Window sills, fire escapes, rooftops, and balconies have long been home to the fruits, vegetables, and fresh herbs of the urban gardener. Green thumbs residing in urban centers know all about creative land use and the struggles of growing in less than desirable circumstances – circumstances which have led a few enthusiastic green thumbs to go communal.
We Patch, as explained by Executive Director Peter Rothbart , is like eBay for gardeners only free. The concept of We Patch is simple: pair would be gardeners lacking space with land owners who have it to spare. By creating an online account, you may search for available land in your area or list land you’d like to share. The site is free (though donations are accepted for administrative fees) and success depends almost solely on the users.
Originally from Michigan, Rothbart now calls Seattle home. Inspired by his own lack of cultivatable land and the environmentally conscious city of Seattle, Rothbart founded We Patch to encourage gardening on a community level. He believes that because gardening is universal, We Patch can take root not just in affluent communities, but in every neighborhood.
Variations of We Patch have been successful in cities like Portland, Des Moines, Iowa City and Berkley. By using We Patch in Philadelphia, urban gardeners in our area may find a productive alternative to waiting lists for community plots and guerilla gardening.
Though most cities like ours have space to offer, the trick for We Patch is convincing land owners to offer it up in spite of the liabilities inherent with inviting a stranger onto your property. Beyond the liabilities, Rothbart hopes land owners will see We Patch as a tremendous and unique opportunity to give something back to the community in a way that’s instantly gratifying.
The fundamental notion of sharing land for gardening harkens back to the days of bartering goods and services: you have land, I have agricultural knowledge, you allow me to grow on your land and I’ll share my harvest. Rothbart hopes that this type of mutually beneficial sharing will nurture not only soil and plants, but our own human relationship in the process.
Anyone who has ever fretted for months over the fate of a single tomato plant will tell you how immensely gratifying it is to literally share the fruits of their labor. For neighborhoods and blocks citywide, gardening through groups like We Patch may not only be a means of food production, but a way of rebuilding lives by encouraging trust, self-sufficiency and pride.
