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Title
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Eng
Motivations of Community Gardeners in Thurston and Pierce Counties, Washington State
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Date
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2014
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Creator
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Eng
Benedict, Kimberly Jones
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Subject
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Environmental Studies
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extracted text
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MOTIVATIONS OF COMMUNITY GARDENERS IN THURSTON AND
PIERCE COUNTIES, WASHINGTON STATE
by
KIMBERLY JONES BENEDICT
A Thesis
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Master of Environmental Studies
The Evergreen State College
September 2014
©2014 by Kimberly Jones Benedict. All rights reserved.
This Thesis for the Master of Environmental Studies Degree
by
Kimberly Jones Benedict
has been approved for
The Evergreen State College
by
________________________
Martha L. Henderson, PhD
Member of the Faculty
________________________
Date
ABSTRACT
MOTIVATIONS OF COMMUNITY GARDENERS IN THURSTON AND
PIERCE COUNTIES OF WASHINGTON STATE
Kimberly Jones Benedict
Community gardens provide ample benefits to gardeners and communities
in which they are located. Because the benefits are so great, all who want to
garden should have access to garden space. As the population of the United
States continues to increase, land available for conventional farming decreases
due to land development and increase in the cost of land. This combined with the
recent global economic recession has led to an increase in the presence and use of
community gardens throughout The United States. No published study is
available that examines whether there are community garden plots in Western
Washington adequate to meet the demand of the community. This research
creates a list of community gardens in Thurston and Pierce Counties, and surveys
the gardeners using the gardens using a mixed-methods approach to see who is
taking advantage of the community garden space that does exist. Similar to the
motivations of historical community gardens, modern community gardens are
frequently focused on environmental sustainability, saving or making money by
growing food, and community building and/or cultural exchange. Although, most
of the people who completed the survey had access to gardening at home, they
chose to garden in a community plot which is likely much less convenient for
them, because of the additional benefits provided by community gardens. This
research is significant for city planners as it demonstrates the importance of and
need for additional community gardens in Thurston and Pierce Counties of
Washington State.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................... 1
Chapter 2: Literature Review........................................... 4
Benefits and risks of community gardens to the
greater community:........................................... 4
Benefits to individual gardeners in community
gardens :........................................................... 8
Motivations of individual gardeners in
community gardens:....................................... 14
Current state of community gardens:..................16
State of the literature:.......................................... 19
Chapter 3: History of Community Gardens and Context
for Case Study of Pierce and Thurston Counties........21
Chapter 4: Study Methodology and Analysis of
Survey Data............................................................... 31
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations...............48
Bibliography.................................................................. 50
List of Tables and Maps
Table 1: Community Gardens in Thurston County Pg. 32
Table 1: Community Gardens in Thurston County Pg. 36
Map 1: Thurston County, Washington Pg. 32
Map 2: Community Gardens Thurston County, Washington Pg. 34
Map 3: Pierce County, Washington Pg. 36
Map 4: Community Gardens Pierce County, Washington Pg. 42
Acknowledgements
I would like to take a moment to thank my thesis reader, Martha L.
Henderson, Director of the Master of Environmental Studies Program and
Faculty Member of The Evergreen State College. Without Martha's guidance and
support, I would not have completed this research.
I would also like to thank the community garden coordinators who took the
time to complete my survey and pass the gardener survey on to the gardeners at
their gardens. Additionally I would like to thank the gardeners who completed
my survey and passed on their invaluable knowledge.
Lastly, I would like to express appreciation to my husband, Jimmy Benedict,
who has provided me personal support throughout the process of completing my
research.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Community gardens provide ample benefits to gardeners and communities
in which they are located. Some of the benefits include increased consumption of
fruits and vegetables by gardeners, increased property values near gardens, and
increased tax revenue for cities with community gardens. Because the benefits are
so great, all who want to garden should have access to garden space. As the
population of the United States continues to increase, land available for
conventional farming decreases due to land development and increase in the cost
of land. This combined with the recent global economic recession has led to an
increase in the presence and use of community gardens throughout The United
States.
No published study is available that examines whether there are
community garden plots in Western Washington adequate to meet the demand of
the community. This research will fill the geographic gap currently in existence
within published literature on community gardens. It will also focus on gardens
not entirely located within large cities, most published literature focuses on urban
community gardens. Additionally, this research will discover how many
community gardens exist in Western Washington, specifically Thurston and Pierce
Counties, and who is taking advantage of the community garden space that does
exist. This information will be useful to city planners and government officials as
they continue to grow and nourish cities and communities throughout Western
Washington.
1
Thurston and Pierce Counties of Washington State were selected for this
mixed-methods research because they are both contain a similar number of
gardens and they both recently conducted a community garden assessment. King
County, located just north of Pierce County, was also considered when choosing
the study area but after initial research was conducted it was discovered that King
County has significantly more community gardens than Pierce or Thurston
Counties and its garden program is much more advanced than either Pierce or
Thurston Counties. For these reasons, King County could not be compared with
Pierce or Thurston Counties.
Structures of community gardens can be diverse, this paper uses the
following definition for a community garden:
“A community garden is a collaborative, shared, open space that is accessible to
residents of the local community who are gardeners. These gardeners agree to
share in the maintenance (plant, tend, harvest, etc.) and products of the garden,
which include healthful and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables.”
This is also the definition used by Thurston County in their 2012 Community
Garden Assessment. With all the identified benefits of community gardens, my
research will create a list of community gardens in Thurston and Pierce counties
and it will answer the research questions: Who are the people that choose to
garden in Thurston and Pierce County community gardens? What motivations do
gardeners have for gardening in the community spaces?
Research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach. An online
survey created using Google Drive was used to gather information about the
gardens in Pierce County, the information about Thurston County Gardens was
2
obtained through the complete Thurston County Community Garden Assessment
conducted in 2012. A separate survey, again created using Google Drive, was
created to ask questions of the gardeners. A mixed-methods approach was taken
when surveying the gardeners. Demographic questions were asked as well as
questions about motivations for gardening in community spaces and perceived
benefits of participation.
3
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Benefits and risks of community gardens to the greater
community:
Community gardens provide many benefits for the communities in which
they are located. Some of the benefits include increasing residential property
values close to the garden, increased social opportunities for citizens who choose
to participate at the garden, benefits to the local environment, and increased
availability of fresh fruits and vegetables.
In their study, The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring Property
Values, Vicki Been and Ioan Voicu of New York University examined all property
sales in New York City over several decades and compared prices of properties
near community gardens with those not near community gardens. They found
opening a community garden has a statistically significant positive impact on
residential property values within 1000 feet of the garden. Further, they found the
positive impact increases over time therefor an established community garden has
a greater impact on nearby property values than a new community garden. Been
and Voicu also found higher quality community gardens have the most significant
positive impact on residential property values and the impact is most significant in
the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Installing a community garden in a
disadvantaged neighborhood will result in a greater increase in property values
than installing a community garden in an already thriving neighborhood. (Flachs,
4
2010; Voicue & Been, 2008)
Similarly, in his study, Food For Thought: The
Social Impact of Community Gardens in the Greater Cleveland Area, Andrew
Flachs states,
“New York City gardens had a statistically significant positive impact on
residential property within 1000 feet of the garden, an impact that increased over
time. More importantly, this impact was highest in the lowest income
neighborhoods studied.” (Flachs 2010, Pg. 2)
An additional community wide benefit of community gardens occurs due
to the open green space that exists at the gardens. Cities experience many of the
same benefits from community gardens as they do standard parks (Flachs 2010).
