Raab Park garden celebrates fourth year

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, September 6, 2006

POULSBO — Poulsbo Master Gardener Peg Tillery took a chance when she entered the city of Poulsbo in a contest sponsored by Scott’s Seed Company in 2002.

The risk was rewarded when Tillery’s entry won first place and provided $5,000 to start a community garden at Raab Park.

“It’s the most special place in my opinion,” Tillery said as she recalled the journey through the city council committees and full council to see the first seeds planted in the garden.

The council and Poulsbo Parks Commission had seen the results of the P-Patch, which focused on younger gardeners, but there wasn’t an actual community garden at the time, Tillery said.

The council was supportive of the idea, and with help from Parks and Recreation Director Mary McCluskey and Tillery’s sister, Jackie Aitchison, who was on the council at the time, all of the pieces came together, she said.

McCluskey said even though her department processes the paperwork for renting plots in the garden, the volunteer effort involved has been tremendous.

“They do such a great job with the program. It’s been a real asset to the community,” McCluskey said.

Not only has the city been supportive, but service organizations including the Poulsbo-North Kitsap Rotary and the Kiwanis clubs have pitched in as well, said Tillery, who works as the Washington State University Community Horticulture Extension Coordinator in Kitsap County.

“We still have $750 of the original $5,000, and what’s been done is due to a lot of volunteers,” she said.

Those volunteers have been the lifeblood of the garden as Master Gardeners Judy Morgan and Renata Riggs have stepped up to oversee the garden’s operations, she said.

“It’s been the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s been a dream come true,” Tillery said.

If Tillery hadn’t asked, Morgan said she probably wouldn’t have taken such an active role in the community garden, which led to her becoming a Master Gardener.

“All of our produce is grown organically, and everyone does their part to help out,” Morgan said.

Some gardeners have been in the garden since it opened, while others have continued to find their way to the little slice of garden paradise on the west side of the park, she said.

This year, 28 plots were planted. Two additional plots are dedicated to North Kitsap Fishline with deliveries to the food bank on a regular basis, she said.

“This is our way of helping the community and providing Fishline fresh produce,” Morgan said.

The gardens are leased on an annual basis from April 1 to March 31, and the waiting list for next year’s leases is already available, she said.

Mayor Kathryn Quade agreed that the garden is a wonderful asset to the community.

“It gives people an opportunity to grow their own food and also give back to the community,” Quade said. “It helps build the community threads of cohesiveness.”