North City Community Garden

Walter

2010-09-11T15:22:00.001-07:00

We were honored to have Walter Haugen of FA Farms show up during our "tail gate" party. He was just finishing up some gardening at the Christian Heath Care garden, and I waved him over to join us.

While enjoying the good food shared by NCCR's, we learned a lot from Walter with his stories and experience.

Thank you Walter that you joined!

Good Gardening Neighbors

2010-09-11T15:05:00.001-07:00

What a glorious day...sun and blue sky, gentle breeze, and wonderful people to enjoy! Thank you to you NCCR's that came!

No it's a "tail gate" party

2010-09-11T11:44:00.001-07:00

A neighbor walked by and thought this was a tail-gate party since I was sitting on my truck's tail gate. Well of course it is whatever it is ... Just plain fun!

Big BBQ

2010-09-11T11:23:00.001-07:00

Here's the start of our 2010 BBQ!

People-Pocket Circle

2009-07-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

To provide a sense as to the sort of bamboo I am planning on planting in the raised compost bed that forms the People-Pocket Circle, I gladly submit the following pictures.

This particular ornamental species is call Golden Crookstem. It is one of, if not the, favorite of mine. It goes through such a wondrous color change.

In the spring, new shoots and subsequent clums (canes) are an almost translucent light yellow. Shortly with any amount of direct sun, these clums "sunburn". Yes they turn as red as you or I (the white guy that I am) when over done in the sun.

As the summer turns to fall then to winter, the culms gradually change to yes it's name-sake, golden yellow.

Very cool. See below what I am talking about.

Another interesting feature with Golden Crookstem is that subsequent shoots and clums come up very dense...as you can see. This keeps wild boars out of your backyard...

Lastly a fun thing to watch is as the clum grows, once in a while one will bend. Within a few days it tries to re-correct to the vertical but over compensates. After about 3-4 tries it gets back on to vertical trajectory...leaving behind a "crook" stem. Funny how a play on words is sometimes as accurate as the nose on our face.

So in the next couple weeks, you should begin to see clumps of this 8th Wonder of the World appear in the circle's raised bed.

Oh you ask, what's the deal with the raised bed? This effectively allows us to see those nasty, world-takeover rhyzomes that spread bamboo to expose itself. We then simply cut that brutish beast...and we can all breathe a sigh of relief -- life will go on tomorrow.

(Click to zoom)

Phyllostachys aureosulcata "Aureocaulis"

Soil Analysis

2009-07-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Fred Likkel of N3 Consulting (Lynden, WA) we received a soil test analysis from Soiltest Farm Consultants, Inc (Moses Lake, WA).

Below are the results.

(Click to zoom)

The section "Interpretation Guide" provides a good overview on the key elements.

The pH seems a bit on the acidic side. The report recommends applying 0.5 ton per acre. Well let's whittle that down to plot-scale:

An acre equals 43,560 square feet. A 1/2 ton equals 1,000 pounds. To get weight of lime per square feet we divide 1,000 by 43,560 = 0.023 pound per square foot.

A 10X10 plat has 100 square feet.

Multiply 100 times 0.023 = 2.3 pounds of lime for that plot. Double this for 10X20 plots = 4.6 pounds.

If evenly distributed, there you go, you're now a full-fledged agricultural lime expert!

I hope my math is correct. If not, I am sure (as I should) I will hear about it.

Joy

Buckwheat Sprouts

2009-07-02T15:05:00.001-07:00

On June 18, I seeded 4 plots with buckwheat. Since they had not been claimed by anyone, the weeds were into a serious party. That ended the 18th.

After tilling up the weed-dead-heads, I scattered buckwheat seed, and lightly tilled in the seed to about an 1 1/2 inch deep. As you can see it has sprouted. And as of yesterday was growing very well.

The purpose is for the buckwheat plant to provide a living cover for the soil, suppressing weeds, and ultimately to be sacrificed in about 2-months to the tiller and become green manure.