In their 2010 study, Sowing the Seeds of Success Cultivating a Future for
Community Gardens, Lee-Anne S. Milburn and Brooke Adams Vail discovered
that development and maintenance costs of community gardens are typically
lower than traditional parks, and parks departments benefit from community
gardens because they increase the park system's user base to include people who
don't frequent traditional parks but are interested in gardening in a community
space.
Milburn and Vail also discovered that community gardens connect users to
the place in which they are living and increase community pride. Community
gardens can become central meeting areas and event spaces in neighborhoods.
These central spaces can increase users' social networks within their community.
These increased connections often lead to community activism and additional
positive changes elsewhere in the community. In low-income and neglected
5
neighborhoods this can revitalize the neighborhood and increase hope for the
future. (Milburn and Vail 2010)
The increasing prevalence of food insecurity among families and
individuals as well as food deserts, or areas in which fresh fruits and vegetables
are not easily accessible, in urban areas is a significant obstacle to becoming a
healthy community. Food insecurity is a major issue in modern America. Food
insecurity occurs when a person has limited supplies of food on hand and does not
know where they will obtain future food. Over ten percent of America is food
insecure (Flachs 2010), they don't know where their next meal will come from
and their food sources are not reliable.
People who live in food deserts and do
not have reliable transportation often end up facing food insecurity issues and lack
of access to healthful food.
Community gardens placed within food deserts can lessen food security
issues for people who live near them by creating access to fruits and vegetables.
Living in a food desert can have a negative impact on the health and well-being of
the effected individuals as they often have insecure access to food and are unable
to eat adequate servings of fruits and vegetables. Community gardens provide
fresh, healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables to the people who garden in them
and if established in food deserts, they can help cities deal with food insecurity
amongst their citizens. Community gardens provide additional benefits to
communities by supporting diverse and atypical diets. (Flachs 2010)
Community gardens are especially important in low-income areas as they allow
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residents to produce their own food at a fraction of the cost of produce in a
supermarket.
Food produced in community gardens is often grown using organic
techniques and it is always significantly less oil-intensive than conventionally
produced food purchased in a grocery store.
Community gardens also
significantly reduce the garbage produced by people when they are consuming
conventionally produced food and they provide a place for on site organic
recycling, which reduces the amount of garbage a city must responsibly dispose
of. (Flachs 2010) Community gardens can be a part of sustainable development
in the way they increase access for low-income individuals and provide access to
open green space within cities which may not have adequate amounts of open
space.
Many urban areas lack adequate green space for citizens and wildlife to
enjoy, community gardens can provide this important space in cities. Milburn and
vail state gardens often take up empty vacant spaces within urban areas that have
been left in disrepair. Community gardens beautify these areas and add green
space to the neighborhood, they also reconnect people with natural processes and
increase their awareness of their surroundings. Time spent in community gardens
can also increase participants' desire to protect the environment, especially
immediately surrounding the garden. Andrew Flachs states,
“Especially urban gardeners, are acutely aware of their environmental and
social impact. Gardeners keep money within the community, beautify community
space, and contrast the urban blight that characterizes low income urban areas. Many
7
gardeners use organic and environmentally safe techniques, so that food can be eaten
fresh from the soil.” (Flachs 2010, Pg. 3)
Although there are very few risks associated with gardening in a
community garden or installing one in a city, there are risks associated with all
actions in life and for thoroughness sake, they will be discussed here.
“Risks from urban horticulture include environmental contamination of the water
supply from agrochemicals and animal manures, and contamination of foods
from air pollution. At the same time urban gardening offers potential positive
opportunities for recycling city garbage for productive purposes (e.g. fertilizer,
land fill).” (Marsh 1998, Pg. 9)
Benefits to individual gardeners in community gardens :
In addition to community wide benefits, community gardens have many
benefits to the individuals who choose to garden in them. Recently Americans,
especially low-income urban individuals and people of color, have become more
increasingly disconnected with their food. (Flachs 2010) Community gardens
reconnect people to their food and provide convenient and low cost access to
food. They also provide an enjoyable space for an active lifestyle and they allow
for positive social interaction between gardeners.
Lee-Anne S. Milburn and Brooke Adams Vail estimate families can save
$475 per year on their food costs by gardening, this depends on plot size,
cultivation intensity, and climate, however this is a significant food source for
people who are food insecure.
Food insecurity is detrimental to personal health
as available food may not be the most healthful but if it is the only food available
so people must eat it. Community gardens established in food deserts are an
8
especially effective way to increase personal or family food security. Gardeners
can grow foods not typically sold in grocery stores but that might be staples of
their culture. This allows them to continue cooking the foods they know how to
cook. (Flachs 2010)
In Building on traditional gardening to improve household
food security R. Marsh states, gardens can supplement a diet with vitamin and
energy-rich fruits and vegetables as well as herbs and condiments.
“Very small mixed vegetable gardens can provide a significant percentage of the
recommended dietary allowance for protein (10 to 20 percent), iron (20 percent),
calcium (20 percent), vitamin A (80 percent) and vitamin C (100 percent).”
(Marsh 1998, Pg. 6)
Marsh goes on to state community gardens contribute to food security by
providing direct access to food that can be harvested and eaten on a daily or as
needed basis. In their study, Review of the nutritional implications of farmers'
markets and community gardens: a call for evaluation and research efforts Lacey
Arneson McCormack, MPH, RD; Melissa Nelson Laska, PhD, RD; Nicole I.
Larson, PhD, MPH, RD; and Mary Story, PhD, RD state that community gardens
have the potential to increase access to fruits and vegetables, especially in lowincome areas that have poor access to affordable, healthful foods. Building
community gardens in these areas could increase access during growing seasons,
which could result in more healthful dietary patterns and reduced health risks.
There are many benefits of gardening, but for the food insecure, direct access to
nutritious foods is the most important one.
9
“Gardening and working to produce one's own food creates a tangible
connection to produce. Through this connection, people become more invested
in their food choices. Studies have shown that gardeners are more likely to
choose fresh and healthy food over fast and non-nutritious food.” (Flachs 2010,
Pg. 4 )
In their study, The influence of social Involvement, Neighborhood
Aesthetics, and Community Garden Participation on Fruit and Vegetable
Consumption, Jill S. Litt, PhD, Soobader, PhD, MPH, Turbin, MS James W. Hale,
MSS, Michael Buchenau, MLA, and Julie A. Marshall, PhD, MPH studied the
relationship between an urban adult population's fruit and vegetable consumption
and its garden participation, among other factors, in Denver, Colorado. Turbin et.
al collected survey data using a multiframe sampling design. They conducted a
45-minute face-to-face survey and asked questions such as frequency of fruit and
vegetable consumption, gardening participation or lack thereof, physical activity
rate, and perception of neighborhood aesthetics. Fruit and vegetable consumption
was highest among people who gardened in a community garden, followed by
people who gardened at home and lowest was people who did not garden at all.
