Makes Possible
Our community makes it possible for local gardeners to grow their own produce. Each season we have beginning gardeners, and the PPCG provides a friendly place to learn. We also have more experienced gardeners that can use more growing space or a place to try something new. The end result for both is the enjoyment of the process and fresh veggies to eat.
Makes Possible
The opportunities for our youth in the community to experience the joy of giving and serving. The outcome of their giving has been fresh produce not only for our gardeners, but for the food banks and other out reach organizations the PPCG has donated to. And not only the youth, for many adults have also given countless hours to the garden.
Makes Possible
The growing of community. When we think about community we think about multiple people and organizations working together for the benefit of all. A sense of value and belonging comes through our shared experiences, and following after is a sense of hope and motivation. We are thankful for everyone of our partners in this shared experience known as the Pumpkin Patch Community Garden.
The Pumpkin Patch's Community
Gary Mathews and Dewdrop is one of our start up sponsors. Gary installed all of our irrigation to the garden plots. Each year since Gary has helped us with turning on the water in the spring and winterizing the system in the fall.
Website: https://www.dewdropnw.com/
Craig Goodwin, then the Pastor of MCPC, had the initial vision to start the garden. He approached the owners of the property, worked with them and several others to put together the resources needed to get the garden up and going (Spring 2010). We thank MCPC for their sponsorship that continued until summer of 2019.
MCPC Website: https://www.millwoodpc.org/
Wittkopf is one of start up sponsors. They donated enough soil to fill the thirty six 4 x 10 garden plots we started with.
Website: http://www.landscapeandgarden.com/
IFG is one of our start up sponsors. IFG donated the lumber for our start up, and in 2019 they donated again. All of the produce that was grown, harvested and donated to others in 2019 – 2020 (and for many years to come) was possible because IFG helped us maintain the plots. Look for a yard that sales IFG lumber the next time you need to make a lumber purchase.
Savemore lumber is a source for IFG lumber. In fact, when asked, Savemore was more than happy to pick up from the IFG mill and deliver to us this last donation of lumber.
Website: https://idfg.com/
Website: https://savemore.doitbest.com/
Inland Empire Paper (IEP) is the property owner. IEP believed that the garden was a better use of the land than leaving it empty. We thank them for their belief in the garden’s contribution to the community.
Website: https://iepco.com/
Millwood Community Association (MCA) is now the garden’s non-profit sponsor. You will know MCA for they are the promoter of Millwood Daze, the Millwood Christmas Tree Lighting and WinterFest (along with IEP) and now of the Millwood Farmers’ Market. MCA was actually involved in the gardens origin and start up, for it was many of these people that Craig Goodwin worked with to find donations for the garden.
Website: https://www.millwoodnow.org/
Appleway Florist & Greenhouse donated many many plant starts the first several years.
Website: https://www.applewayflorist.com/
Though Desert Jewels focus is dry land and other native plants, Diane just has to start vegetable starts each season. So if you want local starts in the spring Desert Jewels Nursery is one of your first choices. Diane has for many many years donated plant starts to the garden.
Website: https://www.desertjewelsnursery.com/
Holly Garden and Greenhouse has donated starts to the garden the past few seasons. Holly is another first choice for local plant starts each spring. Not only does Holly have plants, but she has knowledge about the plants and will be able to set you up with just what you are looking for. Holly has veggie starts in the spring, but she also has a full selection of other plants as well.
Website: https://hollysgarden.webs.com/started-plants-novelties
In our early years Hutton Settlement came to the garden for a work day. It is still a fond memory for us when we remember the joy the kids brought with them and shared with us. Hutton Settlement has developed their own garden program, and so much more. Check them out and what they are doing to invest in and develop our next generation of leaders.
Website: https://huttonsettlement.org/
West Valley School District’s City School has made it a yearly event to have the PPCG as one of their community service locations. Almost every year a group of students and their teachers would come to the garden for a day of community service. It has always been early in June when there is a lot to do. I remember one year we had planted lettuce early in the season, and the students harvested 40 paper grocery sacks that went to Union Gospel Mission. It was always a joy to see when a student was able to find a task that was in their true skill set and to seem them excel and lead others to complete the task. Even the students that decided to make a science day of it by digging for worms and other bugs rewarded us with the delight they experienced digging in the dirt.