Shortly after I will sow with berseem clover for the fall and winter. This adds up to 200 lbs/acre of available nitrogen.

So watch as little Bucky grows this summer. Welcome our new friend as we do our new NCCG members.

(Click on picture to zoom)

Longsuffering.

Boys and Girls Club Visit The Garden

2009-07-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

This noon, I had the "chance" encounter with meeting and visiting with a wonderful group of boys and girls from the B&G Club of Lynden.

I was putting one more load of compost on the "People-Pocket" circle over by the evergreen trees...and saw the group come over and visit the garden. Well, I carry my handi-dandi digital camera everywhere and got to take some pictures.

Not only that, but the leaders of the group asked if I'd give a little talk on the garden. The "ham" that I am (love the rhyme) immediately obliged.

Talked about the history of the property, the formation of the garden group, the reason for growing your own food, the connection and community it fosters. Had lots of questions. They especially were intrigued by the Peregrine JacKite flying nearby.

After the group picture (see below) I asked if they would like to take some lettuce and some Kohlrabi (aka "space alien") back for lunch. Sure enough. I offered each to take some lettuce with them. They really wanted more "space aliens".

Shared also the demonstration plot of mine as a "lasagna" garden. I found out in the course of that discourse -- Garfield loves lasagna. Umm...I didn't know that. Got to watch more TV I guess. Ha!

I hope the B&G Club can use one of our plots...would love to see the learning and experience they would gain.

(Click on picture to zoom)

Never new Collard leaves were good for flying...

Gentleness

H2O

2009-05-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

Yes...we now have water on-site! As of yesterday evening, the garden has 2 hydrants to draw upon for plant-giving, life-nourishment.

Thanks to Larry Van Andel (Whatcom-Skagit Trenching) for his donation of time and equipment plus professional services, our North City Community Garden has water. Thanks so much Larry!

Click on pictures to zoom.

Larry

Kindness

Entry Arch is UP!

2009-05-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our dear friends, Gerrit Starkenburg and Jay Hafford, we now have our "Entry Arch" installed.

With a little elbow grease here, and a little there, these two fine chaps worked 1/2 the day on this project. With their great help and all of the equipment and machinery used to pull this off...wow what a deal for the community garden. Who would have "thunk-it", that so much would be needed to put 5 pieces of wood together and stick it in the ground. I have a hugely increased appreciation for all the telephone and power folk - now.

Next we will explore putting up our sign. Jay has some really nice rough-sawed cedar that could look all the "part". Gerrit suggested a routered out lettered concept. Could be real nice!

Click on pictures to zoom.
Gerrit and Jay

Patience

Sunday Garden Scenes

2009-05-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

A good day of rest it is, this fine Sunday. Now we can step back and view the new start of life in our garden.

Here are some scenes from our garden on this day of rest - May 17, 2009.

[Click on pics to zoom]

Gentleness

Sun Brings Out Green-Thumbers

2009-05-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

[Click on pics to zoom]

Today - the sun was out, it's around 70 degrees, light breeze...it's just plain or simply wonderful. Aah that explains why there's a growing crescendo of our NCCG GreenThumbers decending upon their cherished plots. Sweet!

With all the good rain the last week, with more sun and warmth...stand back and watch our garden grow NOW!

Shalom

Demo Garden

2009-05-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

A demonstration garden plot has begun in our North City Community Garden.

Yesterday we created a "Sheet Mulch" or "Lasagna" garden plot. This 5' by 10' plot will be maintained to grow vegetables, while at the same time significantly reducing labor and energy with tilling and weeding.

This approach also greatly enhances the ecology of soil organisms by reducing disturbances, and by building up the organic base of the soil.

You will see below the sequence of steps that were employed to build this particular plot.

Click on pictures to zoom.
The existing 6 inches of topsoil was removed to be used later.

Next, 4 inches of grass clippings were added.

Next, 2 inches of Smit compost was added.

Next, 1-2 inches of oat straw was added.

Next, 4 inches of more grass clippings were added.

Next, some of the topsoil was returned to the plot.