Community gardeners reported eating an average of 5.7 servings of vegetables per
day, home gardeners ate 4.6 servings and nongardeners ate only 3.9 servings per
day. The recommended daily intake is 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
When examined, the other factors considered did have an impact on fruit and
vegetable consumption as well.
“Adjustment for educational attainment, physical activity, social involvement,
and perceptions of neighborhood aesthetics reduced bud did not eliminate this
association; however, the difference in fruit and vegetable consumption between
10
home gardeners and nongardeners that was observed in the bivariable analysis
was no longer significant.” (Litt et al 2011, Pg. 1469)
The effect of other variables did not negate the significance of gardening on fruit
and vegetable intake. After adjusting for socioeconomic status, social and
psychological covariates, and health Litt et al still found that community
gardeners consumed almost a serving more of fruits and vegetables per day than
did home gardeners and nongardeners. Additionally, more gardeners than non
gardeners consumed the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables.
One gardener in the study stated,
“We not only told them about taking care of the land and taking care of the
environment, but part of our responsibility is taking care of ourselves as human
beings and taking care of our bodies and eating better. That's why you grow all
these fruits.” (Litt et al 2011, Pg. 1470)
In addition to their study in Colorado, Litt et all also cited other studies in
different urban settings including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Flint, Michigan
which found gardeners consumed more vegetables including dark green leafy
vegetables, eggplant, and tomatoes as well as fewer milk products, citrus fruits
and sweet foods and drinks than did non gardeners. An additional personal health
related benefit is gardeners stay active which leads to a reduced risk of heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (Mckormick et al 2010). These health
benefits also lead to an economic benefit of reduced medical costs. Litt it al went
on to share,
11
“Previous research suggests that social and psychological processes and aesthetic
experiences set, shape and sustain beliefs and food preferences, choices, and
practices. Moreover, growing evidence indicates that community gardens
represent a viable strategy to tap into these processes by fostering connections
among community members and, importantly, connections between people and
food-producing landscapes.” (Litt et al 2011, Pg. 1466)
Besides providing food resources for those in need, community gardens
can provide other economic resources through the sale of excess harvest or by
using it to barter with others for additional necessities. Gardening is accessible to
the poorest people since it relies on low-cost, low-risk technology and it is
adaptable to many environments. (Marsh 1998) In their study Community
gardens as contexts for science, stewardship, and civic action learning, Marianne
E. Krasny and Keith G. Tidball state,
“Community gardens are distinctive in their ability to integrate food production
with environmental stewardship and civic engagement. Environmental
stewardship takes the form of restoring neglected and degraded plots of land, and
civic engagement includes building relationships, collaboratively mobilizing
resources for advocacy and to promote neighborhood well-being, and coming
together to share and celebrate cultural traditions.” (Krasny and Tidball, 2009 Pg.
2)
Further, Andrew Flachs states that the desire for high output from one's garden
space and that individual gardener's environmental ethic are not mutually
exclusive.
Another personal benefit to people who garden in community gardens is
increased opportunities for positive social interaction. Garden parties and
workdays provide socializing opportunities for gardeners as well as a community
12
space where people feel comfortable meeting and socializing. During their
research, Litt et al. found people who were typically shy or otherwise
uncomfortable in social settings were able to find commonalities with other
gardeners in their community gardens and ease into social interaction. They also
provide a safe space for children. (Flachs 2010) In her 2011 study, Growing
What You Eat: Developing Community Gardens in Baltimore, Maryland, Michelle
P Corrigan interviewed gardeners who gardened in a community garden located in
Baltimore. One of her interviewees stated,
“My kids are learning. They're actually appreciating how things grow. Even just
to see them, I mean, they like to plant, but when they actually see stuff, that's a
different feeling for them. When they get to actually pick, they really enjoy that.”
(Corrigan 2011, Pg. 1238)
Garden communities are often diverse and include people who would be unlikely
to meet in other circumstances including people from different socioeconomic
levels, ages, and cultural communities. Gardening can enhance a person's
physical, psychological, and spiritual well being as well as reduce stress levels
(Milburn and Vail 2010). Community gardens also provide a place for ongoing
learning among adults (Krasney and Tidball 2009) and a space for people to spend
time outdoors. Pleasant outdoor space is especially important in urban
community gardens where the garden might be one of the only green places in
that area.
13
Motivations of individual gardeners in community gardens:
In their paper Review and Analysis of the Benefits, Purposes, and
Motivations Associated with Community Gardening in the United States Carrie
Draper and Darcy Freedman reviewed scholarly research published between 1999
and 2010 on the topic of motivations of people who garden in community
gardens. In order to complete their research, Draper and Freedman identified
published research using the Google Scholar search engine then they used
literature cited sections of those articles to find additional published literature.
Over one third of the articles Draper and Freedman identified were focused on
youth gardening activities, which is not within the scope of this research paper.
Most research papers looked at urban settings. Forty percent of the articles they
found were case studies, or an in-depth analysis of a whole community garden or
a part of a single or small number of gardens. Other types of research were
intervention studies, cross-sectional studies, and reviews. The following reasons
were all cited as personal motivations for gardening in a community space: access
to fresh and better tasting food; time to enjoy nature; health benefits; opportunities
to socialize; a chance to beautify and give back to the community; and efforts to
support the conservation of green space.
In their paper Past results and future directions in urban community
gardens research, Daniela Guitart, Catherine Pickering, and Jason Byrne
conducted a review of English academic literature on community gardens
including examining authors, geographic location of publication and gardens
14
studied, and research methods. Guitart et al identified the following common
motivations of gardeners: to consume fresh foods; social development or cohesion
such as community building and cultural exchange; to improve health among
members; and to make or save money. Other important but less common
motivations included the desire to educate, to enhance cultural practices, to enjoy
nature, environmental sustainability, to access land, and to enhance spiritual
practice.
A major motivation for many gardeners is the ability to save money on
food by growing it themselves. Related to this is the desire to make money by
selling surplus harvest or bartering with it. Gardening saves money that would
otherwise be spent on food and it supplements income during difficult times.
Vegetable gardens produced an average of $504 worth of produce from a $25
investment. (Flachs 2010)
“I found that the utilitarian desire for saving money and producing good food
prevailed across demographics. In addition, low-income gardeners recognize the
social and political ramifications of their actions.” (Flachs 2010, Pg. 7)
Growing fruits and vegetables in a community garden allows the gardener to eat
more fruits and vegetables than they may be able to otherwise afford to purchase.
Another motivation of many gardeners is the desire to increase their
opportunities for social interaction. Community gardens provide a safe space for
social interaction with a diverse group of people including people of different
races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and
15
cultural traditions. Gardeners learn from one another about a variety of topics,
some gardening related and some not, older gardeners pass on farming techniques
and recipes to younger gardeners. Community gardens provide a safe space for
community events, and a place to sustain community values. (Flachs 2010)
Current state of community gardens:
Participation in community gardens has ebbed and flowed with changing
socioeconomic conditions in the United states, the most recent economic
downturn has re-heightened public interest in community gardening. (Draper and
freedman, 2010). With this recent increase in popularity, gardeners have been
facing some obstacles including finding available space in established community
gardens. In some cases this space deficiency is due to waiting lists at established
community gardens, in other cases it is due to the inability of community gardens
to obtain land to open or funding to continue on.
