Wedgwood’s Picardo Farm P-Patch breaks ground Saturday on an expansion, including more year-round plots, of Seattle’s namesake P-Patch.
Thanks to a Department of Neighborhoods grant, the P-Patch, at 8040 25th Ave. N.E.,will convert the south end short season field to 
permanent year round gardens.
On Saturday, October 15th, the plans will be discussed from 10 a.m. to noon in the University Prep School Commons next door.
The Picardo P-Patch, with 282 individual plots, is the forerunner of all Seattle P-Patches. From the city:
The history of the P-Patch Program goes back to 1973. The ‘P’ commemorates the family who used to farm the area that became the first community garden in Seattle, the Picardo Farm P-Patch. This P-Patch was acquired from the Picardo family who ran a truck farm in the earlier part of the 1900s up in the Wedgwood neighborhood. Their farm originally included the current P-Patch area, University Prep and Dahl Playfield. When the city started up the P-Patch program in 1973, the ‘P’ was taken to commemorate the family.
The new work includes includes re-plotting the south field paths and beds, installing a new irrigation system, extending and enhancing the planting on the south hillside to include native and edible plants as well as two specialized gardens; a bamboo cutting garden and a mushroom garden.
A permanent kids’ garden will be planned, as well as dedicated food bank beds are also planned, with the hope that not only Picardo gardeners, but community groups adopt and grow food bank crops.
