Quimper Grange Garden

Contact: Jo Yount

The Quimper Grange of Port Townsend has enjoyed the infusion of youth into its organization this spring as its garden is being run by high school students and young adults. The garden is contributing to the mission of the grange by offering community members the opportunity to learn how to grow their own food. Produce from the garden is used by members and donated to organizations such as the Boiler Room and Food Bank.  

The Grange Garden strives to provide leadership and an outlet for participation in community based projects. Each Saturday at 11AM the group meets to tackle new challenges and experiments. “Anyone is welcome to join us and we’ve enjoyed participation from people of all ages and backgrounds”, says David Christensen. The garden has proved to be a meeting place where people can work towards a collective goal. According to Christensen “the garden has given us a chance to share ideas and learn more about the community we live in”. 

The group’s commitment and passion has compensated for its inexperience. “We know we’ll make mistakes but we’re learning more each week. We’ve done a good job improvising and supporting each other”, says Abbey Davies.   This type of attitude and persistence highlights the fact that anyone can grow a garden.  “If we can do it, anyone can do it”, continues Davies. It does not take fancy equipment or a lot of money. Ingenuity and persistence will allow anyone to grow their own food.   

Members of the Grange Garden have been working since March to prepare for this year’s growing season. They have built off of the success of previous years by building new beds, adding manure and compost to the soil, repairing fencing, and planting starts and seeds. Each week a scavenger hunt for materials has resulted in more ambitious projects and goals.