Next, more straw.

The remaining topsoil was added.

Final step, added 4 more inches of Smit compost.

Now we will start to plant.

Here, 2 days later, we planted all but 15% of the available plot space.

Some call this "intensive gardening"...where a variety of vegetable plants are co-mingled and in close quarters. Not only will this provide greater production, but will help shade out areas where weeds would ordinarily pop-up, keep the soil cooler in mid-summer with less evaporation, and it just looks nice.

One of the benefits with intensive, sheet-mulch gardening is that when one plant or group of vegetable has matured and then harvested, you simply replace that spot with another plant or variety for later harvest. Thus you have this ongoing rotation of vegetable production, where the soil bed is rarely vacant.

By next year, all the grass and straw will have completely decomposed. The current layers of mulch and compost will stabilize and provide a extremely healthy soil community that will provide a nutrient fertility that is balanced and sustainable.

Stay tuned for how this will all work out through this summer.

BTW: There is another "Sheet Mulch" or "Lasagna Garden" over on BC Avenue in Lynden.

Joy...

Master Gardener Training Coming Again...This Saturday!

2009-05-06T16:14:00.001-07:00

Dear Fellow Gardeners,

This is a reminder that Master Gardeners will be at NCCG this Saturday, May 9, from 10:00 to 11:30 AM. Very brief talks will be given on row cropping, different gardening philosophies, how to care for your garden (watering, weeding) and insects in the garden. There will be time for questions on any gardening topic you might have.

Patty

Tim Geithner - Treasury - Drops Gold On Site

2009-05-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yep...we got 14 karat gold dropped off by the ton this morning. Precisely at 10:50 am, Smit Compost unloaded 22 cubic yards of black gold...compost that is. Some of the best compost this side of the Continental Divide!

Now our veggies will become priceless!

Click on picture to zoom up.

Do you think we got enough?

Joy!

Cranky Blisters Get the Job Done

2009-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

After our Genernal Membership meeting, and after selecting garden plots, 8 of us spent about 3 hours digging fence post holes, and set posts and ralls for our cedar split rail fence.

All the post holes got dug and posts set. Unreal. Five guys dug around 33 holes. It wasn't as easy as we thought. Less sand that expected, more rocks. But huge volumes of elbow grease was available and effectively applied to each and every hole.

The white collar types working alongside the blue collar types, reminded me of what all us must have looked like the day we started out at USMC bootcamp ... "what in the hoot have we gotten ourselves into!" But all persisted, prevailed and went home nursing this or that sore hand or back.

A couple of our strong-willed women, installed, plumbed, reset the soil and packed it in solid. They also had fun dancing around each pole, some sort of ancient initation rite they came up with...sorry I didn't get that on video. Only kidding.

We still have to finish installing the rails, but got a few up. Also the main entrance pole system is awaiting it's proper placement.

Enjoy some pictures...click to enlarge.

"Look ma, I dug a hole!"

"Hellooooo down there...I'd love some Chinese take-out!"

Peace and shalom to all.

MINE! OURS!

2009-04-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

That great time has come. After a 1 1/2 hour General Membership meeting, those present went outside to our garden and had the opportunity to select the plot of their choosing. Each put their name on a stake...and staked-out their garden plot.

See pictures below...click to enlarge.

As the day went on, a few members came by and selected their plots as well.

The 10X10 plots went fast. Now people can either choose to have 1/2 of the 10X20's or take the whole plot.

By this afternoon, at least 3 have already begun to work up their soil, build raise beds, and/or plant. Very cool!!!

Green Thumb Kudos to all.

The Plot Thickens

2009-04-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

We got the garden plots staked out today.

As things are laid out now, there are 8-10X10 plots, all on the south end of the garden area. There are 16-10X20 plots in the middle and north row of the area.

If we divide all the 10X20's in half, we would have precisely 40-10X10 plots.

So however you divide up things...we will have a good number of plots for all comers! Unless there is a pent up groundswell I am not aware about.

