Growing Community
The Wenatchee River Institute (WRI) is a proud steward of the E. Lorene Young Community Garden! The garden's vision is to create an affordable garden space where people in and around the community of Leavenworth can grow food, learn about nutrition and gardening, and develop relationships with other community members.
All are welcome in the Community Garden! Stroll through the space, enjoy browsing the beautiful plants, and even check out our free seed library and little garden book library open for anyone.
Notice: if you are not a plot holder, please do not pick any produce or flowers. Please also remember to close and latch the gate after your visit!
Check out some photos of the Community Garden below! Keep scrolling to learn how you can become a community gardener.
Become a Community Gardener
WRI welcomes new and experienced gardeners alike who seek opportunities to share garden space, celebrate community, and foster green thumb wisdom to join the E. Lorene Young Community Garden.
The Community Garden has 33 garden beds that are stewarded by community members with some shared spaces. Some information for gardeners:
- Most of the garden beds are 8 feet long by 4 feet wide and 1 foot tall.
- There are two accessible garden beds available, measuring 8 feet long by 4 feet wide and 2 feet tall.
- Includes automatic water system, use of garden tools, use of the compost area next to the garden shed and shared herbs!
- Community gardeners are expected to volunteer at least 8 hours over the growing season to contribute to the common space maintenance and upkeep of the garden. There are work parties every other week!
- Plots are available each season first to returning gardeners then to new gardeners.
The Garden Lottery and Registration for the 2026 season is now closed. Registration for the 2027 season will open in late February or early March with priority given to returning gardeners. Any remaining spots are offered in a lottery in the latter half of March.
If you are interested in being a community gardener in 2027, be sure to sign up for our E-Newsletter for the most up to date information. For any information regarding registration, send an email to programs@wenatcheeriverinstitute.org or call 509-548-0181.
Community Garden Layout
History of the Garden
When former Leavenworth Mayor, E. Lorene Young, passed away in 2007 at the age of 94, she donated her property to be managed for education and stewardship purposes as part of Barn Beach Reserve. Lorene’s property included a lovely little red house at 250 12th Street, with a vacant lot just north of the house. Her house and property are now a special part of WRI's 13-acre campus.
Not long before her death, during a discussion with WRI’s first Executive Director, Jeff Parsons, Lorene gestured out the window and said, “There is one thing I do not want! I do not want that lot to become a parking lot. Can you promise me that?”.
In tribute to Lorene, the once vacant lot is now WRI's E. Lorene Young Community Garden. In 2012, an enthusiastic group of volunteers developed a site plan with 31 raised beds, a deer fence, irrigation, and a common area. Volunteers put in hundreds of hours of manual labor, building the beds, dissuading the deer, and working hard to have everything ready for planting.
Now, people from all around the greater Leavenworth community grow food here, learn about nutrition and gardening, and develop relationships with other community members.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Community Garden since 2012: a generous local family, Community Foundation of North Central Washington, Leavenworth Lions Club, Snow Creek Integrated Health, Cascade Garden Club, Joanna Dunn Yoga, Mt. Stuart Physical Therapy, South Restaurants, Icicle Brewing Company, Winton Manufacturing, Leavenworth Rotary Club, and countless volunteers.
Upcoming Events at the Garden (Open to All!):
The Wenatchee River Institute is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit. EIN 20-5611326
