Monday, July 28, 2014

FULTON COMMUNITY GARDEN -- 100+ ORGANIC GARDEN PLOTS

Community gardener working in her plot.

Do you like to garden organically? Do you like to commune with nature in a healthy active way?


I am not familiar with this artichoke looking 
plant but found it beautiful.

Portland, Oregon answered the above questions by providing community gardens for its citizens in 1975 -- that have become very popular. All gardens across the city are grown organically -- all 50 of them. A small  plot fee is charged for the garden season.


Water -- the jewel of life for growing.


Some city gardens are small as few as thirty plots in them -- the largest city garden is the Fulton Community garden which has over a 100 plots for gardeners to sign up for. Many of the different gardens around Portland have a waiting list.

 Some gardeners spell out their feelings 
about nature by hanging Buddist prayer flags.

I recently visited the largest community garden in Portland with camera in hand to try and record its beauty. It was early evening and a few gardeners were out working their plots. 


Healthy zinnias

Chairs are scattered throughout the garden for gardeners to sit a spell or also for visitors to do the same.

A gardener's personal work station in their rented plot.

I bumped into a gardener named Ashley that I had met a few days before when I visited Fulton to see what the gardens were all about. During that visit she gave me some fresh chard from her garden -- During my recent visit to take these photos she sent more greens home with me -- such hospitality!


How can anyone look at sunflowers and not feel better?

Does your area have organic gardens available for its residents?




18 comments:

  1. Yes we do...several I believe...or maybe the same organization has spread to several sites. And there's a free vegies for seniors program also once a week...where gardeners share with those who no longer can do their own gardening. Love these photos. Thanks!

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    1. Barbara -- Wonderful that you have community gardens too.I have seen this idea grow for the past 25 years or so -- they have grown exponentially in the last several years. Black Mountain sounds like such a great community to live in. Here too -- the community gardeners contribute garden surplus to seniors weekly. Knowing the rise in food prices it is good to know that this donation idea is catching on in conjunction with the gardens. Nice to hear you liked the photos -- thanks barbara

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  2. I live in a rural area, so most everyone has a garden on their land. However, I grew up as an Air Force Brat and my mom would always rent a plot on the base and grow fresh produce. These looks like some well tended plots.

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    1. Michelle -- I have seen photos of your garden on your past posts. Isn't it wonderful that you can step right outside your home and walk to your gardens. Brings back memories of my former gardens. Did not know you were an Air Force Brat -- you are fortunate to have viewed the many parts of our country or maybe even the world? The Fulton Community Garden is the best well cared for (and prolific) garden that I have ever seen. Perhaps the size of so many plots made it look exceptionally lush. thanks -- barbara

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  3. I can no longer garden but I can certainly enjoy the beauty of other people's gardens. What a lovely place the Fulton Community Garden must be!

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    1. Florence -- I too have difficulty gardening anymore. I used to have huge gardens that I spent morning and evenings in and loved it. Now I too am content to enjoy other gardens. But I did sign up for the tall raised beds in the Fulton for next year. Of course there is such a demand for garden space I might not get in next year. Of course knowing my track record I might have flitted off to another area to live by then. -- thanks -- barbara

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  4. So, they have no deer, rabbits, ground hogs???

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    1. Tabor -- good question. I do know, from talking to one of the gardeners, they do have deer that usually visit in the spring partaking of a nibble here -- a nibble there. But from my observation it didn't harm any of the gardens. Don't know about rabbits, ground hogs etc. at Fulton. When I used to grow large gardens, it was always in the spring that I had trouble with critters, especially ground hogs. thanks -- barbara

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  5. All terrific photos! I especially like the artichoke going to flower. I really wanted to photograph this near Monterey where all the commercial artichokes are grown, but didn't manage to get there at the right time. Your shot is really good!

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    1. Melissa -- Oh great -- thanks for the ID on the flower. Parts of the country where I have lived did not raise artichokes. Having never seen them growing I really was stumped when I saw this plant --" if it looks like a duck then it must be a duck," I thought. Just couldn't get past that lovely purple hairdo to actually think it was an artichoke. thanks for the kind words -- barbara

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  6. We have allotment gardens over here which seems to be a similar arrangement. However it would be unusual to find any that are exclusively organic - of course at one time they all would have been; there was no other way.

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    1. John -- I have read about European allotments. They seem like homes away from homes, meaning they were able to have small sheds on their plot where they could relax between gardening to eat a meal. Maybe this is not the case for all gardens in your area? Maybe it is not practiced anymore? Community organic gardens are hit and miss in the U.S. -- mostly miss. Oregon is one of the states that is a big proponent of the organic movement.
      thanks -- barbara

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  7. We are vacationing in the Northwest now and never have seen it so beautiful. This is in large part due to changes in how people garden and the many community gardens,small farms selling eggs and vegetables, and farmer's markets. This is a real qualitative change from how it was even a few years ago.

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    1. Hattie -- When I lived in Oregon many years ago the organic movement was starting with a full speed ahead attitude. Now. living back here, I think that the area has awakened many, many folks to the need to eat organic to have a healthy diet. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Portland, a very large city, has taken on this challenge of providing its citizens with the opportunity to enjoy gardening in a healthy way. Nice to read your words about noticing a qualitative change from a few years ago. thanks -- barbara

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  8. LOVE my cukes, lettuce and tomatoes. Have a medium size garden. Compost it, but that's about as far as 'organic' takes me. hehehehehehe

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    1. Birdman -- Your garden has the basics that I think most gardens should have especially the cukes and tomatoes. I think your medium sized garden would serve up a lot of veggies for summer enjoyment! thanks -- barbara

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  9. Gorgeous, I see you were inspired by this community garden. Don't they just embody a spirit of peace & health? Oh, if the world were run this way, with this spirit. Your title photo is pretty too. Boston has a large community garden that has a sidewalk going through it so one can admire all the different patches.

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    1. Rita -- I must say that these Fulton gardens were the most lush I had ever seen in community garden plots. This told me that the gardeners were avid in producing fine produce. Sometimes folks start a garden and then let it go to waste as they find the care consumes so much of their time. Did not know about the Boston gardens -- I am going to see if it is online. I would like to see a book published on the many U.S. regions and the organic gardens they have -- both large and small. It could be a fascinating book if done right. Maybe it has been done? --- thanks -- barbara

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