Anyway go check it out...let me know if you fall in love with this or that plot. Ha.

[Click on picture to enlarge]

Sorry it looks like a Hobbit cemetery for now...

Shalom

Master Gardener Training: Joyous Learning!

2009-04-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday (18th) the north city community of Lynden received 2 gifts. One was a bright sunny, albeit cool, morning...but we'll take the sun ANY DAY! And we received the gift of presentations by Whatcom County Master Gardeners. We learned much. Had fun. And are now super-charged to get our hands in the soil.

On behalf of our North City Community Garden group, I wish to thank these fine folk for spending part of their valuable Saturday with us...imparting sound wisdom and sage advice. Of course for me, the "central instruction" I came away with was: "Have Fun!" Well of course is your reply!

Organizational Stuff Just About There...

2009-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, the garden's Steering Committee meet for 2-hours. We tackled a lengthy Agenda list.

Central was to review a draft of Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, General Membership Agreement, and Individual Plot Usage Agreement and Contract.

Yeah I know....boring! But someone had to do it!

Below are some of the "troopers" who endured this process. Give them a rousing and standing ovation for their hard work.

All of this work was put in so that the General Membership meeting (this Saturday at 10 am at Sonlight building) will have an effective set of materials ready for all of us to decide upon. This will get us going on getting our plots and then start planting!!

Look for such materials to be included in an email to members.

Bless you all.
Jeff

People "Pocket" taking shape

2009-04-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Also last week, we started to form the landscaping system for the community gathering area just east of the garden plots. As you can see this area is adjacent to the large fir trees next to Bender Field.

When this is finished, envision having bright yellow, orange and green ornamental bamboo perched upon this raised bed. It will provide a mixture of colors, textures and moderate enclosure for folks wanting to sit around a barbecue or free-standing fire pit.

It will be a great place to just rest from all your weary, back-breaking, blister-forming garden tending. Ha. Or just an excuse to hang out with other good folk and chat.

I hope to add more height to the raised area. This will effectively contain bamboo rhizomes, and thus limit their venturing beyond limits. More on that later.

Peace.

Communal Plots Tilled

2009-04-22T11:13:00.001-07:00

Last week, Eldon tilled the general garden area one more time. The Edaleen compost has worked in very well.

Also, I asked Eldon to till up 2 communal plot areas. These will be used for all of us for growing corn and squash together. These areas had a bit more left over concrete from the old buildings...and more rocks.

As you can see, the center entrance poles are getting positioned and ready for being set. Hope this happens before Saturday April 25ths fence installation party.

Entrance Poles

Communal Plots and General Garden

See ya,
Jeff

Urban Homesteaders Make it Big!

2009-04-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

One of the families we link to (the Jules Dervaes family in Pasadena CA) has been doing some really impressive stuff when it comes to growing food on residential lots. I first discovered them on YouTube.

Sunday, 60 Minutes ran a feature on this extraordinary farm within their very small lot. Shows you what is possible when you eliminate your lawn. Amazing!

Here's the video clip...enjoy. Again...sorry for the 30-sec intro commercial.

Peace and Joy

Garden Hits the News Stand

2009-04-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Our garden made it to the big-time yesterday...received a great write up by Tim Newcomb. See the full article and evil pitchfork by clicking here.

Jeff

Split Rail Fence

2009-04-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

We have received our permit to construct a split rail fence along the sidewalk on Aaron Drive.

Even more wondrous, we received our supply of split rail posts and rails today. See pictures below.

Keith Vander Laan and Don Van Maanen did us, our community, a HUGE favor! As a gift, they cut to length and split both the posts and rails for around 400 lineal feet of 2-rail fencing. Unreal!!

So next we have the joy of installing the fence...that's you and me dear friends. How about we assembly as a work crew after our General Membership meeting on Saturday, the 25th, after lunch?

I will follow-up with an email broadcast to members with details.

Keith (left) with glove-in-face, and Don Van Maanen (right) both resting from unloading the good cedar fencing.

Keith pacing off the perimeter for fencing.