“Urban gardeners are often forced on to very marginal land because of land
speculation and antagonistic city planners and governments that discourage
agriculture an an urban land use. Where governments have been more tolerant
and even supportive of urban agriculture, it has tended to thrive” (Marsh 1998.
Pg. 9)
If gardens are able to find suitable land with supportive owners and local
governments, they must still find people willing to do the initial work of setting
up the garden and maintaining common spaces in the garden.
“From the perspective of the PPF in Baltimore [Parks and People Foundation],
the only way to start a community garden is through the interest of community
members. This organization stresses the importance of community in starting a
community garden, 'You can't do it by yourself.' To those wanting to start a
16
garden, she said, 'Just start it, and you can figure out liability or permission later.”
(Corrigon 2011, Pg. 1239)
In their 2003 paper, Community Gardens and Politics of Scale In New
York City, Christopher M. Smith and Hilda E. Kurtz studied the controversial
proposed auction of 114 community gardens in Yew York City in 1999.
Community gardens have existed in New York for a century starting with gardens
operated by the government during World War I and II and during the Great
Depression. More recently community gardens were built by city residents in
open lands during the 1970s. The gardens provided small green spaces amongst
the crumbling walls that cursed the city during that time. Within the community
gardens neighbors grew food as a way to supplement their grocery budgets and
they beautified the space with ornamental flowers and trees. Community gardens
were built in most neighborhoods in areas that were once used for drugs,
prostitution, and other criminal behaviors. These gardens were sometimes built
without prior permission of the landowners. By 2001 there were an estimated 750
community gardens in New York City spread across the five boroughs, Brooklyn
having the most and Staten Island the least.. Like gardens in other areas, these
gardens provided important green space within the very urban city. The green
space was used by wildlife and people alike. Additionally they provided jobskills such as basic business and horticultural skills for gardeners.
During the winter of 1998-1999 New York City under the direction of
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani scheduled 114 gardens to be sold at auction in May of
17
1999. The gardeners banded together to protect their precious garden space.
Although the gardens were legally set up as temporary land uses when they were
originally created until more lucrative land users came along, the gardens had
become important parts of the neighborhoods in which they were a part. As Smith
and Kurtz stated,
“Individual community gardens are spaces of dependence; gardeners invest a
significant amount of time in their gardens and forge a sense of individual and
collective identity expressed within the place specific gardens... there are no
substitutions for community gardens.” (Smith and Kurtz, Pg. 200)
When Mayor Giuliani eliminated an important forum for public input into the
land sale, he violated the procedures outlined in the Urban Land Use Review
Procedure. Gardeners approached the New York State Attorney General to assist
them. The Attorney General filed suit against the city and slowed the sale
process. Mayor Giuliani wanted the gardeners to purchase the land their gardens
were occupying on the free market. After some quick fundraising, the Trust for
Public Land was able to work with Mayor Giuliani's office to purchase garden
space which was scheduled to be sold.
Community gardens quickly become a major part of communities in
which they are built and gardeners often become attached to not only the space in
which they garden but also the community of people they are a part of at their
garden. Community gardens rely on a network of local, national, and sometimes
international sources for advisory, technical, financial, and political support.
Additionally, community gardens rely on strong community leadership, many
18
volunteers, and outreach; all aspects of high levels of social involvement. (Litt et
al 2011) Gardens can be democratic locations for uniting diverse groups of
people with the benefit of self-help, and places for teaching skills, citizenship, and
gardening in an effort to reintroduce nature to urban areas. Garden creation can
be a community-based attempt to better their local social and physical situation.
Community gardens can provide social, political, and environmental benefits to
direct participants and the surrounding community. (Milburn and Vail 2010)
There are more than 18000 community gardens across the country and this
number is growing (Dolesh 2011).
“Securing a garden plot in one of the 35 community gardens in Portland, Oregon,
for example, is always a multi-year wait, and in some communities, the wait lasts
as many as 10 years, explains Botanical Specialist Dan Franek.” (Dolesh 2011,
Pg. 3)
State of the literature:
Community gardens provide ample benefits to gardeners and communities
in which they are located. Because the benefits are so great, all who want to
garden should have access to garden space. As world population continues to
increase, land available for farming decreases due to land development and
increase in the cost of land. Untouchable land combined combined with the
recent global economic recession has led to a major increase in the presence and
use of community gardens throughout The United States. In their paper Past
results and future directions in urban community gardens research, Daniela
Guitart, Catherine Pickering, and Jason Byrne conducted a review of English
19
academic literature on community gardens including examining authors,
geographic location of publication and gardens studied, and research methods. As
of their 2012 publication, Washington State was absent from the published
English Language Literature on community gardens and a majority of published
studies focused on gardens in large cities. Studies were published in a wide
variety of journals focused on topics such as geography, environment and
planning, society and culture, health, education, economics, and conservation
biology. A majority of the studies were focused on social issues related to
community gardening.
20
Chapter 3: History of Community Gardens and Context for Case
Study of Pierce and Thurston Counties
“Although the environmental movement has given community (and especially
urban) gardening new publicity as a sustainable and environmentally friendly
alternative to petroleum intensive, large scale commercial food processing
facilities, such gardens have existed in various forms throughout America's
history.” (Flachs 2010, Pg. 2)
Organized public locations created for people to garden have existed in American
Cities since the 1890s. In the 1890s social reformers promoted urban vacant-lot
cultivation associations to provide land and technical assistance to unemployed
laborers in cities such as Detroit, New York, and Philadelphia. (Lawson 2005)
During an 1893-1897 depression in Detroit, Mayor Hazen S. Pingree used gardens
to provide food and improve morale of unemployed laborers and relieve urban
poor. These gardens were created to save or make money by growing food. This
effort was so successful it began a national movement of creating similar gardens.
These efforts were successful but they were seen as a short term way to help the
poor until the economy recovered or people established new careers. (Milburn
and Vail 2010) The superintendent of the Philidelphia project said:
“To Land-owners the Vacant Lots Cultivation Association in substance, says:
Lend us your idle land (subject to immediate dispossession whenever required)
and we will offer ample self-help to all who cannot work the usual employments.
We will leave the land (on demand) in better condition than we find it. We will
make of it something even better than a park or playground for the poor, or rather
we will show them how to make not only parks and playgrounds for themselves
but productive gardens as well out of what are now only idle lots and in many
cases rubbage heaps. We will help make the city beautiful while making this idle
land and these idle people useful.” (Lawson 2005, Pg. 34)
21
The civic beautification that occurred as a consequence of these gardens
convinced women's groups, garden clubs, civic organizations, and other to
support vacant-lot cultivation as well as children's gardens and window-box
gardens in tenement districts. Concurrently, school gardens were promoted by
education reformers as a hands-on outdoor classroom that connected with school
subjects and taught civics and good work habits. School gardens even had an
office in the federal Bureau of education. (Lawson 2005)
During World War I, gardens were planted throughout the country in
people's back yards and in community centers to augment the domestic food
supply so more food could be sent overseas to feed American troops abroad.
Again, these gardens were created to save or make money by growing food,
although unlike earlier community gardens which were focused on beautification
of cities and providing food and work for the poor, community gardens built
during World War I and up to World War II sought popular support from all
people and were focused on food security, nutrition, and recreation. Children's
efforts united through the federally sponsored U.S. School Garden Army.
