The garden's gone better this year than I could have imagined. I've made some new friends, we've…read moreenjoyed looking out for one another, and I harvested over $200 worth of gorgeous produce from my $60/year patch -- and I have probably another $200 worth still in the ground (beets, carrots, onions, flowers, Chinese broccoli, celery, rutabegas, parsnips... the fun never ends!) And I still need to see if our popcorn will get big enough to eat... and I really really need to brave the rain to plant some lettuce! The early summer lettuce we enjoyed was so fantastic, the sweetest lettuce I've ever eaten. The Crossroads P-patch garden was featured in the Bellevue City cable channel's October edition of "It's Your City". To view our segment (and to see me in my pink shirt and lots of shots of my garden!) go here: http://bellevue.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=27&clip_id=2305 You can click the segment link on the right side to skip the Bellevue bicycling program review if that bores you to tears. :-) I will definitely be renewing my patch membership next year... as the first gardener to register, how could I do otherwise? Kudos to Ron Sher for having this lovely idea and for making it happen, spending a lot of money to make a delightful community resource available. He is an amazing guy and Bellevue is lucky indeed that he is so invested in the Crossroads neighborhood (he is the head of Metrovation, the company that owns Crossroads Mall). It's been a pleasure to get to know him a little bit as he tended the artichokes, tomatoes, and sunflowers in his plot.

The Community Gardens in Marymoor Park is similar to P-Patch, which is a parcel of property used…read morefor gardening, a term commonly used in the greater Seattle area. Gardening spaces are individually managed subplots for the farm/yard enthusiasts. All of them are in spectacular condition. Folks farming their little plot really want to farm it, and the results are amazing. From gorgeous flowers, to beautiful tomatoes, healthy corn stalks, 10+ feet tall sunflowers, watermelons, heirloom tomatoes and much more, these plots are a feast to the eye. It's like a botanical garden of the densely productive variety. According to the marymoorgarden.org/faq, gardeners pay a yearly plot rental fee, fulfill a community service commitment (for foodbank donations), and they cultivate their plot from May through Oct. Gardeners are required to have an obvious presence at each of their plots to weed and to prevent weeds from invading adjacent plots, which explains why they all look so incredibly healthy. Any unmaintained plots are returned to the pool. Water supply, mulch (in the form of wood chips and leaves), and a green waste area are all on site. We didn't specifically come to Marymoor Park to see the Community Gardens, but I certainly am glad we decided to stop and wander. The dahlias are in season and stunningly beautiful. The sunflowers are also in season and majestically tall. The vastness of produce varieties is envy-inducing, and we now have new ideas on trellis and support styles for climbing plants. At the very least, we learned what plants can be successfully grown here. If you're in the area, do drop in for a look. It's absolutely worth it. But if you're there to walk your dog, dogs are not allowed in the gardening area.

Visited the park today. Didn't realize how big the park was. Today from 4pm -9pm they had a night…read moremarket event. Lots of food stands and clothes vendors. They also had live entertainment

Large walking path that's never too busy. Well kept open field for walking as well. Also a large…read morepavilion area for picnics and more. Great play ground with splash pad area as well.

This is a great place that's next to Jefferson Park…read more If you check out their Instagram page, they post about volunteer meet ups weekly to tend to the gardens and clean up around the area. The amazing thing about this place that there are plots where you can rent them privately to grow your own produce. There are other plots that the volunteers and community members utilize to grow various fruits and vegetables for anyone to harvest. Depending on the season, you can get apples, lavender, thyme, tomatoes, squash, etc. I highly recommend taking a stroll through this area to admire all the amazing fruits and foods that are being grown in an urban area. Sometimes they have paper bags available so that you can harvest various items from the gardens, but they aren't available all the time so be sure to bring your own reusable bag and or containers.