Ain't this the greatest!!

Thanks so much Keith and Don for your stellar donation of labor and materials.

Joy.

Voting Results

2009-04-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

It was close, almost a Bush-Gore thing, fortunately we do have an undisputed winner. With 20 votes cast, 6 went to "North City Community Garden". This just one more than for "The Garden". See the results below...click to enlarge the image.

Even though it only received one lonely vote (wasn't mine), I think "Lettuce Inn" was THE most creative of the bunch.

Thank you to all who submitted nominations. NOW - who wants a recount?!

Peace

Another Design Concept

2009-04-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to John vanStaalduinen (Black Diamond Designs) we have one more layout design for consideration. This originated from some vision-casting and discussion at the steering committee meeting on March 21st. Thank you John for this wonderful in-kind contribution.

I spent some time yesterday with John, reviewing this design and learning what people were thinking. I find this very interesting, even inspiring. Other than working on details and modifications...I wonder how and when we could decide on this or any other plan?

One idea perhaps is to start this summer season with the current rectangular plot as is there now. Get this first initial growing season going and finished. Then this would give us ample time to work through toward a final design, details, materials, costs, etc...all geared for next summer.

This way we can get going with planting soon and not have to get bogged down in more than we are set up for right now.

Anyway...we really should have a general membership meeting...to address this and a number of other key matters needing our attention to get things off and running for this season. Look for a call to a meeting like this in short order.

Jeff

Fruit and Nut Trees

2009-04-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

In terms of planting fruit and nut trees on-site, what's your pleasure?

Would it be great to have pear, apple, cherry, plum, peach, apricot, almond...with perhaps current bushes...maybe figs?

One local and reliable source for growing fruit in the northwest is Cloud Mountain Farm [click here] near Everson. Check out their site, see the descriptions and prices.

I think we can worry about the costs once we come to some collective agreement how to proceed.

But for now, go to Cloud Mountain online or to their farm...and dream what can be!

Jeff

Compost Thoughts - Or is that "Rotten" Thoughts?

2009-04-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

We have a good amount of fairly raw compost/manure in the garden now. With some time, this will break down, I hope, before much of our planting. With cold weather continuing...it might before mid-August when we plant! Errr.

Anyway, I still hope to get two large truck loads of supremely wonderful compost. But I am thinking we should not spread it out over the garden like the silt or manure.

How about we have a load dumped to the east and one to the west of the garden, near the chicken coup bldg.? This way we can use this good stuff a bit more effectively, by putting on areas of actual plant growing vs. walk ways or the like.

We can make this last a lot longer.

To contain this compost, perhaps we could use straw bales stacked 2-high like the nearby eco-blocks. Once the straw starts to rot, we replace it with new, and use the old for topping off composting.

Food for thought.

Jeff

'Nuurr

2009-03-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the garden received around 40 cubic yards of wonderful fluffy Edaleen Dairy compost manure. This is the stuff that has most of the liquid squeezed out, leaving behind only the solids. Thanks Gerald and Ralph at Edaleen for this pile of ........!

This stuff will breakdown real fast and provide a great foundation for the overall garden.

Shortly after it was delivered, Eldon again came over in his tractor and moved the compost around the plot area and then tilled it in. It looks great! Thanks Eldon!!

Click to enlarge pictures.

Below you'll see what the garden looks like after Eldon's professional touch. Thanks Eldon!!

Also, he turned the pre-existing yard waste (grass clippings and leaves) that was in the eco-block pit [see in background]. Now that stuff will start to accelerate toward good compost.

Joy!

Photos on Display

2009-03-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

Melissa took some interesting pictures of the shed after the clean-up work Saturday. I thought we should post several. Very good work Melissa!

Click on image to enlarge.

De Shed Is Empty

2009-03-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Larry V. and his trusty ole Dodge and trailer, and a hardy crew of folk from the neighborhood and from Sonlight, our little shed is now free of all that "stuff" that has been gathering in it for decades.

