What are they building on the corner of 18th and 172nd streets on the end of the dog park? It looks like some sort of community garden but much more! There are pads with mailboxes and several different kinds of plants going in, not to mention some raised beds. Who do we contact to be a part of this project?
— Keith Heike, northeast Vancouver
Well Keith, you’re right; that garden on the northeast corner of Pacific Community Park is much more than a place for community members to grow their tomatoes and carrots. The Clark County Department of Environmental Services, which maintains and planned the site, is calling it a “demonstration garden.”
According to department spokeswoman Sally Fisher, the garden is a place to showcase natural gardening techniques for the public.
It’s designed “to give people ideas how they can garden at home without using chemicals,” Fisher said. People think their gardens “won’t be pretty if they don’t use chemicals. That’s really not true.”
The 250-by-125-foot site is designed to be like a neighborhood street with four “houses” on either side of a central path. Each of those eight homes model a different landscaping technique, including: low-water gardening, native plants, beneficial insects, dog friendly, composting, lawn alternative (zeroscaping), edible and wildlife-friendly.
Fisher hopes it will inspire locals to apply the techniques in their own yards.
At the moment, the permanent garden is probably leaving more people confused than inspired because of a lack of signage. That shouldn’t be a problem for long. A large sign should appear on the grounds before the end of the year, Fisher said. It will give basic information on the garden and information on how to get involved.
She plans on placing more detailed signage in front of each home a few months after that. Those signs will detail the nitty-gritty of the different techniques and different plant types used at each home.
In the meantime, people who have ideas for the garden or wish to help can contact Fisher by e-mail at sally.fisher@clark.wa.gov.
She’ll take all the help she can get, whether it’s someone who wants to spend a few hours in a cleanup party or a group that wants to manage one of the eight sites.
If someone wanted to get some food out of their work, Fisher suggests they volunteer on the edible lot.
Pacific Community Park’s master plan also calls for a community garden, but Jilayne Jordan, county parks spokeswoman, said it isn’t in the works just yet.
— Paul Suarez
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