P-Patch Explained

A P-Patch is a parcel of property used for gardening; the term is specific to Seattle, Washington. The "P" originally stood for "Picardo", after the family who owned Picardo Farm in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood, part of which became the original P-Patch.^[1] (A folk etymology attributes it to "pea patch".)

The 90 P-Patch locations around the city donated a total of 33438lbs of produce to food banks and meal programs in 2023.^[2] One of the more unique P-Patch locations is atop the Mercer Street parking garage at the Seattle Center, which spans 25000square feet. It opened in 2012 and was slated for closure in 2020, but was saved after community protests.^[3]

List of P-Patches

1. Jackson Park, 10th Ave. N.E. & N.E. 133rd St.
2. Pinehurst, 12th Ave. N.E. & N.E. 115th St.
3. Evanston, Evanston Ave. N. & N. 102nd St.
4. Ballard, 25th Ave. N.W. & N.W. 85th St.
5. Picardo Farm, 26th Ave. N.E. & N.E. 82nd St.
6. Burke-Gilman Gardens, 5200 Mithun Pl. N.E.
7. Magnuson, Sand Point Way N.E. & N.E. 70th St.
8. Ravenna, 5200 Ravenna Ave. N.E.
9. Good Shepherd, Bagley Ave. N. & N. 47th St.
10. University District, 8th Ave. N.E. & N.E. 40th St.
11. Interbay, 2451 15th Avenue West
12. Eastlake, 2900 Fairview Ave. E.
13. Colman Park, 32nd Ave. S. & S. Grand St.
14. Snoqualmie, 13th Ave. S. & S. Snoqualmie St.
15. Ferdinand, Columbia Dr. S. & S. Ferdinand St.
16. Delridge, 5078 25th Ave. S.W.
17. University Heights Center, 5031 University Way N.E.
18. Thistle, Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. & S. Cloverdale St.
19. Judkins, 24th Ave. S. & S. Norman St.
20. Republican, 20th Ave. E. & E. Republican St.
21. Alki, 2126 Alki Ave S.W.
22. Bradner Gardens Park, 29th Ave. S. & S. Grand St.
23. Estelle Street, 3400 Rainier Ave. S.
24. Phinney Ridge, 3rd Ave. N.W. & N.W. 60th St.
25. Ida Mia Garden, E. Madison St., 32nd Ave. E. & Lake Washington Blvd. E.
26. Fremont West, Baker Ave. N.W. & N.W. 42nd St.
27. Belltown, Elliott Ave. & Vine St.
28. Queen Anne, 3rd Ave. N. & Lynn St.
29. Hillman City, 46th Ave. S. & S. Lucille St.
30. Hiawatha, S. Dearborn St. & Hiawatha Pl. S.
31. Squire Park, 14th Ave. & E. Fir St.
32. Fremont, Woodland Park Ave. N. & N. 39th St.
33. Cascade, Minor Ave. N. & Thomas St.
34. Thomas Street Gardens, 1010 E. Thomas St.
35. Greenwood, 345 N.W. 88th St.
36. Marra Farm, 4th Ave. S. & S. Director St.
37. Haller Lake, 13045 1st Ave. N.E.
38. Greg's Garden (formerly East Ballard), 14th Ave. N.W. & N.W. 54th St.
39. Immaculate, 18th Ave. & E. Columbia St.
40. Courtland Place, 36th Ave. S. & S. Spokane St.
41. Pelican Tea Garden, E. Mercer St. & 19th Ave. E.
42. Roosevelt, 7012 12th Ave. N.E.
43. Mad P, 30th Ave. E. & E. Mercer St.
44. Queen Pea, 5th Ave. N. & Howe St.
45. Thyme Patch Park, 28th Ave. N.W. & N.W. 58th St.
46. Beacon Bluff, S. Massachusetts St. & 13th Ave. S.
47. Longfellow Creek, 25th Ave. S.W. & S.W. Thistle St.
48. Linden Orchard, Linden Ave. N. & N. 67th St.
49. Brandon Street Orchard, S. Brandon St. & 47th Ave. S.
50. Lincoln Park, Fauntleroy Ave. S.W. & S.W. Webster St.
51. Angel Morgan, S. Morgan St. & 42nd Ave. S.
52. Maple Leaf, 5th Ave. N.E. & N.E. 103rd St.
53. Oxbow Park, Corson Ave. S. & S. Eddy St.
54. Hawkins Garden, E. Jefferson St. & Martin Luther King Jr. Way
55. Genesee, 41st Ave S.W. & S.W. Genesee St.
56. Howell Collective Gardens, 1514 E Howell St

See also

• Allotment (gardening)
• Urban agriculture

External links

• Official site, as part of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
• P-Patch Trust, a non-profit land trust supporting community gardening in Seattle.
• The History of Seattle's P-Patches from Crosscut.com and KCTS

Notes and References

1. Web site: P-Patch Community Gardening - Neighborhoods . seattle.gov . 2021-05-26 . 2022-08-21.
2. News: Martin . Casey . February 12, 2024 . Seattle P-Patch gardeners donated 33,000-plus pounds of produce to food banks in 2023 . . February 12, 2024.
3. News: Brunner . Jim . December 31, 2019 . Seattle to let P-Patch remain atop Mercer Street Garage, won't replace it with parking spots . The Seattle Times . January 10, 2020.