Isn't this beautifully rustic, brings back the good old days of 1929.

A before picture...

Another before picture....

Next is to get a plan to fix this little gem up as our garden Center. I propose that neighbors who will use the garden and members of Sonlight, we jointly work on this building and spruce it up. Between sweet-equity, in-kind donations and just plain purchasing power, perhaps we can make this into a multi-million dollar retirement home for AIG bonused executives...that is for us to charge high-end rent for sure!

Jeff

Alice Waters' Crusade For Better Food

2009-03-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen a recent piece by 60-Minutes on Alice Water's, take joy and see her drive for organic food and community gardens and "slow food"...its wonderful!

[Sorry for the lead-in commercial...]

More videos and a wonderful "sloooww food" breakfast...click here

First Till of the Year!

2009-03-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Eldon H. and his farm tractor, we got the river silt tilled in Monday morning. Yeah!

Now comes the other series of compost-organics that will be tilled as well. Soon we'll have a very good start with rich soil for the early spring-crowd of veggies.

Thanks a ton Eldon!

Jeff

Master Gardener Training Coming to Us...

2009-03-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

[Below is a note I received from WSU Extension's Jill Cotton. How cool is this! We will figure out a way to find out who wants to sign up for what...soon.]

The WSU master gardener volunteers are available this spring to help home gardeners grow vegetables in their community garden plots. We are working on developing presentations on these subjects:

From the Ground Up team:
* Soils, fertilization, and soil preparation styles
* Compost and Lasagna garden style
* Planning and siting the garden, and useful tools
* Useful structures; raised beds, trellises and supports
* Seeds, selecting and growing starts

Grow Your Own Groceries team:
* Planting: transplanting, furrows, Square-Foot, Bio intensive
* Growing, cultivation and care, weed and insect control
* Harvest and seed saving

If you would like to schedule any or all of these volunteers to help out at your community garden, please contact me with a date and time, and please forward this email to anyone else you know of who could use our help ! I'll look forward to hearing from you!

Jill Cotton
Master Gardener Program Coordinator
WSU Whatcom County

Spread it around

2009-03-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, a wonderful man got on his tractor, worked many hours, spreading around the river silt that was delivered by the county. In the rain and cold, this sweet man faithfully served our north city community by helping us in our efforts to develop the community garden.

Here's the look of "spread-around-river-silt"...click to zoom larger.

Thank you dear one, who wishes to remain anonymous!

Okay next, we start bringing in various composts and organics. If thing dry up enough so we can get a tractor/tiller in on the site, we'll till in this added material into the silt and earth that is there now. Layer by layer, tilling by tilling, we'll gradually get a really good foundation for our garden.

I was out there today, digging some test holes at various locations. A good sign: Lots of earthworms! I think "I felt the earth move under my feet..." sorry Carole King, different context. But there ARE a lot of good guys worming their way around in the Good Earth.

Jeff

What's Happening...

2009-03-12T10:40:00.001-07:00

What's in the works or happening ... you may ask? Well here's what.

I have contacted several community citizens who have access to earth moving equipment, asking if they would move the 49 yards of river silt on the garden plot site. That should be done within the next week.

Have arranged the use of a dump truck to get some free compost for the garden, and haul it there once the silt is spread. Then will get more purchased compost from local source. Also some manure from local dairy. With all this on the site, then we'll get a tractor-tiller go over the whole scene and mix up all this good stuff.

For the fun of it, I thought I'd draw up a draft proposal for how the whole 3/4 acre area with the garden might look. See below. [Click on the picture for larger sized viewing]

Of course this will be discussed and other ideas at the upcoming organizing group that will be meeting Saturday, March 21st.

This is fun!

Jeff

Move That Dirt!

2009-03-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

I am asking around for some in-kind help with moving the river silt we received last week to the final garden site. What is needed is to get this initial resource spread out over the 4 tenths acre that will be our garden plot area.

Then I am trying to obtain some really good composted cow manure, and put it on this area. Once we have these, we will try to find an tractor roto-tiller and till up the area well. From this we then can begin to lay out individual plots.

