Anacortes Community Gardens – No longer associated with Transition Fidalgo & Friends
Many people don’t have the land, space, or sunlight to grow their own food. Anacortes Community Gardens is provides alternatives for those folk and extends support to local schools to give children an experience of growing and eating their own food.
Back in 2009, when TF&F was still “Beat the Heat,” we partnered with the Anacortes Parks & Recreation Department to create the first community garden in Anacortes, located off of Commercial at 29th Street (behind the bowling alley).
The garden offers 15 plots and five ADA raised beds. There’s a shed that holds gardening tools and other resources. Seed distributors often donate seeds, or gardeners bring their own seeds or plant starts to use and/or share. Some long-time gardeners have taken composting classes and manage the compost area at the garden.
Gardeners pay annual fees (full plot, $50; half plot, $30; and ADA raised beds, $25), which funds compost, wood chips, maintenance, repairs, tools, hoses, etc. Each gardener is required to work in the common areas of the garden, including pathways, boarders, compost bins, foodbank plot and shed maintenance.
Each year, gardeners choose to renew their plot or give it to the next person on the waiting list. There’s been a good balance between people moving on and people waiting for spots. Often they can share their skills and gardening interests even before they have a plot—for instance, working in the Food Bank plot (which all gardeners help maintain, harvest, and distribute).
People are welcome to walk through the garden and enjoy the beauty. Keep in mind that the gardeners are growing this food for their families; please respect the gardeners’ hard work by not picking their food. To get an application:
- Click here to download an application and here to download gardeners’ Rights and Responsibilities
- Stop by the garden anytime there’s a gardener present
- Stop by the Parks Department at the City offices
Questions? Call Sylvia Cooper at 360-420-7774.
School Community Gardens
In 2011, we began collaborating with local schools who were interested in using gardening to enhance curriculum. First, we built the Mt. Erie Elementary School. We were fortunate to receive funding from the Mount Vernon Co-op, and the plumbing installation was done by Home Depot. Bud Anderson was instrumental in getting the garden level and digging the plumbing trenches.
In 2017, the Island View Elementary School garden was built. Students, parents, teachers, and PTA were all involved in the design and implementation of the gardens and shed. Thanks to a grant from the Soroptimists and the fundraising efforts of the teachers and PTA, a beautiful garden and shed were built.
We’ve been involved in supporting a garden at the Middle School, and are happy to help support all our local schools enhance their educational efforts towards the benefits of growing food. Our goal is for every level of education in Anacortes to have a program that gives students experience in growing and cooking their own food.