The Philips House Museum preserves the atmosphere of a typical farm house found in Arcata. As a living museum, Arcata's best example of Greek Revival architecture shows the daily life an Arcata resident between 1854 and 1932.

The Phillips House Museum along with the City of Arcata agreed to have a “Lawns to Gardens” demonstration project, which meant a local garden “kitchen garden” was installed behind the Museum.

The garden is fenced to keep the deer out. The slope of the garden goes down hill and you will see boards placed in the beds to keep the soil from washing away. The soil is basically clay, which has been amended with various amendments to better for growing. The garden gets south and west sun. As the years pass, the garden soil will improve with compost and amendments.

The sponsors of this project are growing vegetable and flowers, as one would find on the premises of an 1850’s homestead.