During World War II, people grew their own produce in so-called Victory Gardens. That practice is making a comeback in Millvale, with the help of Allegheny County's Allegheny Grows program.

Flowers and vegetables soon will sprout from ground cleared of homes after flooding in 2004 from Hurricane Ivan. Two now-vacant lots on Butler Street are part of an urban gardening and beautification project called the Gardens of Millvale, funded by grants and donations and supported by the Millvale Borough Development Corporation. The land was donated by the borough. The project, which will start with six plots of land, will create urban gardens where residents can learn about and grow their own food and flowers, said Eddie Figas, Millvale's Main Street manager.

Allegheny Grows will provide funding, staff and labor for the project, which also includes the Grant Avenue Pocket Park, the future Millvale Library, and two private farm/gardens on Sherman Street and Maryland Avenue.

Vegetables grown will be sold at the Millvale Farmers Market, and volunteers will receive a portion of the harvest, based on the number of hours they donate.

Last Thursday, Earth Day, a crew of 13 volunteers from Mullen Advertising in Pittsburgh gathered at the future pocket park, near North Avenue, to spread 70 cubic yards of topsoil on two adjoining abandoned properties.

Cement covering a strip of Girtys Run under the lot will remain

"A curved pathway will mimic the creek. It will be painted, but we hope to eventually have a mosaic artist work on it," Mr. Figas said.

Other plans for the 70- by 100-foot pocket, or mini, park, include raised beds, different types of seating arrangements, a play area and performance space.

Elena Plan, financial coordinator for Mullen, paused in her digging to say, "I wanted to help Tom [Walker] and do something constructive on Earth Day."

Mr. Walker is a senior multimedia designer for Mullen who is a leader in the gardens' project, including serving as a garden coordinator at the Millvale Library site. He was spreading topsoil with the other volunteers.

One of the private properties in the garden project is a 150- by 200-foot plot Mr. Walker and his wife, Tina, have maintained for 10 years in front of their home on Sherman Street. They will lease the land from the borough, Mr. Walker said. The other private venture is on a hillside, where wildflowers, ground covers and fruit trees will be planted to help stabilize it.

The two Butler Street lots across the street from each other are both a block deep and once held a total of 10 homes. The borough purchased the properties after the homes were damaged by the 2004 flood.

"The federal government stipulates that no structures can be erected, and the property has to be for public use," Mr. Figas said.

Seven communities, including Sharpsburg and Tarentum in the north area, are receiving help from Allegheny Grows in planting sunflower beds.

"We approached Allegheny County to look at the empty Butler Street lots to plant sunflowers on them. After we showed them the other sites, they approached us about getting involved in its Allegheny Grows program, which gives funding for garden/farm projects. Millvale and McKees Rocks are the two pilot sites chosen, and we received a $19,000 grant," Mr. Figas said.

Other grants include $5,000 from the Sprout Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports grass-roots community projects, for the Grant Street Pocket Park, and $23,000 from the Department of Economic Development, he said. An application for $30,000 is being made to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for site furnishings and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will provide set-up labor.

Grow Pittsburgh, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and GTECH, which stands for Growth Through Energy and Community Health, are partners in Allegheny Grows. To launch the project, a professional horticulturist from Grow Pittsburgh will be at the Butler Street gardens five hours a week, training the volunteers. GTECH Strategies, a not-for-profit agency that develops bioenergy reclamation projects, will provide sunflowers or other types of sustainable flowers. Sunflower seeds produce an oil that provides a feedstock, according to Andrew Butcher, GTECH's chief executive.

Mr. Figas hopes the gardens will provide economic stimulus.

"We're not attracting large development and we hope to get a more positive sense of community for residents," he said.

Representatives from Allegheny Grows' partners will attend a community meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Millvale Community Center, 416 Lincoln Ave., to introduce residents to their programs. For more information or to volunteer, call Ed Figas at 412-821-2777, ext. 43, or send e-mail to efigas@millvaleboro.com.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.