Every place has its hidden stories. In her article for the January/February issue of Edible Seattle, Heidi Broadhead shares one such story about the community gardens at Yesler Terrace. Spread throughout this community are three P-Patch gardens totaling 30,000 sf where Yesler Terrace residents plant and tend a variety of vegetables, many of which aren't available in grocery stores. "The most active gardeners are residents who have immigrated from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Vietnam," Heidi writes. Within this downtown-adjacent community, urban gardeners grow everything from edible chrysanthemums to fava beans, purslane and arugula. Produce not consumed by the gardeners is shared with neighbors or donated to charity.
In order to meet the needs of community residents for the generations to come, Yesler Terrace is undergoing a multi-year planning and redevelopment by Seattle Housing Authority. While the exact locations of community gardens in the redeveloped site are still undefined, early plans call for new gardens in park areas and rooftops. As our project team works with SHA in initial planning for Yesler Terrace, we are considering how to honor the stories of Yesler Terrace's past and create places where tomorrow's stories will take place.