Story by Abby Warren

Members of the Kenton Neighborhood Association (KNA) have been searching for a home to their proposed community garden for almost 20 years. Saturday morning, October 22nd, their dedication proved fruitful. Volunteers in coordinated KNA t-shirts - a fund raiser for the garden led by the neighborhood association- counted down from ten before driving their shovels into what is now only a field of green grass, signifying the groundbreaking of Kenton Community Garden at N Burrage and N Houghton.

Kenton neighbors are seeing their vision come to fruition thanks to funding recieved from the Portland Development Commission and to City Council funds dedicated to building gardens as part of Nick Fish's 1,000 Gardens Initiative. Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland Parks and Recreation, and of course the Kenton Neighborhood Association continue to work in partnership to support this opportunity for outside recreation in growing fresh, healthful foods.

The garden will be home to an estimated 40 plots in both  200-sq-ft and 100-sq-ft sizes. Portland Community Gardens will begin assigning plots in Spring 2012, once construction on the garden is complete.