New community garden in Tukwila to serve refugee families as well as local folks

Come this spring, vegetables will sprout at a community garden in Tukwila, tended by refugees and others who want – or need – to grow some of their own food.

Gardeners got their first look at the garden design, at least on paper, at a potluck dinner of everything from fruit to coconut sticky rice recently, attended by refugees from Bhutan, Burma and Nepal and other community members interested in the garden.

Besides a fill of food, they got information about how to sign up for a 10-foot by 10-foot plot at the garden on the grounds at St. Thomas Parish next to Foster High School. Applications are due by March 1 at the church.

The garden is a joint project of the Cascade Land Conservancy, the St. Thomas Parish and the International Rescue Committee.

Tukwila will now have three community gardens. The City of Tukwila has a pea patch in the Allentown neighborhood and Riverton Park United Methodist Church offers a community garden that also caters to Tukwila's immigrant population.

The St. Thomas garden is open to all, but organizers want to make sure refugee families from Burma and Bhutan who want one can get a garden plot, said Skye Schell, community engagement manager for the Cascade Land Conservancy.

There's the possibility the garden could grow in size, he said, but right now "it's probably around the right size." The parish has expansive lawns.

The 100-foot by 150-foot garden will sprout on the grounds of St. Thomas Parish at 4415 S. 140th St. Two pathways will wend through the 70 10-foot by 10-foot individual plots.

"It's a good spot for a garden," Schell said, with plenty of sun.

Water could come from the church's supply; the plot fee would help pay for the water, he said. Another option is to collect water onsite in a 1,000-gallon tank for the garden supply.

The garden will have large plots for tall crops such as corn or for group farming. The church will have a plot to grow crops for its food bank.

A volunteer, Sky Edwards, will till the garden for free, just as he does for the Tukwila pea patch. Teachers from the Foster will have six plots their students can use as outdoor classrooms.

Apply for a plot

Applications for a plot at the community garden are available online. Applications are also available at the St. Thomas Church, 4415 S. 140th St. Tukwila. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. March 1 is the deadline to return an application.

How to volunteer

The community garden offers several volunteer opportunities, including fundrasing, building the garden, tending the St. Thomas Parish food-bank plots and offering expert advice to gardeners. To volunteer, contact Skye Schell at 206-905-6891 or Dal Diyali at 206-664-1309. To make a donation of money, tools, seeds, etc., e-mail Stephen Reilly at stepreilly@hotmail.com

Contact Tukwila Reporter Editor Dean Radford at dradford@tukwilareporter.com or 425-255-3484 ext. 5050.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.