Daffodils and tulips have begun sprouting in my garden boxes and twilight lingers past five each evening — I take this to mean that spring is not far off. The scent of blooming flowers and the extra light kick my itch to garden into full gear.

I blame this itch on my grandfather. He spent his early years tilling Nebraskan farm lands. When he and my grandmother transplanted to Vancouver, he carved out his own city sanctuary on a small patch of land just a block east of Clark College. I spent my spring and summers as a child playing hide-and-seek in rows of corn stalks and picking cherry tomatoes off the vine. Any visit to my grandparents’ house meant a trip down to the garden, usually with a bucket in hand. I learned how to prune vines, the texture of a ripe cucumber, and just how much water a half acre required in the heat of summer. Most importantly, I witnessed the bounty each harvest brought — zucchini longer than my arm, bucketfuls of sugar snap peas, and my grandfather sharing the fruits of his labor with all of his neighbors.

Admittedly, I didn’t inherit my grandfather’s green thumb, but I did fall in love with the idea of a city garden. Of course our house is on a smaller plot than my grandparents’, and we opted for a “maintenance-free backyard” — complete with rock gardens and bubbling fountains. Last spring, I decided it was important for my preschooler to have a place to dig in the dirt and watch pumpkin seeds transform, so we built a makeshift garden in our back alley.

For other city dwellers that crave a spot of land to fertilize, Vancouver’s Community Garden Project is accepting applications for this spring. Green thumbs and newbies alike can stake a claim at one of four gardens throughout the city.

The Community Garden Project has roots back as far as the 1970s, and has evolved over the last few decades. Andy Meade, Assistant Center Director for Marshall Center, where the largest garden is housed, has seen exponential growth in those interested in the project.

“People seem to be placing more importance on growing locally,” Meade said. “Our gardens are a great option for those who either don’t have a space to garden or have had to downsize. The benefits of gardening locally are far reaching from an economic standpoint and ecological impact. Community gardens shorten the distance that food travels, people know where their food is coming from, and are able to grow vegetables not readily found in grocery stores.”

Two hundred 20’ x 20’ plots are available for 2009. Last year all of the plots sold out. Meade attributes this to a very high retention rate as well as a new interest in gardening.

“One of the unique impacts is the diverse population you meet in the gardens,” Meade explained. “We have a variety of languages spoken in the gardens, but that doesn’t pose a barrier to passing on tips and techniques. Most people use very traditional techniques and love to share their knowledge. There’s an amazing community and intergenerational feel. It’s a great place to teach children where food comes from.”

The county is also cultivating a number of gardening projects aimed at educating children.

Kris Alexander, Coordinator for the Clark County Home Grown Gardens Program, is partnering with local schools to create garden spaces that children can tend year-round. Home Grown Gardens is a grant-funded program that teaches low-income people how to create food.

Soil, seeds, tools, and a book are provided to participating families. Volunteers help install 4’ x 8’ boxes and volunteer mentors help care for the garden through the changing seasons.

Managing the gardens is an ongoing project according to Alexander, “Our goal is to get maximum yield out of a small space and teach families how to become self-sufficient. The idea is succession planting, with continual crops from early spring until the fall.” In 2008, fifty families took part in the project. This year it will expand into low-income schools, where children will keep watch over the garden during the school year and families will adopt the garden over the summer.

If you’re ready to start digging, be sure to secure your plot now, as they’re likely to sell out. Or, if your thumb is even a pale shade of green, consider signing on as a volunteer mentor and help propagate a new crop of gardeners.

To volunteer with the Clark County Home Grown Gardens Program contact Kris Alexander at kris.alexander@clark.wa.gov or 397.6118 x5654. Volunteers are needed to build garden boxes and mentor gardens.

Kate Dyer-Seeley is a mom, a writer, a coffee junkie and avid reader.

Vancouver Community Gardens are housed at these locations:

Marshall Garden
1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd.

Campus Garden
Campus Drive & 65th Avenue

Ellsworth
SE 10th Street & Ellsworth Road

Fruit Valley
31st Street & Fruit Valley Rd

Register in person at
Marshall Center
1009 East McLoughlin Blvd.
487.7100

Garden Plot Rates
$25 per plot
55 and older: $20 per plot
Scholarships are available