Website: https://wvcs.wvsd.org/
One year the Millwood Girl Scout troop donated the funds they raised to the PPCG. We used the funds given to us to make signage for the special “Grafted” plant project we had going that season. Then when our parking lot was filled with illegal wood chip dumping, the troops leaders came out for our work day and clear the driveway entrance.
The Boy Scout troops from Millwood and St Paschal volunteered several work days and nights at the garden. Scouts from these troops perform their Eagle Scout project at the PPCG. The planter around the sign, compost boxes, picnic bench, metal bench were are local scouts. Then 2019-2020 a scout from Mead made our Kiosk as his eagle scout project.
Websites: https://www.gsewni.org/
Timberview Church’s Trail Life scouting program gave a community service day to the garden. The boys moved wood chips, the adult’s put up our heavy duty trellises to hold the extra weight of the graphed plants, and the little kids planted veggie starts. Then we had a BBG lunch together.
Summit Ridge Church involved their youth in many community service projects. One year they chose the PPCG, and the timing was perfect. We were planting a triangle of Pumpkin’s and were using the Lasagna gardening method (layer of soil ingredients just like lasagna). We had several pile of compost horse poop, alpaca poop, leaves from Millwood, and BaRR-TeCH to layer. After a couple of hours it started to rain. But instead of stopping them it inspired them to press on and get the job done. Even the leaders had to smile as mud covered youth climbed into their cars when the day was done.
Website: https://summitchurchnw.com/
Over the years several neighbors have shared with us soil that they no-longer needed. Neighbors have become friends of the garden and would take their evening stroll through the garden. This gave them enjoyment, but it also gave us the benefit of someone being at the garden at various hours and how that lowered vandalism. Neighbors have also been able to take from the wood chip piles. Most of them do not need a full large truck load, but they do need a pickup truck load or wheel barrow load. It is good for us to be able to help in this small way.
As many of you know, the property where the pumpkin patch now lives used to be a staging area for heavy equipment during the bridge reconstruction. The soil in the boxes was good, but the ground around the boxes has hard packed. Someone suggested bringing in rocks, but this would not help the soil. The idea was mentioned by Gary Mathews to bring in wood chips.
Bartlett Tree Experts is one of the logging / arborist companies working with us to rebuild the soil.
As many of you know, the property where the pumpkin patch now lives used to be a staging area for heavy equipment during the bridge reconstruction. The soil in the boxes was good, but the ground around the boxes has hard packed. Someone suggested bringing in rocks, but this would not help the soil. The idea was mentioned by Gary Mathews to bring in wood chips.
Budget Arbor & Logging is one of the logging / arborist companies working with us to rebuild the soil.
Website: https://budgetarbor.com/
As many of you know, the property where the pumpkin patch now lives used to be a staging area for heavy equipment during the bridge reconstruction. The soil in the boxes was good, but the ground around the boxes has hard packed. Someone suggested bringing in rocks, but this would not help the soil. The idea was mentioned by Gary Mathews to bring in wood chips.
Spokane Tree Pro is one of the logging / arborist companies working with us to rebuild the soil.
Website: https://spokanetreepro.com/
Some projects are larger that a shovel and wheel barrow can handle. On several of these occasions Star Rentals has donated the use of a tractor and other equipment. They enjoyed being able to give to the community and we are grateful for their kindness and generosity.
Website; https://www.starrentals.com/
FMI Equipment helped us out when it really mattered. We are fortunate to have a good working relationship with several tree arborist, and we have cables across the driveway now so companies can not easily illegally dump on the property. But that was not always the case and we had our parking lot filled a couple of time. One of our gardeners knew the people at FMI equipment and reached out to them. They responded and rescued us. Those tractors can make quick work of piles of wood chips, and it was fun to watch. FMI helped us out a couple of other times. These are the type of people you want to deal with when you need a tractor.
