring your own reusable bag and or containers.

I've been wanting to go to the Beacon Food Forest ever since I heard about it! This garden is a lot…read morelike a community garden... but usually it is implied that those putting in the work for the garden usually get the rewards from it. Those that do are usually people from the neighborhood or volunteers. From my understanding the Beacon Food Forest is just a little bit different. Most of the produce that is grown here anyone that walks through and sees a piece of fruit or a vegetable is free to take it for themselves. With that concept in mind I have to give this community garden five stars. That doesn't mean that applies to the entire garden however. Some areas are rented out and there are signs where the rented spaces are NOT to take the produce that is being grown there. From the looks of it most people seem to be very respectful of that request. Lots of the produce that I saw that was free for the taking was very under ripe but there was indeed some there for you to take... it wasn't completely picked over! There are a number of fun little paths to do an urban hike through the garden which is lots of fun. There are fun decorations too like a whole section of painted rocks and a funky looking scarecrow. The Beacon Food Forest is actually quite large for a community garden... but during my hikes through the area I wish it was bigger... it was a refreshing hike and change of scenery. All urban centers should have these food forests throughout.

There is beautiful architectural design all over Magnuson. The pea-patch adds another level with…read moreits outdoor theater, heightened planter boxes and many vine covered trellises. It has an aesthetic layout, ell taken care of garden, welcoming gardeners, and since I bring my kids here to visit and smell the herbs and explore the plant life that there is lots for kids to appreciate here.

What's not to love about this gorgeous p-patch garden that is maintained by volunteers in our…read morecommunity? I love how it isn't immediately visible from the main paths near the dog park as you walk in. You have to venture to the top level of the outdoor amphitheater before you reach the entrance to this garden. The spring and summer months are the best time to visit, as all the flowers are in bloom! I like to run through Magnuson Park on occasion, so this garden is usually where I take my cool down walk since there's so much to see and smell.