Intro

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History of the Garden

About the Garden

Gardener Quotes

In the News

"The earth heals souls...The garden feeds people in a multitude of ways."

"When we see our neighbors there, and visit with them, it makes us feel closer as a family because we are interacting more with the people of our community, and growing things together—sharing this essential part of human existence together."

"People need a place to go... People need a sanctuary."

"It is an inspiring place not only for those who garden, but for the community as well. As the city becomes more and more supportive and active in sustainability, I think community gardens speaks to that mission incredibly well."

"There is still a heart beating in the middle of the city."

Quotes from the Gardeners

After 10 years of gardening in that space, I believe it helps support and develop a sense of the land and connection to it through others. Open space is so important. I also notice so many people stopping and looking at the garden, coming in to talk about it, how to get a garden. it is an inspiring place not only for those who garden, but for the community as well. as the city becomes more and more supportive and active in sustainability, I think community gardens speaks to that mission incredibly well...talk about sustainability on all levels. It seems a win-win...The earth heals souls, and the city can so deplete soul life. The garden feeds people in a multitude of ways.

-Dana, 4th East Garden

“4th East Garden is important to me because, it is close to where I live, I can walk there and work on it whenever I have time, I don’t have a backyard because I own a condo downtown and this plot was the perfect solution for me so that I could still garden.

“Community gardens provide public open spaces and can bring cultures together; they present a great opportunity to bridge the divide between ethnic, political and socio-economic groups.  They are vibrant places that improve bleak city blocks, covered in concrete.

“Community gardens can provide healthy, cheap, fresh and locally grown food and additional services and benefits such as training and skills building, companionship, mental health benefits and physical activity benefits.

“If a city cannot take advantage of all these benefits then I don’t know what can make a city better all around.”

-Trixi, 4th East Garden

“My family has a deep history with the 400 East Community garden. Two years ago my twin brother grew quinoa, chick peas, squash and greens at the garden; this harvest, supplemented with produce from other local growers, enabled us to hold a "local food dinner" - in early February - when most would think it impossible to eat off of the land.  Last year my wife and I grew 7 varieties of tomatoes, 5 varieties of summer and winter squash, as well as golden raspberries, peppers, kale, chard, eggplant, parsley and chives (we're still finishing the winter squash).  This year's garden will look about the same for our 30 ft by 12 ft plot.

“…As The Tribune stated in its 4/2 editorial, the CDC serves a vital role in our community by giving "low- and moderate-income families the opportunity to buy affordable homes in the city".  The catch is that a community garden also fills this need, and a new garden cannot be built overnight.  It takes many, many years of hard work, community cooperation, and soil-building for a community garden like the one at 400 East to flourish.  I invite everyone to stop by the 400 E Garden this year to see what's growing at 553 South 400 East.”

-Kevin, 4th East Garden

Mary Younkin, a founding member of the garden, says no one recollects exactly when the garden got started. She believes it might have been more than 30 years ago. It began as a Red Butte Garden & Arboretum protect. "The National Guard helped clear the vacated lot," Younkin remembers. "There were car parts, some sort of a garage where the shed is now, and the soil was so full of clay, I could make balls out of it." Mary lives two blocks from the garden and knows a number of friends who moved into the apartments nearby just because of the access to the garden. "It is a very special place. It attracts birds and beneficial insects. The land is completely toxin-free-no pesticides or herbicides have ever been used [in the history of the garden]. You can't just move a garden like this." Mary says. She also lamented how much the neighborhood needs the garden, "This neighborhood has seen some rough times the past couple of years." She mentions Destiny Norton under her breath. "People need a place to go." People need a sanctuary. "They don't need another high rise apartment building."

 -Excerpt from Cataylist Magazine, August 2007

We have enjoyed our 2 years with the 4th East Community so much, that I wanted to take a moment to detail how it has impacted our small family.  My husband and I have a 4-year-old, who was just two when we began to clear up the plot we were assigned in spring 2006.  After being on the wait list for a plot for one year, we were very excited to start planting!  As we rent a condo, this is the only opportunity we have found to be able to enjoy gardening.  One year I did plant some herbs and peas on our balcony, but as it faces north, we didn’t see much for my efforts. 

We were truly amazed by the welcome and generosity of our community garden neighbors who helped us get started by giving us the low-down, and one neighbor even offered us the use of his truck to move compost!  This particular neighbor was the garden steward of 8 years, and spent a great deal of time teaching us how to “turn over” the soil, and really get the most out of it. 

That first summer I spent many hours at the garden with my daughter, Gretel.  She enjoyed exploring through the flowers and dirt, curious about bugs and plants, just like all little kids ought to be able to do--  we made her a little flower garden out of our plot.  I am convinced that our time weeding basil, garlic, onions, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, bell peppers, asparagus, strawberries, rosemary, thyme, peppermint, sage, parsley, tarragon, watermelon, flowers, and cantaloupe began teaching her at two a very important lesson that many Americans don’t grasp these days.  That is, the importance of diet in determining health and happiness, and the rituals of gardening and good hard work which sustain human life.  Also, she has an opportunity to run around in that fenced-in place with food and flowers and foliage growing all around her in a way she could never do at a park or in our condo’s backyard. 

This year, Gretel is a big help in the garden getting water in the watering cans, removing big stones and snails from our plot, and making sure she doesn’t step on any little plants.  However, her favorite task (as is mine as well) is picking things to take home with us. 

