Community garden grows in Marysville
Published 9:53 pm Tuesday, June 9, 2009
MARYSVILLE — This gift just keeps on growing.
Since April, the Wilcox Farm Community Garden has been sprouting from former farmland that belongs to Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
The church asks for a $30 annual donation to reserve a 10-by-10-foot plot. To date, more than 50 of 68 plots have been reserved. The takers have included youth groups, a local food bank and church members, among others.
The garden’s bounty should go a long way: Youngsters learn about farming, people without a yard get the chance to garden and everybody has the chance to socialize. A lot of the produce goes straight to food banks.
“They’re growing the food to give it away, a lot of them,” said John Natterstad, a member of Bethlehem Lutheran’s property and grounds committee. “You have the exchange of gardening information, which is interesting, too.”
The garden occupies part of a 15-acre parcel off 67th Avenue NE in Marysville near Cedarcrest Middle and Kellogg Marsh Elementary schools. The land was donated to the church by the late Bly Wilcox, a farmer and lawyer who died several years ago.
Eventually, the church plans to build a school on the site. That’s likely to take a while, so the church is letting the garden take root for now.
The city of Marysville has been helping. Financial problems sidetracked the city’s plan to start its own community garden on an adjacent piece of land for its Healthy Communities project to prevent obesity through fitness and better eating.
“A lot of what people need is already here, and it’s free. Really, all you need to do is bring what you want to grow,” city spokesman Doug Buell said. “Study after study shows that kids might not eat a vegetable on their own initiative, but if they grow it, they’ll eat it.”
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465 or nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Community garden
The Wilcox Farm Community Garden is on 9212 67th Ave. NE in Marysville. To reserve a plot, contact Bethlehem Lutheran Church at 360-659-2022 or office@bethlehemlutheran.com.