(Lawson 2005) Education commissioner P.P. Claxton had spent several years
gathering gardening statistics and he hoped to enroll the six million school
children ranging in age from nine to sixteen in a United States School Garden
Army that could produce a quarter of a billion dollars of vegetables along with
the added benefits of character development, health benefits, education
opportunities, and patriotism. Although he did not acquire enough funding to
22
enroll all six million children, he was able to begin an army of one and a half
million students. (Tucker 1993) The children marched to their gardens singing:
Johnnie get your hoe, get your hoe, get your hoe;
Mary dig your row, dig your row, dig your row;
Down to business, boys and girls,
Learn to know the farmer's joys.
Uncle Sam's in need, pull the weed, plant the seed.
While the sunbeams lurk, do not shirk, get to work.
All the lads must spade the ground,
All the girls must hustle round
Over there, over there;
Send the word, send the word over there,
That the lads are hoeing, the lads are hoeing,
The girls are sowing everywhere,
Each a garden to prepare,
Do your bit so that we all can share
With the boys, with the boys, the brave boys,
Who will not come back 'til it's over, over there.
(Tucker 1993, 47)
Shortly thereafter and in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s,
families applied to private and public agencies for subsistence garden plots and
for jobs in cooperative gardens and farms. Yet again, these gardens were focused
on saving or making money by growing food. In 1934, over 23 million American
households were participating in subsistence garden programs that grew produce
for consumption at home. These gardens grew produce valued at $36 million.
Propaganda and promotion coming from the United States Government focused
on the health benefits of gardening such as recreation, nutrition, and social
benefits. The physiological and recreational benefits associated with gardening
were very important to offset negative effects of war and the depression.
“Probably no other appeal to patriotism of the American people ever met more
widespread and generous response than “war gardening.” It set the great heart of
23
America beating from coast to coast. Inspired by excellent showing made last
year and spurred on by the knowledge that “food will win the war” men, women,
and children all over the United States took up war gardening this year. Both as
individuals and as members of various organizations they had gone about this as
true soldiers of the soil, in the same spirit with which their husbands, fathers,
brothers, and friends went into the army and the navy. Charles Lathrop Pack,
“Making a Nation of Garden Cities,” Garden Magazine 27, 4 (May 1918): 183
During World War II, so called “Victory Gardens” were planted at
individual households for personal consumption, morale, and recreation. After
the war, the few remaining school and community gardens provided a catalyst for
a resurgence in interest that occurred in the 1970s. Again gardens appeared in
neighborhoods partially to provide resources for families trying to combat
inflation and partially as acts of resistance to urban abandonment. During this
time, a new environmental ethic was developing and gardens were places of
expression and places for neighbors to connect during a time of social unrest.
These gardens were first focused on saving or making money by growing good,
later the focus shifted to environmental sustainability and community building
and/or cultural exchange.
Gardens built during war times were similar to gardens built in individual
cities during the late 19th century depression years, but this time national groups
got involved and changes occurred at the structural level. Implementation and
organization of the garden programs fell on local volunteer organizations but the
government and national organizations disseminated technical information and
resources for the gardens. The gardens were still temporary and once the crises
was resolved, involved parties focused their attention elsewhere. During this
24
time, the leadership was not able to establish gardens as sustainable community
resource. (Milburn and Vail 2010)
In the 1970s, people began rebuilding their own communities in an
attempt to beautify them. Gardens were built with the focus of health and food
security and their impact on positive social connections. Change in
organizational structure of the gardens allowed for increased community
ownership of the garden projects. These gardens still relied on outside agencies
for financial and technical support, but citizens of the community began taking
over planning and development of the gardens. (Milburn and Vail 2010) The
1970s were a time of increased environmental awareness in America.
Participating in a community garden was not only a way to obtain food and health
benefits, but also a way for people to help the environment. This social change
increased the popularity of gardening during peacetime more than it ever had in
the past. The number of gardeners in America increased from only a handful in
1971 to thirty-eight million a decade later. People gardening in community plots
made up about 8 percent of the thirty-eight million. In addition to the increased
environmental awareness happening during the 1970's, it was a decade of
significant inflation and therefore increasing food prices. These increasing food
prices were also a significant motivator for people to grow their own food at
home gardens and community gardens. (Tucker 1993)
In the 1980s, although inflation lessoned, the number of people who
gardened in community plots declined less than the number of home gardeners
25
declined. Urban residents became attached to their garden spaces and waged
campaigns when landowners or cities tried to take the land from them. (Tucker
1993)
After the recent economic downturn beginning in 2008 a new so called
brand of community gardens began, Recession Gardens. These gardens were
again focused primarily on saving or making money by growing food. A simple
google search for the term “recession garden” brings up a wide range of results
ranging from news articles about the increase in gardening as a way to
supplement family grocery budgets to personal blogs with gardening tips and
tricks. This recent increase in gardening popularity was boosted by First Lady
Michelle Obama's installation of a vegetable garden on the White House lawn and
her encouragement of eating more fruits and vegetables for their personal health
benefits.
Intentions of modern community gardens are different now than they have
been in the past. (Flachs 2010) This paper has already examined the literature on
issues related to community gardening during the current era including the
benefits to individuals who garden in community gardens, to neighbors of
community gardens and to cities in which community gardens are located. Now
this paper will study community gardens located in Pierce and Thurston Counties
of Washington State as well as the people who garden in them and why the people
choose to garden in them.
26
Thurston County Department of Health conducted a “Community Garden
Assessment” in 2012 with the purpose of researching the community gardens that
currently exist in Thurston County so as to make recommendations for locations
where new community gardens could be established. An estimated seventy-seven
percent of adults living in Thurston County, or about 147,500 adults, do not
consume the recommended daily intake of fruit or vegetables. Thirty-two percent
of Thurston County adults get some, most, or all of the food they make at home
from their home or community garden. This statistic suggests that increased
access to garden space could increase the amount of fruits and vegetables adults
living in Thurston County consume.
Currently, there are eleven community gardens located in Thurston County
and about 235 households or families are supported by the gardens, there are a
total of 235 plots or shares amongst the eleven gardens. Only two of the
community gardens are over 25 years old, so most community gardens in
Thurston County are relatively new, with seven established in 2006 or later. Over
half the community gardens are located on government owned property. Most
community gardens located within Thurston County are on land owned by a
church, on government owned land such as a park or at a school, or in a
residential neighborhood.
The Evergreen State College community garden is the oldest garden, at 32
years old, it was started in 1982 (TESC). It is located on the campus of The
Evergreen State College and it was started by a student club. The garden is open
27
to people not otherwise affiliated with The Evergreen State College. The
Olympia Community Garden is the second oldest garden, it was started 30 years
ago. The Olympia Community Garden is located within the City of Olympia on
private land. On a yearly basis, the landowner gives permission to the
Sustainable South Sound organization to run The Olympia Community Garden on
his land. The next oldest garden is the Hale Place Community garden, which is
located in the Bigelow Highlands neighborhood. The Hale Place garden is about
eight years old. The Sunrise Park Community Garden is also about eight years
old. It is located in a City of Olympia park near a low income housing
development. The remaining seven community gardens are six years old or less.