I've been wanting to go to the Beacon Food Forest ever since I heard about it! This garden is a lot…read morelike a community garden... but usually it is implied that those putting in the work for the garden usually get the rewards from it. Those that do are usually people from the neighborhood or volunteers. From my understanding the Beacon Food Forest is just a little bit different. Most of the produce that is grown here anyone that walks through and sees a piece of fruit or a vegetable is free to take it for themselves. With that concept in mind I have to give this community garden five stars. That doesn't mean that applies to the entire garden however. Some areas are rented out and there are signs where the rented spaces are NOT to take the produce that is being grown there. From the looks of it most people seem to be very respectful of that request. Lots of the produce that I saw that was free for the taking was very under ripe but there was indeed some there for you to take... it wasn't completely picked over! There are a number of fun little paths to do an urban hike through the garden which is lots of fun. There are fun decorations too like a whole section of painted rocks and a funky looking scarecrow. The Beacon Food Forest is actually quite large for a community garden... but during my hikes through the area I wish it was bigger... it was a refreshing hike and change of scenery. All urban centers should have these food forests throughout.

This is a beautifully laid out community garden with visual delights such as a children's garden, a…read morebutterfly garden and a gorgeous patch of dahlias which never fail to make me smile and wish it was my place I was walking through. Its true that I am a little biased because I helped build the garden from the mud up way back in 1998 but I still can't help being amazed that what was once a negected weedy area next to a parking lot was transformed into such a lovely place.

Consisting of over 3 miles of paved trails surrounded by 172 acres of wetlands, the Lake Hills…read moreGreenbelt Park in Bellevue, WA is a great place to take a leisurely, non-elevated urban hike. Our family had a chance to enjoy a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest in the park, walking back and forth between the two small lakes that it connects, using the Lake to Lake Trail. We started out in the south part of the park, parking the car in the large paved parking lot and walking to the small pier overlooking Phantom Lake (63 acres, max depth of 45 feet, so named because like a phantom, it appears, disappears, and reappears during the seasons ). This area has the oldest and tallest trees in Bellevue, which we got to admire as we started our walk. There are owls and bats here, with signs warning about the owls if walking during twilight. One passes by the tBug Bellevue Community Garden, which was being prepared for Halloween festivities. At the North end of the park is Larsen Lake (10 acres), being surrounded by Larsen pick-your-own blueberry farm. You are allowed to fish in both Larsen and Phantom Lakes, but boating is not allowed. Indoor restroom facilities are available on both ends of the park.

- great for walks -…read more It's a great little area in the neighborhood for walks. It's definitely not worth driving here just for it, but if you are in the area and could use some nice view, it is worth coming. It's a good itinerary to walk around the lake and then head over to ygf malatang for meal and meet fresh/lucky cube for dessert.

Such a cute park hidden away. Wide switch back paths with open fields. Community pea patches to…read moregrow flowers or vegetables. Such a fun kids play area with water feature.

Really nice park that has apple trees that bloom and a community garden. Always come by here when I…read moream in Sammamish. The only issue is that the climb down is too steep for my grandmother and many elderly citizens.

I live really close to this P-Patch and while I don't garden there, I absolutely LOVE wandering…read morearound when it's warm. Sometimes it's nice to see people working on their plots, but mostly I just love it because it's so peaceful and it just feels so GOOD here. I also remember seeing beautiful big sunflowers here in September :)

Historically, the Picardo P-Patch was Seattle's first p-patch and it was from this garden where the…read morep-patch program grew out of. Prior to the p-patch program, the field itself was one of the city's few urban farms. So the soil at Picardo has always been fertile and well drained. I joined Picardo three years ago hoping to grow an absinthe garden complete with wormwood hedges, hyssop, and hops. Well that never came to fruition but I live in an apartment without a backyard, front yard, or even a stretch of easement to grow my own food. So the Picardo farm (and P-patch program in general) has adequately met my needs. As for getting a plot, there's an application fee that is $35. I waited 1 year on a waiting list before getting an assignment at Picardo, but there is also an option to take any assignment at any garden for anyone that wants to avoid a waiting list. Once you're assigned a plot (typically 100-200 square feet), you're supposed to contribute 8 hours of volunteer service to keep your plot. There are all kinds of volunteer garden work parties, activities, and committees you can join to put in your 8 hours. At Picardo, there's a community herb garden, mushroom garden, food bank beds, children's garden, and even a honeybee yard run by WSU students. Every summer there's a Paella dinner fundraiser in the garden and nearby urban wineries sponsor a booth for tasting. If you can get a plot here, you will absolutely not be disappointed.