Applications open for plots in the Rees & Sumach Community Garden
Courtesy of Walla Walla Union Bulletin. Retired editor/journalist Annie Charnley Eveland freelances stories for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. She can be reached at acereporter1979@gmail.com or call 509-386-7369.
Thirty plots are used in the Rees & Sumach Community Garden sponsored by the North Main Area Neighborhood Association and citizens group Walla Walla 2020. Photo courtesy of Rees & Sumach Community Garden
Ready, set, plant. The Rees & Sumach Community Garden has plots available for the season, sponsored by the North Main Area Neighborhood Association and citizens group Walla Walla 2020.
“A community garden is a great way to help build self-sufficiency, resilience and sustainability. Besides growing fruits and vegetables, we’ve found that our community garden also grows community,” said garden chair Barbara Clark.
The Rees garden has 30 individual plots as well as several common areas where members share the cultivation and harvest.
The garden was organized in 2010 at the intersection of Sumach Street and Rees Avenue on land leased from Whitman College.
Community gardens such as this echo those Victory Gardens planted globally during World War I and II.
The wartime vegetable, fruit and herb plots were planted at private residences, vacant lots and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany.
Governments encouraged people to plant victory gardens to supplement their rations and boost morale, R.W. Caves wrote in “Encyclopedia of the City.”
The homegrown comestibles reduced pressure on the food supply when used with ration cards and stamps.
Gardeners felt empowered by their contributions of labor and rewarded by the fruits of their labor.
Farmer Gracy UK and Green America report in 2026 that “community gardens are focusing on food security, sustainability and educational engagement, with significant funding available through urban agriculture grants.
“Key trends include pollinator-friendly, purposeful planting and using gardens as resilient, local food sources.”
Get Connected by Galaxy Digital notes that “gardens are being recognized for reducing local food insecurity — sometimes by up to 90% — and increasing surrounding property values by up to 9.4%.”
More Information
Application forms and more details are available online at reesandsumach.org or reach out to garden chair Barbara Clark at 509-522-0414 or barbarajoclark42@gmail.com or coordinator Andrea Workman at 917-626-3069 or piksaki@yahoo.com.
The website features garden progress and rules, information about membership and sponsorships and useful links to other community gardens and associations.
Garden membership includes access to a listserve for sharing gardening questions and information.
