Garden Variety

The springtime aroma of thawed earth can inspire even a city dweller to seek a spot to till the soil, plant seed and labor for a harvest of homegrown vegetables and flowers. But high-density living often results in small, shady yards, or no yard at all.

One solution for urban agricultural yearning is the community garden, many of which have operated in the Washington area since they were set aside as victory gardens in World Wars I and II.

Clearings in city parks, county green spaces, national parks -- even private lots -- can provide a neighborhood with fresh vegetables and a place to unwind.

Takoma Park residents Betsy Lehrfeld and Jim Turner share a compost-enriched acre of their property with what Lehrfeld calls "land-strapped Washington workaholics." Fourteen gardeners share 36 plots and pay a $40 annual fee, which helps pay for water and mulch.

People often contribute personal resources to their gardens. In Kingman Park, a neighborhood northwest of RFK Stadium, Linda Hamilton-Gilbert runs a hose from her house across an alley to share her water -- some of it from rain barrels -- with other Kingman Park Garden members, who help out with her water bill.

Across the creek from Georgetown, those at the West End Garden pitch in to solve their water needs. "We have what we call 'the water brigade,' " says garden manager Kevin Platte. The group connects a very long hose to a distant spigot to fill water barrels that are tapped to slake the thirst of their vegetables.

But even a well-watered tomato is in jeopardy there. Human thievery steers what Platte decides to plant. "You may have wonderful tomatoes and pumpkins," he says, "but they'll disappear." He grows peppers, beans and spinach instead.

During World War II, Americans tended about 20 million victory gardens, raising nearly 40 percent of the country's produce. Many of those gardens were in back yards; some were plots in community gardens. Though far fewer gardens are active today, many persist. A 1996 survey of 38 cities (the latest survey available from the American Community Gardening Association) revealed 6,020 gardens. In densely populated areas, demand for garden space outstrips supply.

Gardens tend to have long waiting lists: one to four years for some, "don't even bother" for others. South of the Capitol, the Pomegranate Alley Garden has a waiting list of 10 people, but only one or two leave the garden each year. "You are talking about a wait of six to 10 years," garden coordinator David Hilmy says. "That's the standard waiting period for gardens in D.C."

But beyond city neighborhoods, the opportunity for tillage increases. Prince George's County gardens almost always have open plots (though they're open only to Montgomery and Prince George's county residents). A lack of interest will probably even spell the end of the Cherry Hill Road garden, which is destined to become a soccer field next year.

Several other gardens are on the chopping block or have recently closed: The Rear 12th Street Garden on Capitol Hill was shut down a few years ago and developed by its landowner; the Walter C. Pierce Garden in Adams Morgan closed in 2005 because of erosion and will reopen only as a memorial garden; Brookland Garden is seeking a new spot for its plots now that Catholic University has decided to develop the space; Independence Garden, across Independence Avenue from the National Air and Space Museum, will yield eventually to the planned Eisenhower memorial.

But many gardens persist, each reflecting the cultural variety of its neighborhood. The South Four Mile Run garden in Arlington harbors a diverse community of gardeners growing vegetables from their native homelands. "It's a mini-U.N.," says Joanne Hutton, Arlington's community gardens coordinator. "One gentleman from Bangladesh grows plants that his countrymen can't find locally and sells them at a local grocery store. He made $1,100 last year."

Plot sizes vary widely, even within a single garden. "Twenty by 30 [feet] was large enough years ago when people grew vegetables for their families," says Margie Joyce of the Fairfax County Park Authority. "But that's a lot of garden for most people these days, who tend to be weekend gardeners." New plots at Grist Mill Park are sized accordingly at 10 by 20 feet.

Some gardens are reserved exclusively for seniors, children or residents. The nonprofit Red Wiggler Community Farm isn't a community garden in the traditional sense, but it employs developmentally disabled adults who grow and sell the farm's produce to subscribers. Volunteer gardeners are welcome and needed.

Most gardens are run by their own executive committees, which set rules and fees. Expect to pay a nominal deposit and small annual fee, which will help pay for fencing, mulch, manure, water and trash removal. Participants are also expected to pitch in and help maintain the commons. Whitehaven Garden manager Matt Riley rallies the help of every garden member for a yearly spring cleanup of the garden just south of Glover Park, assigning crews to turn the communal compost piles and cover paths with wood chips. In an e-mail to members, he lures them to the garden with promises of coffee and a member's homemade pastries: "Come today if you can. Or come tomorrow," he writes. "I'm going to trust all of you to do the right thing."

Patterson Clark is a Washington Post staff artist who grows cow peas in a small plot at Whitehaven Garden.