Christy Wolyniak, Intern

Farmers and gardeners alike plodded through the community garden known as the Ballard P-Patch for the 11th annual ‘Art in the Garden’ event on Saturday.

‘Art in the Garden’ began eleven years ago, growing along with the garden’s bounty of organic produce and flowers.

Event Chair Kelly Ryan joked that the community garden helps him learn how to be social with his neighbors. Ryan was grilling up bratwursts in the beer garden, courtesy of Maritime Pacific. Rolls were donated by Tall Grass Bakery.

“My mom taught me how to garden. They say if you teach kids how to garden, you teach them how to garden for a lifetime,” said Ryan, who waited eight years before he could start his garden in the Patch.

Several bluegrass bands played on a makeshift stage while both young and old trudged between rows of brightly colored flowers, lettuce, squash and other fresh foods.

“There’s something to be said about the great local produce [here],” said Jimmy Baker, who has been gardening for forty years. “It serves the needs of people how don’t have gardening space as well donating [food] to people who don’t have it.”

Hooker’s Sweet corn grew tall above squash and green beans in Tommy Rose’s garden. Rose waited four years to get his hands on his own plot.

“[The Hooker’s Sweet] is the glory of the garden,” said Rose of the corn that prefers the northwest climate. “I wish everyone would grow this corn.”

Local artisans sold their handmade goods while artists displayed their work on the edges of the garden’s leafy fringes. Ladies helped others weave their own crowns out of handpicked herbs and flowers from their garden. Others toiled away painting colorful wooden signs, while across the street a few girls looked on as an artist made marble paper.

Gardener Kate Folchert walked around her garden pointing to various species of lettuce and flowers as she picked from it to make what she called ‘garden sushi’. She spoke of the Tuesday night ‘gang of ten’: interchangeable members who come together on Tuesday evenings to harvest produce for the local food bank. Folchert said they commit to giving 1000 pounds of food a year to the food bank.

“If we had more of this, I think there would be less separation between people in our culture,” said Pastor Steve Grumm of Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church. The church charges one dollar a year for the garden and Grumm said he loves having it in his ‘backyard’.