Two of these gardens are located at churches, two are located in public parks, one
is located in a neighborhood, one is located at a public high school, and one is
located in an outdoor shopping center. Popularity and availability of community
gardens has increased significantly in the recent past, especially since the most
recent economic recession.
A community garden assessment was conducted in Pierce County in 2010.
Similar to the Thurston County Community Garden Assessment, the Pierce
County Community Garden Assessment was also conducted by the county health
department with the goal of gathering information on the community gardens in
existence to better enable county officials to provide support for the existing
gardens and make recommendations for future community gardens. The 2010
assessment found fourteen gardens within Tacoma and eleven additional gardens
28
in greater Pierce county for a total of 25 community gardens in Pierce County.
My research in 2013 identified 46 community gardens in Pierce County. The
newly created Pierce County Community Garden website, housed on the Pierce
Conservation District website, states there are 55 community gardens in Pierce
County. Although some of the difference between my research and the 2010
Community Garden Assessment can be explained by new gardens opening in the
three years between the time the two research projects were conducted, some of
the difference is likely caused by incomplete research conducted during the 2010
assessment. Listed in the limitations and considerations section of the
publications is the statement, “This inventory and assessment may not have
captured all community gardens in Pierce County.” Regardless of the possible
research deficiencies that may have occurred in 2010, Pierce County seems to be
experiencing a boom in the establishment of new community gardens with the
addition of nine gardens between winter of 2013 and summer of 2014.
The oldest community garden in Pierce County is the Procter Community
Garden, which is almost 40 years old. The Proctor Community Garden is owned
and managed by the City of Tacoma Parks Department. Additionally six
community gardens are at least fourteen years old and nine more gardens are
between six and thirteen years old. With a total of sixteen gardens established for
six years or more, Pierce County has far more vested community gardens than
Thurston County. Additionally, Pierce County has more community gardens very
recently established than Thurston County. Because Pierce County conducted
29
their assessment two years before Thurston County, they seem to be slightly ahead
in their process of encouraging the expansion of available community gardens.
Similar to Thurston County, the land Pierce County gardens occupy is mostly
government owned with some owned by churches and schools, some located
within neighborhoods, and the minority of gardens occupying land that is
privately owned.
30
Chapter 4: Study Methodology and Analysis of Survey Data
The first step in compiling data for my thesis involved researching
Thurston and Pierce Counties then compiling a list of all community gardens in
each of the two counties.
Thurston County is located in the southern end of Puget Sound. To the
east of Thurston County is Mount Rainier and the Cascade Mountain Range and
to the west is the Pacific Ocean. Thurston County is about 60 miles south of the
major metropolitan city of Seattle, WA and it is about 100 miles north of Portland,
OR. Thurston County is 727 square miles and home to more than 220,000
residents. Over half of the population, 140,000 residents, live in the urban north
county area made up of the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater. The
remaining 80,000 residents live in smaller towns including Bucoda, Tenino,
Rainier, and Yelm as well as in more rural areas. Thurston County is one of the
fastest growing counties in the Pacific Northwest.
31
Map 1: Thurston County, Washington
Table 1: Community Gardens in Thurston County
Garden Name
Location
Coordinator
Contact
Number
of Plots
Capital Vision
[Christian
Church]
Community
Garden
1775 Yew
Avenue NE
Olympia, WA
98506
David
20
360-791-8778
or
davidwillis88@
msn.com
Evergreen
Community
Gardens
2712 Lewis Road Matthew
NW Olympia,
WA 98502
Tesccommunity 22
gardens@gmail.
com
32
Hale Place
Community
Garden
1217 Yew Ave.
Rus
NE Olympia, WA
98506
22
360-705-0862
or
rusgey@yahoo.c
om
Lacey
Crossroads
Community
Garden (SSS)
5607 Corporate Marie
Center Lane SE
Lacey, WA 98503
mflake@nwrain. 16
com
Olympia
1401 13th St. SE Charles
Community
Olympia, WA
Garden
98501
(Sustainable
South Sound –
SSS)
17
360-943-9623
or
charlesays@gm
ail.com
Rainier High
School
Community
Garden
308 Second
Street West
Rainier, WA
98576
Angie and
Jeanine
10
360-446-2205
or
karnesa@rainier
.wednet.edu and
360-458-0578
or
jeanninepia@g
mail.com
Rochester
Community
Garden
10140 Highway
12 SW
Rochester, WA
98579
Kellie
22
360-723-6375
or
kmcnelly@roof
communityservi
ces.org
St. Mark
Lutheran
Church Food
Bank Garden
2109 College
Street SE Lacey,
WA 98503
Gail
46
360-456-3281
or
gatofrare@comc
ast.net
33
Sunrise
Community
Garden
(Olympia
Parks)
55
505 Bing St. NW Luke Burns 360-570-5857
Olympia, WA
or
98502
lburns@ci.olym
pia.wa.us
Wendell Berry 928 Wilson St.
TJ
Community
NE Olympia, WA
Garden
98506
Yauger Park
Community
Garden
(Olympia
Parks)
530 Alta Street
SW Olympia,
WA 98502
urbanagrarian@ 16
comcast.net
69
Luke Burns 360-570-5857
or
lburns@ci.olym
pia.wa.us
Map 2: Community Gardens Thurston County, Washington
34
Pierce County is located just northeast of Thurston County. It is much
larger than Thurston County with a population of about 795,000 people. It has 24
cities and towns of varying sizes with the largest being Tacoma, WA home to
about 199,000 people. Pierce County is also home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord
which has more than 25,000 soldiers and civilian workers. For Lewis covers
86,000 acres in Pierce County. In total, Pierce County covers 1,806 square miles
of land.
Unfortunately there was no list in existence for Pierce County. A google
search found a map created in 2012 for the 2012 Community Garden Harvest
Tour. This map gave me a list of gardens and their general area and a place to
start my research compiling physical locations and contact information for all the
gardens.
35
Map 3: Pierce County, Washington
Table 2: Community Gardens in Pierce County
Garden Name
Location
Coordinator
Bonney Lake
Community
Garden
18421 89th St. E Julie
Bonney Lake, WA
98391
yugo88@aol.co Unknown
m
Boze
Community
Garden
East 68th between
East L & East K
streets, Tacoma,
WA 98404
KristinM@pier Unknown
cecontycd.org
Kristin M
Contact
Number
of Plots
36
Brown's Point
Community
Garden
4301 Browns
Point Boulevard
NE Tacoma, WA
98422
Cindy Niemi
253-924-1847 16
or
bcniemi@comc
ast.net
City of
Edgewood
Community
Garden
11912 18th St. E.,
Edgewood, WA
98372
Dan Brown
cityhall@cityof Unknown
edgewood.org
Kristen
kmcifor@forter Unknown
ra.org
E. 51st and E. K E. 51st and E. K
Street
Street 98404
Eatonville
Community
Garden
305 Center Street Unknown
E., Eatonville, WA
98328
coop.volunteers 28
@rainierconnec
t.com
Fircrest
Presbyterian
Church
1250 Emerson St, Unknown
Fircrest, WA
98466
office@fircrestp Unknown
res.org
Fox Island
Community
Garden
1017 9th Ave., Fox http://garden- fimwa@aol.co
Island, WA 98333 wp.denimcreat m
ive.com/
12
Franklin Gardin 1201 South Puget Susan Wigley wigles@clear.n Unknown
Ave Tacoma, WA
et
98405
Gallucci
Learning
Garden
Corner of S. 14th http://garden- Unknown
and G St. Tacoma, wp.denimcreat
ive.com/
WA 98405
Gig Harbor
Community
Garden
4118 Rosedale St., Barb Carr
Gig Harbor, WA
98335
Unknown
253-228-0538 Unknown
or
ghcommunityga
rden@gmail.co
m
37
God's Garden – 135 163rd St. S.,
Spanaway
Spanaway, WA
United
98387
Methodist
Church
http://selfrelia Unknown
ntcommunity.