My husband and I have noticed the very positive impact this community garden has had on our family and our lives.  Gardening takes up a lot of time, and even more so when our plot is ½ mile away from our home.  However, when we spend time there together, it makes us come together as a family.  When we see our neighbors there, and visit with them, it makes us feel closer as a family because we are interacting more with the people of our community, and growing things together—sharing this essential part of human existence together.

Wasatch Community Gardens has been very generous with us and our neighbors, and we should stress that even if we were asked to pay for all of our water costs, and perhaps even rent our plot, we would undoubtedly seriously consider staying, because we enjoy knowing we have a plot on 4th East, and we enjoy knowing that we’re growing things there. 

-Diana, 4th East Garden

-Matt (1st year gardener)

-Marie, Marmalade Garden

“I have been a community gardener for the past 4 years with WCG and my primary motivation for joining WCG stemmed from the inspiration I gained from a Environmental Issues class. I learned of the value of taking ownership and investing myself in enhancing the health of the urban environment I live in by creating biologically productive places that not only help to improve air quality, provide much needed shade and cool areas during hot urban summers, but also offer spaces for people to grow their own food and be more connected to the land.  At WCG we grow food organically and use ecologically regenerative methods and avoid using industrial chemicals that pollute the soil, air and groundwater resources.  Community Gardens also offer opportunities to bring people in our neighborhoods together, enjoy each others' company, and learn from each other. …  CGs also serve to empower people with the knowledge of how to feed themselves and encourage people to share the surplus with others, thus, enhancing food security and helping end systemic problems such as poverty and hunger.  I highly encourage the city to help protect and mobilize the creation of other community gardens and valuable green-spaces.”

-Alexandra, Grateful Tomato Garden

“This urban garden has truly been a rare jewel in Salt Lake's Central City neighborhood. The garden was started in the early 1980's by, among many others, Mary Pat Matheson, at the time a horticulturist at Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, and later their Executive Director. Bordered by two matching, yellow brick, 2-story apartment buildings on either side, and a soap factory in the rear, the bourgeoning abundance of its plots has tempted the senses of those passing by for a quarter of a century.

“When I was first introduced to the garden as WCG's Community Gardening Coordinator in 1999, I felt like I was discovering a secret garden. While the front plots were well-tended (a Master Gardener with the County Extension Service used two plots for seed trials at that time), the path down the middle slowly became less straight and more unruly. Toward the back were brick paths half-covered by soil and plants, planters with unpruned perennials, and a trellis covering a bricked-in seating area.  The garden felt full of magic, mystery, possibility...

“Nearly five years before this, management of the property had been taken over by Wasatch Community Gardens, but the staff there had plenty on their hands with at least three other gardens, and part of the agreement was that they would continue to let the 4th East Gardeners determine how their garden was run. When I started with WCG, many of the gardeners had been there since the very beginning – a librarian, a chef, an elderly Japanese man, a social worker, an historian. Typical gardeners, they preferred to spend their time in the garden working on their plots, conversing on occasion should they cross paths with other gardeners, but really using their time there to focus on their own slice of heaven.

“The garden has certainly seen its challenges. Vandalism and theft have always been an issue, even after the gardeners and WCG fought city codes for a 6 foot high chain link fence and a big padlock. There have been aggressive neighbors who have thrown trash and hateful words across the fence. The gardeners have had to find ways to get along with each other, too. A community garden is a microcosm of the world at large, and personalities are evident in gardening styles. Some gardeners are loose and free-form, while others adore order and straight lines – both are opinionated! Some gardeners became senile over the years and 'weeded' other people's plots, left the water on too long, or invited seedy characters into the garden. Some gardeners were unhappy when the garden became chemical-free in 2001. Ultimately, it was the people in the garden who made the garden what it was. Each season was a little different because of the different gardeners, who learned and grew alongside their flowers and vegetables.

“It takes decades of hard work and tons of compost to grow excellent soil. Of all four community gardens that WCG operates, the 4th East Garden has the best soil by far. I always thought it was funny that our waiting list for the Grateful Tomato Garden, with its heavy clay soil, was so long, when just a few blocks away sat the 4th East Garden, with bigger plots and much loamier soil. It remained my little secret, and the secret of those hard-working, shy gardeners, who in their quiet way were making roses bloom in the desert.

“One by one, most of the original gardeners have left the 4th East Garden. One or two of them are still there, but many new gardeners have come to fill their plots, bringing their own unique style with them. One gardener grew only flowers. Another gardener decided to do a Wizard of Oz theme with his garden plot, complete with bricks painted yellow, tall rows of corn, a basket with Toto, and ruby slippers! This plot was a highlight when visitors from all over the country came to see the garden during the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) annual meeting in 2000. One gardener in particular, Terrence J. Armstrong, poured his heart and soul into the garden. He spent endless hours planning and installing a drip irrigation system in the garden so that we could reduce the amount of water wasted in the garden. He cut down trees in the back (to the consternation of many), and planted new ones. He built a garden shed for gardeners to store their tools. He relandscaped the parking strip outside of the garden when neighbors complained about weeds. Terry was terminally ill, and when he could have just rolled over and shut out the world, he embraced the garden instead. He said that the garden allowed him to live better and longer. Terry passed away last year.

“..As the 'infill' trend continues in the heart of the city, the need for urban green and growing space will only increase. As Margaret Mead is often quoted, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” A few such citizens created and maintained the fabulous 4th East Garden. We need a few more to continue its legacy.”

-Ginger Ogilvie, WCG Staff 1999-2003