Size of garden: 0.17 acre
Location: Kingsley Park in the community of Linnton
Kingsley Park is located in the community of Linnton, in the Willamette watershed between Forest Park and the Willamette River. Kingsley Park is 1.14 acres of land donated to the City of Portland in 1924. The site was used as a park until the late 1970s, when the playground equipment was removed.
Since the late 1970s, Kingsley Park was mostly unused until a group of Linnton neighbors proposed a community garden be built. There is no grocery store in Linnton, which is a rather isolated community on HWY 30 in Portland. In addition, the homes in Linnton are often shaded by surrounding Forest Park, which makes growing vegetables difficult. Community members from the Linnton Neighborhood Association (LNA) worked with Portland Parks & Recreation to secure funding for the project from West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, and the Bureau of Environmental Services’ Community Watershed Stewardship Program.
Community members built raised beds, mulched paths, and removed over 2,000 square feet of blackberries, and replanted with native plants to provide food and forage for pollinators and wildlife. The garden opened the spring of 2017. This project has created a gathering place for residents to connect socially as they plant and harvest fresh foods for thirty families. Learn more.