wordpress.co
m/
Good Medicine 1610 E. Wright
Community
Ave Tacoma, WA
Garden
98404
Dan Fear
253-304-2808 Unknown
or
danfear@hotma
il.com or
http://firstcreek.
blogspot.com/
Grace Baptist
Church
2507 North
Vassault (Behind
the Church)
Tacoma, WA
98406
Rich Fermo
and Al
Clemensen
Rich Fermo
24
(253?)752-3910
or Grace Baptist
(253?)752-6643
or
gracebaptist@h
arbornet.com
Green Thumb
Community
Garden
Corner of Portland Paul Stuthman 253-678-5483 Unknown
Ave and Wright
or
Tacoma, WA
stuthman@yaho
o.com
Hilltop House
S. 19th and
Yakima Tacoma,
WA 98404
John Flourney, 253-792-9404 Unknown
Guadalupe
or
Land Trust
jvc.at.glt@gmai
l.com
Junett
Community
Garden
North 16th &
Junett
streets,Tacoma,
WA 98406
Unknown
Unknown
http://selfreliant Unknown
community.wor
dpress.com/
38
Kandle Garden 2323 N. Shirley St Metro Parks,
Tacoma, WA
Doreen Odell
98407
Unknown
Unknown
Key Peninsula
Community
Garden
9004-B Key
Lance
Peninsula Hwy. N. Armstrong
Vaughn, WA
98349
Unknown
Unknown
La Grande
Garden
South 18th and G
Tacoma, WA
98405
Guadalupe
Land Trust
Unknown
Unknown
Lakewood
Community
Garden
5510 Arrowhead
Road SW
Lakewood, WA
98499
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Leo's Garden
S. 14th and
Yakima Tacoma,
WA 98405
James Harber
Unknown
Unknown
Steven Garrett Unknown
Unknown
Andrew
Mordhorst
Unknown
Unknown
McCarver/Zina 2111 S. J St.
Linnik
Tacoma, WA
Community
98405
Garden
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
N. 43rd and
Pearl
Chris
Johnstone
Unknown
Unknown
LLSE's Garden N Ainsworth and
5th Tacoma, WA
98403
Manitou
Community
Garden
4806 South 66th
St. Tacoma, WA
98409
N. 43rd and Pearl
Tacoma, WA
98407
39
Neighbors Park S 8th and S I St
Tacoma, WA
98405
Northeast
Tacoma
Community
Garden
Unknown
neighborsparkg Unknown
arden@gmail.c
om
8th and 1
NE 57th and
Norpoint Way NE Neighbors
Group
Tacoma, WA
98422
ourgardencomm Unknown
unity@hotmail.
com
Olympic View Unknown
Friends Church
Community
Garden
Heather Farrar lsandige@harbo Unknown
and Dave
rnet.com
Farrar
Orchard and
Vine
Corner of N. 45th Unknown
and Orchard St
Tacoma, WA
98407
orchardandvine Unknown
@gmail.com
Pilgrim
Lutheran
Church
10510 136th St.
E., Puyallup, WA
98374
office@pilgrim Unknown
puyallup.org
Unknown
Point Defiance 4716 N. Baltimore Senior Center tvickery@frank Unknown
Ruston Senior St. Tacoma, WA
etobeyjones.co
Center
98407
m
Enabling
Garden
Proctor Garden 3901 N 21st St
Tacoma, WA
98406
Puyallup
Community
Garden
Doreen Odell 253-305-1050 Unknown
of Metro Parks or
mrbailey@q.co
m
1111 19th Ave SW Pierce County 253-798-7170 Unknown
Master
or
Puyallup, WA
Gardeners
pierce.mg@wsu
98371
.edu
40
Roger's Park/
McKinley Hill
Community
Garden
E 34th St and E L
St, Tacoma, WA
98404
Dometop
dometop1@hot 68
Neighborhood mail.com
Group,
Lynette
Scheidt
Viet Huong
S 18th and G St
Tacoma, WA
98405
Kristen
kmcivor@forter Unknown
ra.org
Self Reliant
Community
Garden
9716 224th St
Graham, WA
98338
Lisa Cool
253-847-7574 Unknown
or
wcooke648@m
sn.com
Shephard's
Field
Community
Garden
245 Valley Ave E
Sumner, WA
98390
Unknown
gardenerline@p Unknown
eoplepc.com Or
hotvedtbruce@
aol.com
Unknown
patmccollough
@stjbosco.org
St. John
10508 112th St
Bosco's Church SW Lakewood,
WA 98498
Unknown
Steward Middle 5010 Pacific Ave, John Hoover
School
Tacoma, WA
Community
98408
Garden
253-571-4219 Unknown
or
jhoover@tacom
a.k12.wa.us
Swan Creek
Park
Community
Garden
2820 Pioneer Way Unknown
Tacoma, WA
98404
sue.b@prodigy. Unknown
net
The FarmSumner
Community
Garden
12324 Valley Ave Bruce
E Sumner, WA
98372
hotvedbruce@a Unknown
ol.com
41
University of
Puget Sound
Garden
N 17th St and N
Alder St Tacoma,
Wa 98406
Unknown
upspermacultur Unknown
e@gmail.com
University
Place
Community
Garden
7102 40th St. W.
University Place,
WA 98466
Scott Seitz
Scott@Soloman Unknown
sIns.com
UW Tacoma
S 19th Street and
Giving Garden Fawcett Avenue
Tacoma, WA
98402
Christina
McAllister
czinkgraff11@h Unknown
otmail.com
Yakima Ave
Garden
Bonnie, Tom, http://www.face Unknown
Kim,
book.com/grou
Shannon, Gen ps/1259400874
22074/
4620 S Yakima
Ave Tacoma, WA
98408
Map 4: Community Gardens Pierce County, Washington
42
Available garden coordinator contact information was used to e-mail the
coordinators an online survey created in Google Drive which asked information
about the garden they coordinate. Because Thurston County recently conducted
their garden assessment, their garden coordinators were not re-surveyed.
Thirty-seven Pierce County garden coordinators were e-mailed the garden
coordinator survey and seven responded to the survey. One additional coordinator
responded and indicated that the garden they coordinate does not fit within the
specified community garden definition used for the survey so they were removed
from the list of community gardens in Pierce County. Pierce County garden
coordinators were asked questions about the garden they coordinate including its
size, number of plots, how many people garden in it, what types of things they
grow, and how the garden is run.