So if anyone knows of a business or operation that has front-end loaders and back-hoes, this would be sweet. Let me know and we'll ask if they can help.

Thanks,
Jeff

Grand Design for our Beautiful Garden

2009-03-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

If anyone knows of someone who has the ability to produce professional landscape planning blueprints, we sure could use their in-kind (donated) assistance.

Since we are starting from scratch, fresh scratch that is, this is a good time to have an overall well-thought out design, layout and plan developed. From this we will be able to methodically develop our garden and all aspects with it.

So if you know of someone, or if you are this SOMEONE, let me know and we'll explore how to best use this community asset.

Jeff

Work Crew Needed

2009-03-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 21st, at 9 AM we need a work crew to help clean out the old shed on the site of the community garden. It won't take a lot of time, but many hands make light work!

So to those who have or will sign up to be part of the community garden, let me know if you will be there.

We may also have some other activities linked that morning to this. It may be work related, or perhaps some training/learning on gardening or the like.

Anyway mark it in your calendar, RSVP to me, and off we go.

Jeff

Things are Dumping

2009-02-24T15:49:00.000-08:00

I hit the brakes, screeched to a halt, right there on the Hannegan, just north of the Nooksack River bridge. What did I see? Gold. Yes gold the kind of stuff that grows great vegetables and other things. Tons of river silt being scooped up by the County, Whatcom that is.

I asked the traffic control gal “Where’s this all going?” Response, “I’m not sure.” “Who’s in-charge here?” “There in that truck over there, ask Brian.”

I did.

Fast-forward…a couple hours…

After some form-filling, protocol stuff which Rana at Sonlight had to endure, we started to receive on our garden plot wonderful loamy silt river sediment. This is the stuff of legend…rich, flood-plain soil and organics that keep much of the world alive.

So we should have within the next couple days around 45 cubic yards of this river silt on our site.

Thanks to the Whatcom County Public Works folks: Brian, Orv and Christy.

And more thanks to the City of Lynden Public Works folks: Laurie, Jean and Mark.

And still much more special thanks to Rana at Sonlight for dropping everything on her schedule so she could make scads of phone calls, run down to City Hall, faxing forms here and there, rush out the “dump” site, making all things connect and wonderful. All this so we can have our dirt and play in it.

Thanks Rana and friends.

Jeff and Community Garden Green-Thumbs

So Fun…So Inspired!

2009-02-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

There we were, Saturday February 21, 2009, 11:30 AM, in New York Pizza, the 29 of us. There we were casting vision, dreaming child-like thoughts (sugar-plum dreams), what it would mean for people like us to get together around a community garden. What a time we had!

If only we could snap our fingers and all those sugar-plum ideas were NOW and a reality. But they will. I think all of us sense that if that should happen, without all the planning, preparation and hard work, it would be accomplishment without community. More of a commodity, something transferred vs. beauty and common interest stuff that ties good people with good cheer – TOGETHER.

So we refuse to snap our fingers. Instead we choose to get our palms blistered with hard work, bumping into each other, shoulder to shoulder – building something that will be a joy to us AND our neighbors.

But for now: no fingers, no blisters, just green thumbs. Click on the first picture below. If you squint and strain your eyes hard enough, you will see that ALL of us have something in common. Our green thumbs. Hey!! What a concept...“Green-Thumbers”

Keep clicking to enlarge each picture.

Who won the Oscar for their "hamming" performance below?

To recount some of our dreams and details for this new life together in OUR GARDEN, here they be:

• We will be organic
• We will co-learn together and teach each other
• We will share as much as we possibly can (tools, seeds, etc.)
• We will have fun
• We will not only grow our own veggie plots
• We will grow at least a squash and a corn communal plot for all
• We will have plot sizes like 4X4’, 10X20’ and 10X10’, and our communal plots
• We will plan and plant the rest of the garden to be a thing of beauty
• We train ourselves and encourage our community join in on the learning
• We will draw the youth into this venture
• We will assist those elderly or handicapped to join in with us
• We will take field trips to Hovander together
• We will thank Sonlight church for the use of their land
• We will just hang out in OUR GARDEN and talk, sing, dream more and have a great time!
• We got to get to work and make all this happen.
• Did I miss anything? Surely I did!

