You can grow your community. WSU master gardeners want to help

Community gardens are popping up throughout the Tri-Cities, and the program building them wants to keep growing.

All it needs is sponsors who can provide land and water.

Bill Dixon, the WSU extension’s master gardener, said the program’s grant was renewed for this year, which will allow more gardens to be built in the area.

About 20 have been built since 2016 in Benton and Franklin counties.

Some local gardens the program built include Juvenile Justice center and My Friend’s Place gardens. Dixon said he thinks around 10 will sprout up next year.

“We want them building the garden for themselves rather than building a garden for them,” Dixon said.

Sponsors should build the garden for their clients, he said. Common sponsors are churches, shelters, organizations or groups, not single people or families.

Applications are looked over, site are assessed and Dixon said they double-check gardeners will be able to maintain after building ends.

Gardens are built from February to June, and more than 60 master gardeners are in the community working on the projects.

The program started in 2012. Dixon said it’s an educational program that can be passed down from generation to generation.

“We found there were more and more people interested in growing food,” Dixon said.

Sponsors, assigned gardeners and master gardeners work collaboratively throughout building and thereafter.

“They water, they harvest and they weed,” Dixon said. “It becomes a little community in and of itself.”

Interested parties can contact WSU Master Gardeners at 509-735-3551.

This story was originally published August 19, 2018 at 5:46 PM.