P-Patch (Community Garden)

Seattle has a system of community gardens (or allotments if you are British) called P-Patches. This is because the first patches were set up in a place that was once the Picardo family farm. Picardo Patch eventually became P-Patch.

Here is our P-Patch viewed from the street. There are 60 plots, a tool shed, bee hives, Giving Garden plots, a little picnic area and flower beds in front. Behind the garden is a deep ravine that is undeveloped, so that is why there are so many trees and it doesn't look like it is in the middle of a residential area. 

Getting a P-Patch is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I wanted to try to grow some food. I also just really like weeding, I find it meditative. But since I have been out of work so long, the idea of getting outside more often was also really appealing. I have to say that the whole experience has been just as great as I had hoped it would be. How often can we say that in our lives?

It hasn't cost us very much money, the patch is ours for a small fee. We mostly planted everything from seed, we only purchased starts for cucumbers, peppers and some herbs. We have had salad greens for months, as well as some other produce and fresh herbs. I don't think we saved any money, we still have to buy a lot of our produce from the store.

Adorable label my partner made! We gave some lettuce to a friend recovering from surgery, my partner really put some detail into the label. An example of the beautiful lettuce we have been eating. 

Besides the vegetables from our garden my diet has been hit or miss, so I haven't lost any weight from gardening. But I have been a lot more physically active in some unique ways. A lot of squatting to pull weeds for example. Seattle has had a really nice spring and summer, unusually warm, so being outside has been a pleasure.

I think this photo is from early May. The garden was only just getting started. Behind me are broccoli raab, baby lettuce and some radish tops. The right side is all planted but has not sprouted yet. The left side hadn't been tilled yet. Since then we have also widened the path down the middle, so we can actually use it. 

And of course I got involved in volunteering for the garden. My mother has accused me of volunteering so that I don't have to focus so much on getting a job. At the same time she knows how important it is that I get to interact with new people and push myself to get out of the house. She is right, of course.

I took on a volunteer position when no one else would fill it. I am the Coordinator for the Giving Garden. This is three plots that are used to grow food for local food banks. The city in conjunction with a local non profit, Solid Ground, provides the starts that are grown. This has been mostly a fun experience. At times I was not confident enough to ask for help, or none was given, and it has been really stressful. Trying to get a ton of plants in the ground, where there isn't really enough room. Not knowing if I am doing something wrong, or if other gardeners will end up criticizing me. Or even if what I am doing is going to crowd and eventually kill the plants. Besides putting in plants I also have to follow through, going to harvest food, clean it and take it to the local food bank.

Besides at times feeling overwhelmed, I think taking on this position has been good for me. It forces me to talk to new people, to ask for help, to organize things for the garden community. I feel like I am still contributing, even though I am not working. It helps me remember that I am friendly, approachable, and that I can make myself do scary things. I can also bring it up in job interviews and other situations, to show that despite not working I keep building on my skills and trying to take on new responsibilities. I have also made sure that the way I scheduled it, when I do get a job, I will still be able to keep this position without too much hassle.

Me at a recent event, a volunteer secured a grant we used to purchase new furniture, to make the garden more accessible for the elderly and disabled. So we had a party where we sealed all the new furniture. So this is me chatting with new people. 

So, as far as losing weight. I need to walk to the garden more often, to make it even more of a workout. I have been excited about the vegetables, and need to use this to keep focusing on a healthy diet.

I have been dieting pretty well for almost two weeks. Before that I had a few bad weeks, where I didn't eat very healthy, and had some bad days where I really binged on junk food or cake. But our scale broke! So I'm not sure if I lost weight.

I will buy a scale, if not today then tomorrow, and post something with hard numbers in it.

Random bonus picture