Learn more about Community Gardens
- Request a Community Garden plot
- Renew your Community Garden plot
- Transfer your Community Garden plot
- Apply for a Community Gardens Scholarship
- Learn about Community Garden policies
- Volunteer with Community Gardens
Detailed Map of Errol Heights Community Garden Plots
Watershed Health/Educational Benefits
The community garden serves as the central focal place of the park by joining neighbors in an effort to educate others about stream stewardship and assisting them in altering habits and practices to better protect Errol Creek. Positioned on the upland area of the creek, the garden offers the Johnson Creek watershed ecosystem opportunities such as a reduction in storm water impact, sediment and erosion control, and air pollution through the gas exchange of additional vegetation. The community garden enhances the variety of plant material, much of it with edible perennials, along with the practice of cover cropping and mulching in the winter. The water holding capacity of the enhanced soil will help the watershed.
Portland Parks & Recreation partnered with the Bureau of Environmental Services to acquire critical stream and habitat property on Errol Creek. In 1999, the Schnabel family sold an additional 2.32 acres of adjacent property to PP&R, making Errol Heights Park a total of 14.28 acres. In 2005, the City Council approved a master plan for Errol Heights Park, which outlines the long-term vision for the park. The plan focuses on protecting the park's natural resources while providing community and recreational opportunities that are needed in the city, particularly in the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood. The Errol Heights Community Garden is fully aligned with the core values and guiding principles of the park's master plan. In 2011, The Friends of Portland Community Gardens (FPCG), in partnership with PP&R and the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association, acquired funding from the Community Watershed Stewardship Program to support the development of a community garden in Errol Heights Park.