Cleveland Park Community Garden
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Photo by Nancy Knutson
Overview
Cleveland Park Community Garden consists of more than 120 plots.
The garden is organic (free of herbicides and pesticides) and remains primarily for the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Plots in the Cleveland Park Community Garden are available to anyone for a modest annual fee.
The membership is governed by the non-profit Cleveland Park Community Garden Association, which provides tools for use in the garden.
Location
Cleveland Park Community Garden is located in Washington, D.C. on Sedgwick St, between Connecticut Ave and Tilden St. NW, close to the heart of Cleveland Park. The garden is part of our National Park system.
History
During WWII, food rationing and transportation shortages placed severe pressure on the domestic food supply. The government asked people to grow their own food in whatever land was available so that commercial grown food could be saved for the soldiers fighting the war.
Americans responded by planting in backyards, rooftops, empty lots, and National Park Service land. These food gardens became known as Victory Gardens to acknowledge that people on the home front were supporting troops in their effort to win the war.
In 1942, the National Park Service designated space between a Rock Creek tributary (currently named Reservation 263) and Sedgwick St. in Washington DC as land available for 16 Victory Gardens. Gardeners have been cultivating this land ever since WWII.
75th Anniversary Video
75 years of Melvin Hazen.movCommunity Culinary Herb Garden
A Community Herb Garden for the Community Garden
Too many of the herbs we love to cook with are so shrubby and such space-hogging perennials! And so, we established the Community Herb Garden so you can allocate all of your plot to growing vegetables, while still having a plentiful source for herbs. The garden is also a source of herbs that our Grow-a-Row team harvests for its weekly delivery to Woodley House DC.
The herb garden is located along the southwestern fence, between the last two westward tool huts and beneath the bat house. With two pathways in, the herbs are there for easy picking.
A Plethora of Herbs
The herb garden’s modest plot has a lot of offerings: rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage, tarragon, lemon grass, lemon verbena, dill, basil, parsley (flat and curly), fennel, anise, hyssop, cilantro, chives, and others. Many of the herbs were generously donated by member gardeners, and a small budget supplements the offerings.
Care and Feeding
The Herb Garden Committee plants and maintains the garden.
Current members are Angela Levy (chair), Cynthia Gould, Yael Gen, Noriko Fuku, Yona Rozen, Karin Rosemblatt, Laura Olariu, Andrea Pedolsky, Yen Chau, Helena Koytcheff, Christina Stuelten, and Kate Maynor. The founding members are: Angela Levy (chair), Christina Stuelten, Kate Maynor, Helena Koytcheff, Andrea Pedolsky, Amelia Preece, Janet Stark, Sharon Barry, Andrea Pedolsky, Yen Chau, and Mike Greene.
Woodley House DC donations
April 23, 2024
Weekly produce donations
Each week, a car load of garden produce is donated from the Cleveland Park Community Garden to Woodley House DC. Produce is provided from individual gardeners and also from dedicated plots that are tended and harvested for the purpose of donation.
About Woodley House DC
Woodley House provides personalized mental health supportive services and housing for District of Columbia residents. Founded in 1958, Woodley House has enabled tens of thousands of people to access mental health care and to live independently in our communities. With a team of providers and professionals who ensure residents receive the right services at the right time, Woodley House operates homes and programs across four DC wards for more than 400 Washingtonians annually.
Woodley House has especially deep ties to the Woodley Park/Cleveland Park area, with two long-running residential facilities and more than 30 beds available along Connecticut Avenue. Woodley House's group home staff provide three meals daily for all residents, as well as operating a weekly food pantry that is open to all DC residents. Donations of fresh, nutritious food are always greatly appreciated by Woodley House and its residents! Learn more and donate to support Woodley House at: https://www.woodleyhouse.org/.
Beneficial Insects
Featured beneficial insect: Green lacewing, as pictured above (photo courtesy of UF/IFAS Extension)
Green lacewing eggs were distributed throughout the garden on July 10, August 1, and August 21, 2021. Green lacewing preferred foods: aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, leafhopper nymphs, moth eggs, scale, thrips, and whiteflies.
Lacewing eggs hatch within 3-10 days, depending on temperature and humidity. Once hatched, lacewing larvae feed for 2-3 weeks on a variety of soft-bodied insects. Larvae are recognizable by their prominent mandibles (mouthparts), alligator-like appearance and pale coloration with dark markings. The larvae molt as they grow and mature. Pupation occurs in silken cocoons on the undersides of leaves or under loose bark. Adults emerge from the cocoons with large veined ("lacy") wings ready to mate and lay more eggs. Adult green lacewings feed on pollen, nectar and honeydew while aiding in pollination. The complete life cycle lasts roughly 30 days. (Source: Arbico Organics). More info on lacewings from the University of Maryland Extension: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/lacewings
Please see the Beneficial Insects Committee's information sheet for more about beneficial insects in our garden!
Cover Crops
September 25, 2020
The board has purchased a variety of cover crop seeds—winter rye, spring oats, crimson clover, hairy vetch, Austrian winter pea, and a fall mix.
We encourage everyone to plant cover crops in a portion or all of your garden this fall.
Please view this document for detailed information about the cover crop seeds available to Cleveland Park Community Garden gardeners, including:
where to get the seeds
description of the cover crop varieties
planting instructions
what to do in the spring
resources.
Also, see these short demonstration videos from one of our gardeners!
Photography: Birds of the Garden
Long-time Cleveland Park gardener Peter Peart has photographed a variety of birds in our garden and NW DC.
Click here to view Peter's portfolio of photos since June 2020.
Robin (Turdus migratorius) in Cleveland Park Community Garden