New Community Garden Opens In Tempe Park

TEMPE, AZ — Tempe residents have a new place to grow their food and engage with their community.

Friendship Village Tempe announced Tuesday in a news release that it had completed work on the new Friendship Evergreen Community Garden at Ehrhardt Park. The one-acre community garden will give Friendship Village's senior residents and the surrounding neighborhood a place to grow plants, fruits and vegetables.

The residential community has singed a three-year lease with the city of Tempe for the space at the local park. Friendship Village funded much of the project but it was also fueled by donations.

“We are thankful to those that have donated on our community garden website, to Ryan Companies for contributing the lighting and to the Friendship Village Tempe Resident Foundation for providing the redwood lumber for the garden plots” Cole Marvin, executive director of Friendship Village Tempe, said in a statement. “We are so excited to offer an outdoor, fun community activity that can bring people together in a healthy and safe way.”

Ryan Companies, which works in commercial real estate, helped to design and build the garden from the ground up.

Ground level plots at the Evergreen garden are four feet by 10 feet and 18 inches high. The raised plots are 30 inches high and measure four feet by 8 feet or four feet by 10 feet. Each plot has a manual irrigation system as well.

The garden area also includes locked sheds for personal storage and a composting station with eight bins for shredded newspaper, small branches, tree chippings, coffee grounds, kitchen waste and grass clippings.

Friendship Village has also employed a part-time coordinator to support the gardeners and help with maintenance.

“The City of Tempe has a vested interest in the health of its park systems and residents,” Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement. “We are elated that the garden is open – it is a great source of physical activity, recreation and civic pride for all that participate.”