Armed with loppers and compost forks in gloved hands, a group of Queen Anne residents broke ground Sunday afternoon at a work party on the first expansion of the Gilman Gardens.
The Gilman gardeners plan to revitalize the median neighboring the current gardens and restore two diseased apple trees.
"They're so overgrown we're just trying to give them a better life," said Charlie Hoselton, the brains behind Gilman Gardens, which he started in March of last year.
In addition to pruning the apple trees, Hoselton said the expansion at 13th Avenue West and West Gilman Drive will add 20 garden plots and space for composting bins and a grape arbor.
"There's a big demand for people who want to have a place to grow stuff," said Hoselton. "There are a lot of condos and apartments around here, and they don't have a place to grow."
The expansion will allow the Gilman Gardens to accommodate 54 gardeners and clean up a median riddled with garbage.
"With the first garden, in the first month we hauled out 8,000 pounds of garbage," said Hoselton. "We dug up tires, computer screens, TVs, and tons and tons of broken glass."
Hoselton estimates that it took 10 to 20 people 15 days, working 6 to 10 hours each day, to complete the first Gilman Gardens patch.
These dedicated Gilman gardeners have been pushing, without much success, for the city to install a faucet at the garden.
Marilynn Carlson, who Hoselton calls the garden's arborist, tends the garden's fruit trees and frequently transports water from her home on top of Queen Anne.
"I carry the water in buckets in my car, and it's hard," said Carlson, who said she brings six large buckets every time she visits the garden.
"We all bring our water from wherever we can find it," said Blake Manning, who lives four blocks from the patch and agrees with the need for a steady water supply.
Hoselton said he hopes to solve the water problem through a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant or some kind of levy money.
"It's a garden," said Hoselton, "and on the hot days, we really need water."
Hoselton said the Gilman gardeners are looking for people interested in helping with the water issue or sponsoring parts of the expansion, such as the grape arbor. One supporter he has found is longtime U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, who is a Queen Anne resident.
"He loved what we were doing," said Hoselton. "He gave me his home address and said that whenever we're really in need of help to come knock on his door."
Gary Ard, the owner of Fifth Avenue Excavation and the Dirt Exchange, will provide equipment and materials to the Gilman Gardens' expansion.
Hoselton hopes that this expansion will lead to more additions.
"Ultimately, over time, I would love to have a Gilman Gardens Corridor," Hoselton said. "I'm going to try to keep filling up gardens and finding more little pockets in the community."
Anyone interested in supporting the Gilman Gardens expansion, or obtaining one of the new plots, should email friendsofgilman.urbangardens@hotmail.com.[[In-content Ad]]
