Danny Woo Community Garden is a green jewel, hidden away on a hillside of downtown Seattle’s International District. The garden is dedicated to providing a space for elderly Asian immigrants to grow culturally relevant crops, as well as to cultivate community.
Danny Woo Garden is a long-time KCD partner that has previously collaborated with us through our Grants and Community Agriculture Programs. They recently received funding from our Community Agriculture Seed Money Grant to reduce waste in their garden and shore up their composting process against pests.
The garden is home to over sixty fruit trees, which create a wealth of edible fruit for its gardeners but also create waste that attracts rats to the garden. The garden’s manager, Andy, applied funding from the KCD Seed Money Grant to create a solution.
Andy invested in nets that drape beneath the garden’s apple and pear trees. The nets catch fruit dropped by the trees, preventing it from going to waste or attracting rodents. He also created a paid summer youth program that provided local students with part-time employment sorting the edible fruit for the garden’s elderly stewards. The remainder of the fruit was then added to Danny Woo’s new-and-improved composting area that is complete with lids and chicken wire to fend off any foraging vermin. The compost from this improved system is then distributed to gardeners to use in their plots.
Danny Woo Community Garden continues to be an impressive example of urban conservation in action. We are thrilled to support this project with funding from our Seed Money Grant and to continue serving the community that stewards this garden.
