Iwakt is an American Indian word for dream.

The local community garden is aptly named.

Iwakt Community Garden center has produced its first crop, and it’s a dream.

“The most prolific vegetable and the most craved one was the tomato,” said
Blythe Nordbye, board member of the center. “I don’t think there is a plot that
doesn’t have a few (tomatoes) and most have many plants all producing
abundantly.”

The dream started in April 2009 with the completion of the fence and water
line for the garden, located on Salmon River Road adjacent to the Dorman
Center. Locals scrambled for the plots, space was sold out, rocks were
cleared, the dirt arrived and planting started immediately.

The first year’s bumper crop featured stalwarts such as broccoli,
cabbage, peppers, peas, beans – but no zucchini, the most prolific vegetable
ever.

Nordbye asked master gardener Lily Miller about the miserable zucchini crop.
Miller believes that this summer has had such a range of temperatures –
warm days and cold nights – that might have had an effect on the zucchini.

Miller hastened to add that each growing season is different, so perhaps
zucchini will join the dream crop next year.

Members pay a one-time fee of $50 that provides dirt, hoses and other garden
expenses. Each plot has a yearly rental fee which provides for the water, and
the amount depends on the size of the plot.

Plot sizes include 4x10, 10x10 and 10x18, with fees of $20, $30, $40,
respectively.

“When the garden was laid out, plots were decided by the board and assigned
to the garden members as per their request,” Nordbye said. “I don’t think
there was one request that was not (provided).”

Initial garden plot requests were overflowing, and there are currently six
people on the waiting list for next spring.

The board includes Margaret Lowe, Lily Miller, Norm Thompson, Pat Sharp and
Nordbye.

The garden was a considerable community enterprise and the dream team
included: Don Mench, installing the water system; Brian Gautney, excavation;
John McMahan, tilling and removing boulders; Doug Sharp, Pete Nordbye,
Christy Slovacek, Cheryl Collins, Bob Chudek, and Mench, fence installation;
Norm Thompson, bulletin board; Margy Lowe, workshop facilitator; Winona
Avila, composting; Lisa Riversong, sign creation; Miller, master gardener; Pat
Tritco, tree cutting; Molly Espenel, Web site; Clackamas County, fencing and
posts; Boring Park, dirt; and Frank Frajo, Wildwood Annex Water District.