SLU's Cascade P-Patch: A Neighborhood Oasis

The 50 gardens in SLU’s Cascade P-Patch are brimming with more than fresh fruits, veggies and herbs. Linda Moore and JoJo Tran, long-time SLU residents and p-patchers,work their gardens for the benefit of their community as well as for their own dinner tables.

JoJo Tran, who emigrated to the U.S. from what was South Vietnam and has worked his own patch since 1999, uses his vegetables to cook chicken soup for the Cascade Peoples’ Center, the local community center. He also donates fresh, organically farmed produce to the local food bank. Tran makes use of every bit of his plot even giving away generous bunches of lavender to people in his church.

“If you love nature, the environment, the colors of the plants, it you can see the beauty of the garden, you feel the beginning of love,” he said. Tran recalled that he once invited an angry homeless veteran to his garden and the experience of working there calmed the man down and uplifted his spirit. The man even sent Tran a poem about how much the experience meant to him.

Linda Moore, a yoga teacher who has lived in SLU for nine years and has worked her patch for the past eight years, is part of a larger group called the Urban Farm Project. The participants grow produce and then share with one another. The group is also committed to share the gardening experience with children of the Ujima after-school program at the community center.

The Cascade Peoples’ Center collects rain water for use in the patches. There are children’s play features, a giving garden and a cob bench. Next to the P-Patch is the “Garden of Happiness”, another community-based project with a native plant focus.

Stop by and say hello to your SLU gardening neighbors. The Cascade P-Patch is located at the corner of Thomas St. and Minor Ave. N.