March 8, 2012

Construction will start in June on Jefferson Park 'food forest'

Rendering courtesy of Harrison Design [enlarge]

Harrison Design and Permaculture Now are designing the garden. The team got a $100,000 neighborhood grant to fund the first phase. A contractor will be hired and work with volunteers.

A plot of grass sits in the middle of Seattle, feet from a busy road and on a hill that overlooks the skyline. But it's no ordinary patch of green. Residents hope it will become one of the country's largest “food forests.”

The food forest will be in Jefferson Park on Beacon Hill. It will start at 2 acres and grow to 7, will offer city dwellers a chance to pick apples, plums and other crops right from the branch.

“I think it's a great opportunity for the people of Seattle to able to connect to the environment,” said Maureen Erbe, who walked her two dogs next to the plot on a recent overcast day.

Would she pluck some fruits from the forest?

“Heck yes, I love a good blueberry. You're not from Seattle if you don't like a good blueberry,” she said.

The park is a new step for the city into urban agriculture. Portland and Syracuse, N.Y., already have their own versions.

Seattle is dotted with community gardens that the city helps maintain, and farmer's markets flourish in many neighborhoods.

When a group of people interested in sustainable gardening brought the idea of a food forest for the Beacon Hill neighborhood to city officials in 2010, the city-volunteer effort began. That year, city officials had declared it the “year of urban agriculture.”

The plot is next to a sports park, driving range and a lawn bowling club, and near many apartment complexes.

“Seattle gets the big picture and so the focus on local food actions is a collaborative one,” said Laura Raymond of the city's community garden program.

The department has allocated $100,000 for the first 2-acre phase. The land is owned by the city and through an inter-agency agreement will be developed at no land cost.

Raymond said the city hasn't verified it, but the forest might become the biggest one in the country. Glenn Herlihy, who helped create the initial designs, believes it can grow to that size.

Herlihy studies permaculture, a land management technique that aims to develop gardens modeled on natural ecosystems — that means natural fertilization that comes with decaying vegetation and a variety of plants in one plot. Unlike orchards, which only have one type of tree or shrub, a food forest has many types.

Fruit and nut trees are on the upper level, while berry shrubs, edible perennials and annuals are on the lower levels. Plants to attract insects are also planted for natural pest management.

“All of these plants work together like a forest ecosystem, but they are edible,” Herlihy said.

The park will also have area for smaller community gardens for families or community groups. One goal is to provide affordable healthy food at a time when such items can be too costly for low-income residents.

The first harvest from the community gardens will happen in the spring of 2013. Fruit trees and shrubs will take a while to grow. Herlihy expects those harvests in about two years.

Ultimately, Herlihy envisions thick plots of nut trees, such as walnuts and hazelnuts, next to apple, pears and plum trees. Underneath, there will be huckleberries, salmon berries and even salal, a native shrub. Herbs like rosemary will also be planted. The group plans to install beehives to aid with pollination.

Organizers say that they will use the honor system when it comes to how much food people can take.

“It's simply just good ethics,” he said. “Help yourself, don't take it all and save some for anybody else.”

Related Stories:

• Plan afoot to grow food in Jefferson Park  12-30-2010