Christa Dumpys, Mayor Greg Nickels, Julie Whitehorn at Good Neighbor Garden, October 11, 2008
Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of showing off the Good Neighbor Garden to Mayor Greg Nickels on his walking tour of Queen Anne. He seemed pretty interested in our efforts to promote urban food gardening and asked some unexpected questions (”hey, is this Trex?”). He mentioned that his neighbor in West Seattle has “ripped her strip” and is growing some fine-looking produce in it. When I gave him a tote bag, he admired it and said he’s getting quite a collection. (Aren’t we all!)
The tour included an entourage and two photographers (I am still kicking myself for not wearing makeup and better clothes). Once my nerves calmed, I had a great time, especially with Sharon Nickels chatting about parenting and schools and food. Her mother used to make home-made rootbeer, and now I’m eager to try it.
The coordinator of the tour was Christa Dumpys, the QA/Magnolia rep from the Department of Neighborhoods. Four years ago, when Christa was coordinator of the QA Community Center, she championed my friend Heather Brownell’s and my proposal for a new, environmentally-focused preschool at the center. Heather and I named it Fresh Air because we (1) think kids need a lot of it, and (2) we are fans of NPR’s Terry Gross. Our children attended the school for two years, and GNG volunteer Sarah Holt’s son is now a student there. Needless to say, I was thrilled to talk about Fresh Air’s help with the Good Neighbor Garden this year, and to champion Christa and the many other city employees who are assisting with neighbor-driven efforts to improve our communities.
The tour ended at Eat Local (a GNG sponsor) where I overhead owner Greg Connor tell Sharon Nickels that he plans to plant his strip with edibles. Wow! I think a rosemary / lavender hedge would do pretty well there on that western edge, don’t you?
We are thrilled that GNGP cofounder Nancie Kosnoff is among the five finalists for the Cox Conserves Hero award. Cox Conserves Heroes is a conservation awards program created by The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises to honor “unsung heroes” who work to create, preserve, improve, or enhance the shared outdoor places in our communities. The winner gets $5,000 for their nonprofit, and Nancie has designated the GNGP (through our fiscal sponsor QANRG).
The award money would go a long way toward our goals. Please tell your neighbors and friends, and get out the vote before October 13th. Enjoy the video . . . and take pride in this grassroots project you helped create!
We had hoped to have our beautiful red (rhubarb, actually) totes at the market booth this week. Alas, screenprinter Nick Baker of Maple Leaf Printing was detoured by a sudden trip to California, interfering with our July 10 delivery date. Nick has promised to print at least a partial run this coming weekend, so we’ll have totes at the meeting next week. Be the first on your block to get one! And like Paul Revere, spread the word (no midnight ride necessary).
What: Good Neighbor Garden Meeting When: Wednesday, June 16, at 7 pm Where: Good Neighbor Garden, 1901 First Ave W Why: Planning for Harvest and Beyond
The first item on the agenda (after admiring the totes, of course) is to celebrate our successes. In a few short months, we have:
1. Designed, built, filled, planted and maintained a flourishing community garden
2. Formed a great group of volunteers and subject matter experts
3. Produced a logo, website, flyers, sign, and tote bags
4. Raised over $2,000 in donations
5. Applied for a grant from Yahoo
6. Secured a nonprofit kitchen for surplus produce
7. Inspired two “ripped strip” gardens on Queen Anne
Please bring your ideas. Someone suggested using the community center kitchen for a canning party and/or class. Are you interested?
If you haven’t staffed the booth at the Thursday QA Farmers Market yet, you are missing out on a uniquely entertaining view of our little village here on the hill. By 2:30 pm, the farmers are arriving in their trucks and vans. Within minutes, a double row of canopies (black, white, green, red) blooms in the McClure MIddle School parking lot. Our unflappable, sweet-mannered market manager, Judy Kirkhuff, is everywhere at once: directing traffic, welcoming newcomers, making signs, and predicting weather and crops. [click to continue...]
Eat, mingle, schmooze, connect. Bring a dish inspired by your garden / market bounty, grab a beverage, and join your fellow volunteers at Nancie’s house, newly painted a delicious Cabernet (or beet soup?) red. Check out the ripped strip and join in the celebration of our grassroots revolution.
Today, Thursday, June 19, is the opening of the second year of the Queen Anne Farmers Market, 3 to 7 pm at McClure Middle School. There will be a cooking demonstration by Canlis and entertainment by a jazz band. Check out our booth (where we’ll soon be selling tote bags).
Kimberly, Amy, Julie and Nancie are scheduled for the booth today, and will be asking for sign ups for booth and watering crews.
We’ll also be exchanging seeds! Throughout the summer, if you have seeds or starts or divisions you’d like to donate/exchange, drop them at our farmers market booth.
The seeds have sprouted! Baby lettuce and radishes are up from the planting on May 29. The pea seedlings from Henry Holt’s preschool class at Monarch School are inching skyward. Thanks, kids!
And a grubby fist-bump to today’s crew (Marilynn, Kimberly, Sarah, Bob, Maia, and Amy). The soil mound is gone and the beds are newly burgeoning with tomatoes, squash, beets, beans, peas and onions.
The hard part is done; now for some clean fun.
Everyone is welcome to a General Garden Meeting to chart our course for the summer and beyond. We’ll address our communication and signage needs, brainstorm education ideas, discuss Marilynn’s grant opportunity, and share some garden wisdom.
What: General Garden Meeting
When: Thursday, June 12, 7 pm
Where: QA Community Center, 1901 First Avenue West
On Saturday morning, the Garden Committee gathered at the garden site. We sat in the sunshine on the edges of the new raised beds, trailing our fingers in the fresh soil. Our pro gardener, Amy, helped us create a wish list for the garden, and plan what to plant first.
We have two planting dates scheduled:
Thursday, May 29, 5:00 p.m.: We’ll plant seeds for lettuces, carrots and beets in two of the beds, and rosemary and ornamental edibles in our centerpiece bed.
Sunday, June 8, 3:00 p.m.: Tomato starts, basil, squash, tomatillos and runner beans will go into the two southernmost beds. Besides planting, we’ll build a cloche to keep the tomato plants warm until we get summer temperatures consistently.
Please join us for one or both of these planting dates.
Huge thanks to our Smackdown Superhero Sarah Holt, and to my wonderful hubby Bob and daughter Maia, who between the three of them got 7 cubic yards of dirt shoveled before noon on Saturday. Yes, that Saturday, with record high temps! We owe you big time. I’m glad you like zucchini.
Now the burning question: what shall we grow? Everyone is invited to attend the planning meeting of the Garden Committee this Saturday. If you are saving seeds or starts, please bring a list. Think partial shade!
What: Garden planning meeting When: Saturday, May 24, 10:30 am Where: Good Neighbor Garden site, 1901 1st Avenue West
Huge thanks to Amy, Sarah and Bill for moving 5 cubic yards of soil last Saturday. It took the three of them just 90 minutes, a testament to their youth and vigor (and perhaps their morning beverage).
Let’s beat that record this Saturday. We need fresh arms and some 10-gallon paint buckets to move 7 cubic yards into the remaining beds.
Can we do it in just one hour? Yes we can.
What: Bed Filling, Episode II
When: Saturday, May 17, NOON
Where: Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 1st Avenue West
Please send an email or leave a comment if you can help. We’ll bring extra buckets.
I wanna touch the earth, I wanna break it in my hands, I wanna grow something wild and unruly. — Dixie Chicks