So what are the next steps?

Ten of us said we’d work as a short-term organizing team. This so we can pull together more detail plans, logistics and resources to get things off the ground. Look for me to call upon this group to “take things up a notch!” (who said that?!)…baam!

Watch for more postings for calls to action or being informed of what’s happening.

A personal note: After we all separated and went our own ways, I went home, poured a homemade stout in a glass, went out into my greenhouse at home (it was so nice a warm), sat on a bucket...and buzzed with the sense: "I want to celebrate"! No the beer caused not the buzz. It was thoroughly a moment of: I wanted to just shout for joy that all these good people are new friends of mine! They have this desire to make our little world in our little town a tad bit better-together. This is so good. Thank you my new and dear friends!

Jeff

PS: The one who really figured out the "Speeking...Spelling" thing, well you get the golden "ha-ha" star for the day!

First Meeting Draws Near

2009-02-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

As of noon, today Thursday, Feb. 19, we have a total of 26 people who said they will be attending our first organizing meeting. This is awesome! There are a total of 18 households who form this first initial burst of excitement. Let's keep it going!! We would have more people there Saturday, but 2 of the households can't make it -- this time.

Below is my proposed Agenda for this first meeting. I feel it is always good for people to know what sort of direction such meetings are headed, before you show up. This way you can be better prepared and know what is likely to be discussed or decided.

I hope the below is something that energizes you, and helps get our community garden going!

* Introductions
* Short stories of personal gardening experiences: Good, Bad or Ugly
* A description of overall plan at this stage: Role of Sonlight, Role of the Community
* Expressions of “What you dream this could be?”
* How do we take things from here?
* Do we need an organizing group or committee?
* What sort of things do we need to consider while forming this garden?
* How about a name?
* What have I missed that you want to talk about?
* Fill out the “Sign me up…”
* Next meeting
* Let’s go look at the land!

See you Saturday. This is going to be fun!

Jeff

Get Ready, Get Set....Go!

2009-02-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

The bees are buzzing. The birds are singing. And residents along Aaron Drive (Lynden WA) are eagerly awaiting the start-up of a new community garden. Everybody and everything is happy, happy a garden is coming!

A local church (Sonlight Community Christian Reformed Church) is freely offering the use of 3/4 of an acre of their land to their neighbors to be used for growing food.

How awesome is that!

Over 320 north city residents are being invited to an informational and organizing meeting to start up the garden. See the flyer to the left.

On Saturday, February 21st, interested residents who received invitations by hand or through the mail are encouraged to gather and start planning the community garden.

This will take place at the New York Pizza and Pub (Bender Plaza) at 8874 Bender Rd, Lynden. Please RSVP PLEASE RSVP to let me know if you plan on attending...this way we'll make sure we have enough pizza and pop.

Central to making this a truly "community" garden, this has to be a "community" effort. Sonlight could have not only offered the land, but could have taken over this effort by designing the program themselves and THEN offer it to the residents.

Yet they decided it better to join in with the community in a cooperative way, so as to build up the neighborhood's capacity to do such good things TOGETHER!

So, starting Feb 21st, this joint venture begins.

For now at least, this effort will be for the benefit of those residents who live on or adjacent to Aaron Drive. Once these residents get the ball going, then they will be able to decide if there will be enough garden space for other Lynden folk.

If you have questions, call me at 318-1851.

Oh yes...the picture at the top of this blog, yep that's the land we will be developing into our community garden.

Okay...start the imagination process...can you see the beauty of it all...can you see young and old, working side by side, having more fun than you're supposed to!! Of course, they'll be having fun...I'll be weeding.

Here are more pictures and perspectives of what it looks like right now.

Thanks,
Jeff