Thurston and Pierce County garden coordinators both received an e-mail
and mixed-methods survey designed to be passed on to the people who had a plot
during 2013, the year the data was collected, or who had a plot the year before the
data was collected. The gardener survey was also an online survey created in
Google Drive. Coordinators were asked to forward the online survery and
corresponding e-mail on to the gardeners at their garden. All gardeners were
asked demographic information as well as information on their motivations for
gardening and benefits they get from gardening. After receiving the survey,
participants had two weeks to choose to participate. Forty-seven gardeners
responded to the survey.
43
Prior to beginning research, a human subjects review was completed with
The Evergreen State College's Human Subjects Review Board.
The mixed-
methods approach used to complete this research enabled the gathering of
information on who the gardeners are as well as what their motivations are for
gardening in a community space.
Ninety-five percent of individual gardener respondents gardened at
community gardens in Thurston County. Of the forty-seven respondents, thirtyseven were female, eight were male, and two chose not to answer the question.
Age of respondents ranged from 24 to 75 ½. Eighty-two percent of the
respondents were non-hispanic white, seven percent were American Indian or
Alaska Native, and nine percent classified themselves as “other”. Fifty-Eight
percent of respondents were married and sixty-two percent of respondents were
employed. Twenty percent or respondents were retired. Four percent of
respondents were active duty military members or family members of an active
duty military member. Thirty-nine percent of respondents were college graduates
and an additional thirty-four percent had an advanced degree. Twenty six of the
forty-four respondents, or fifty-nine percent, who answered the question, had
space to garden at home. Only forty-one percent, or eighteen out of forty-four
respondents did not have any other space to garden. This result indicates people
choose to garden in a community space for reasons other than a lack of any other
space to garden. Nine out of forty-seven gardeners indicated they had to wait for a
garden plot before they were able to begin gardening.
44
When asked what some of the major challenges they faced while
gardening at a community space were, common responses were slugs, pests and
diseases on plants, finding enough time to garden, personal health issues or
injuries, and working with other people in a communal setting. Some
respondents indicated they have had difficulty working with other gardeners and
have struggled with the politics at the garden they have a plot at.
When asked what their major motivation for joining a community garden
was, twenty-two people indicated environmental sustainability was one of their
top three reasons. Saving or making money by growing food was the second
most selected answer. To consume fresh food and community building and/or
cultural exchange were second and third respectively. Improving personal health,
increasing access to land, and enhancing personal spiritual practice were all
reasons not frequently selected as motivations for joining a community garden.
When asked whether gardening in a community garden has had an impact
on their lives, a majority of respondents indicated gardening in a community plot
has had a positive impact on their life. Of the thirty-nine respondents who
answered the open-ended question, thirty-eight, or ninety-seven percent of
respondents indicated the impact has been positive. One respondent indicated she
did not have a positive experience due to increased stress in her life caused by the
garden. She stated, “It has certainly had an impact, although it was not the impact
I anticipated. I have actually experienced more stress related to the garden in the
one year I have gardened there than I though I would.” The respondent indicated
45
the stress was due to a “very robust” e-mail chain that circulates among members
of the garden. She said, “Several members participated very actively. I do not
participate unless I have something particularly useful to say or if someone asks
for my input directly, as I know how annoying it can get for my inbox to be
clogged with minutiae.”
Other respondents had very positive things to say about their gardening
experience. One gardener stated, “Yes. Made new friends, learn new skills, live
more sustainably.” Another garden stated, “Yes. I wouldn't have awesome tomato
sauce otherwise.” Many gardeners referenced the positive experience they had
working with and learning from other gardeners. One stated, “Yes, I have learned
from others, gained new friendships and the produce has provided food for our
members and [the] local food bank.” Another stated, “I wanted to meet some
neighbors and this has been such a great way to meet neighbors. Plus I've picked
up so many great practices and knowledge for the home garden.” Another put it
very simply, “met great people; learn[t] more about gardening.”
Gardeners referenced eating more fruits and vegetables as a result of their
involvement with a community garden. One stated,
“When I started I had no idea that I would meet so many nice people, trade
vegetables and give and receive many free veggies. My husband and I have
learned to eat radish greens, and some other Asian vegetables that we now enjoy.
The garden is an emotional boost as it reminds me of my childhood growing up
on a two acre plot with my Dad growing vegetables.”
46
Another gardener stated,
“It has impacted me because I am better able to afford an organic vegetable-based
diet. I also like to purchase CSA shares, but it is more expensive than gardening.
This year I am not going to join a CSA and I'm going to garden instead.”
A third gardener stated,
“We eat many morning servings of vegetables during harvest time - if you
worked to grow it, you're highly motivated to eat it! We've also learned a lot
about gardening from the more experienced gardeners. We're getting to know our
neighbors better, and enjoying time with them doing communal work. Finally, the
garden is a good source of physical activity - it gets us moving outdoors on days
when we might not otherwise.”
Another benefit gardeners referenced was increased physical activity from
gardening. One stated,
“It's forced me to get outside and get much needed exercise. I've learned about
composting, different kinds of insects, and organic repellants to keep them away.
I've learned about starting seeds indoors. I can't begin to list all the things I've
learned by having this garden. Things I've wanted to do for years but didn't think
I could. The community garden has given me a chance to just get out there and
"do it!" I read books on gardening but it's the practice of gardening is where the
wisdom comes from.”
Another benefit gardeners referenced is increased mental health and life
satisfaction. One gardener stated,
“The Wendell Berry Community Garden has offered me a community that is
almost like a substitute for church. Most of my close friends are either in the
garden or associated with someone in the garden either past or present. In
addition I have learned a huge amount about growing and preserving food. “
47
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations
My research has identified the benefits of community gardens, created a
list of community gardens in Thurston and Pierce counties, and discovered who
the people are that choose to garden in the community gardens located in
Thurston and Pierce Counties of Washington State. It has also discovered what
motivations people have for gardening in the community spaces and what benefits
they receive from gardening.
After reading the gardeners responses to survey questions it is undeniable
that the benefits they receive from gardening are significant. Similar to the
motivations of historical community gardens, modern community gardens are
frequently focused on environmental sustainability, saving or making money by
growing food, and community building and/or cultural exchange. Although,
most of the people who completed the survey had access to gardening at home,
they chose to garden in a community plot which is likely much less convenient for
them, because of the additional benefits provided by community gardens. This is
presumably due to the benefits they receive from gardening with others. People
garden in community gardens for reasons other than lack of available gardening
space at home. Because so few Pierce County garden coordinators and gardeners
responded to the survey, additional research is needed to see if results are similar
in Pierce County.
48
Knowing such significant benefits exist for communities and individuals
that garden in community spaces, city planners and government officials should
look for opportunities to encourage citizens to garden in community spaces and
increase the availability of community gardens in cities and towns throughout
Western Washington. The increase in property values near community gardens
should be especially interesting for city government officials as an increase in
property values leads to an increase in tax revenue for the city within which the
property is located. When turning an empty or abandoned piece of property,
which may not be providing any tax revenue to a city, into a community garden,
this increase in tax revenue could be especially important. Cities could consider
the potential for increased tax revenue as a way to offset the costs associated with
the initial installation of community gardens. Additionally, because community
gardens have lower maintenance costs than traditional parks, this option could be
especially lucrative for cities. This tax revenue increase should be considered by
cities when they are making decisions about what to do with extra or abandoned
land.
49
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