Website: https://www.fmiequipment.com/
The generosity of everyone we have listed above and below this listing have made it possible for us to raise produce not only for our selves but or others in the community as well. In the early years Second Harvest food bank had a plant a row program where by local gardeners and gardens could donate. All of our sponsors and friends made it possible for the PPCG to be awarded for the largest donations that year. We try to list everyone that helps the garden because your support of them make it possible for them to support projects like ours which in turn supports hungry people. It all builds a healthy community. Second harvest ended that program, so we had to find other places to give.
Spokane meals on wheels. We were told of the delight their clients have when they receive fresh veggies that they can no longer grow for them selves.
Union Gospel Mission. We figure if anyone needs good nutrition it is people who are in the process of recovering from life’s hard knocks.
Spokane Valley Partners Food Pantry. We started with Valley Partners when 2nd Harvest shut down their program.
Millwood Impact & Second Harvest. 2020 Millwood Impact teamed up with 2nd harvest’s food distribution program. We had a neighbor couple join the PPCG as friends of the garden. Each week they harvested what was ready and took it to this distribution.
We use card board as a layer under the wood chips. It slows down the weeds and it gives the worms a happy place. Furniture Row has allowed us to take from their recycle dumpster. We check to make sure they have not called for a pick up yet, and then when broken down flat a dumpster full fills our pick up truck.
Website: https://www.furniturerow.com/locations/Spokane-Valley/WA/100001
Below is a list of links to seed company websites. These are the companies we purchase seeds from, and when we reached out for year end donations most of them donated to us. Several have continued to donate with out us asking again. These are companies that we recommend, that is why we purchase from them and felt good about asking for donations: we like their seeds. We thank them all for their generosity.
A couple of years ago North 40 donated a gift certificate to the PPCG. We used it to help purchase hose for the garden. So next time you pick up a hose at the garden you can whisper a thank you to North 40. They are our community hardware / garden supply store, and have very helpful and friendly employees.
A wonderful benefit of living in Millwood is the fall leaf pickup program. The PPCG is one of several places the leaves are taken each year. At the PPCG they cover our long rows for moisture control, they break down into soil after giving the worms something to eat, and pumpkins (squashes in general) love to grow in them.
Website: https://www.millwoodwa.us/
We are thankful for the positive exposure the Spokesman Review has given the PPGC. They timed one of their articles for a boy scout work day, which made for a story that shared the big picture idea of the garden.
When our parking lot and driveway was filled with illegally dumped wood chips KXLY 4 came out and did story on it. Doing so was the community speaking out that this is not an okay thing to do, and many people responded to seeing the story and helped us clear it.
Website: https://www.spokesman.com/
Website; https://www.kxly.com/
The trouble with making a list to recognize those who have partnered in our community is we have missed someone who has given to us. For most of you, if you are like me, that is okay. Most people do not give in order to be recognized. In fact, most people want to be quiet about it and not have attention drawn to them.
To everyone we have missed in our list — Thank You, and may you have a sense of inner joy knowing you have blessed us.
From time to time we have had the unfortunate need to have trespassers removed from the property. We want to thank the Sheriff Deputies who have answered the call. We have to make these calls to keep the gardeners and neighbors protected. I what to recognize the Deputies for the professional and compassionate performance of the trespassing task. One season, not to many years ago, the PPCG had gotten the reputation on the street as a great place to make camp. In that same season the Deputies deflated that reputation.
We are making new soil on the lower portion of the garden. The ingredients are leaves and wood chips. So imagine our concern when we arrived at the garden to see smoke coming up from the rivers edge. The county ecology will not allow us to weed wack the rivers bank in order to keep it pristine (which means untouched). If fire caught that grass on fire and came up the hill we could have a a significant veggie roast on our hands. With in minutes of our phone call the Big Red Fire Truck was parked at the curb and fire fighter with extinguishers on the way down to the river bank. Someone had lite a can a fuel on fire for the fun of it.
We finish the list with the two people who began the ideas that have become the Pumpkin Patch Community Garden.
Craig had the mission of finding his blessing by creating blessings in our community. The Millwood Farmers’ Market and the PPCG started out of Craig’s desire for our community to experience the good gifts of good food and community. Thank you Craig.
Richard appreciates the benefits experienced while taking in the magnificence and beauty of a wild flower cover field. Things like Joy, peace, wonder, adventure and discovery; and did I say Awe. Thank you Richard.