How the garden grows

It's been far too long since we updated the blog, but that's because we've been busy in the garden.

Since the last post we've finished building the beds, filled in dirt, planted, and have been harvesting beautiful salad greens.

Peas, Squash, Tomatoes, Potatoes, herbs, poppies, calendula and nasturtiums are all in bloom. We have wonderful tomatoes, peppers, peas and beans all forming on the plants and now that we have finally gotten a couple of weeks of warmth, things are really taking off.

If you get the chance to stop by and check things out, I think you'll be amazed.

Since planting, we've gotten several loads of mulch donated, and Seattle University donated 5 yards of course compost/mulch which we have used as a deep mulch in all the raised beds to help retain water.

I'll try to get more current pictures up soon, but if you want to see it, you should come on down.

Photo Post

Just a little picture update of the work done this week:

The mulch is almost totally spread now, and you can start to really see the outlines of the beds. On Sunday we'll assemble the wooden boxes and then we'll prepare to actually stack the bricks (the ones in the photo are just set there to show the outline). You'll also notice coffee grounds spread throughout the beds. In addition to boosting fertility this will also help to acidify our soil and neutralize our pH in accordance with the recommendations of our soil test.

Finally, we're tracking down leads on soil and working on a plan for water (if anyone has a lead for free rain barrels, we'll probably need 4-5 to use as holding tanks that can be refilled with a hose once a week).

Stay tuned for more updates.

First Work Party and Photos

Well our first work party was yesterday and it was a great success. We started the day with a trip to the West Seattle Tool Library to pick up some of the things we would need. On our way back (fighting through West Seattle Garage Sale traffic) we came upon a plant sale on 42nd. A huge "Thanks" goes out to the generous woman who was running the sale who, on hearing about our project, donated quite a few beautiful vegetable starts for the garden. If anyone knows the identity of this kindly "gardening angel," give her a shout out from us.

We got all of the wood for the beds cut and several of us will work throughout the week to assemble the beds. We spread mulch and moved all the bricks across the street and into the garden. We're also moving forward on getting soil and tracking down the rest of the wood chips needed for spreading around the beds.

We had almost all of the gardeners as well as some neighbors and friends working throughout the day. We also got to meet and talk with several more neighbors who stopped by to check on our progress.

Work Plans and the Wiki

So we got out this morning and tilled the beds before the rain sets in for the weekend. This will slow the work we can do, since the next step we have is to build those beds! But if you have time to help this weekend, there are some other things that can be done, but for that list, you should head over to the Grow Charlestown Wiki. There is a link to it on the top right hand side of the blog under the heading that says "Join the Conversation."

I'm starting a "work schedule" page there where we can try to coordinate times to work on things that need to be done. You'll find lots of other important pages there. It's pretty easy to navigate, just sign up for a user name, look for the list of pages on the right side, and you can edit any page by clicking the "edit" tab in the top right corner. As this will be dynamically edited by all the gardeners, please be courteous, and if you need help using this tool ask Patrick, who has set this up for us to use.

Updates and How you can be involved.

Well, things keep happening fast for us. Today, we rented a sod cutter (from Pacific Rim Equipment Rental, who gave us a great discount on what was already the lowest price in town--so please think of them if you need equipment) and cut and flipped the sod in the entire garden area. If you go out to the field or look at the pictures below, you can see that we removed the sod in the outline of the two U shaped beds. This sod was placed in the center where the taller bed will be. Essentially, we will build the sides of the bed around the sod and cover the top with about 10 inches of soil for growing. The lower beds will be about 11 inches tall. We will till them later this week, then build the beds and finally fill them with more dirt so that we can move on to the gardening part of this project. Anytime you see people working, feel free to come out and help us.

Thanks to all of the neighbors who have stopped by and introduced yourselves and shown interest in our project. We truly want this to be a beautiful addition to the neighborhood that can be enjoyed by everyone who lives nearby.  If you are interested in gardening, please come and talk to us about it. Providence Mount Saint Vincent has generously granted us permission to create a gardening space in a portion of the field. We are working to create a plan for developing the garden with room for possible future expansion West along the Charlestown fence line. We want to preserve the rest of the field (South of the current garden) as an open space for the neighborhood. Also, there is an agreement form from Providence that must be signed by anyone who wishes to garden in the field. For more info contact us at GrowCharlestown@gmail.com.

Finally, a few neighbors have asked us to create a "Wish List" of things that are needed for the garden. We will be doing this and publishing it here soon. In the meantime, any help you can offer would be appreciated, simply stop by and talk with us when you see anyone working in the field.

Now the pictures:

Early in the day: outlining and removing sod from the Eastern raised beds 

 

Here's a close-up look at the curved area which faces the opening at the corner of the field, the curved lines  will be finished in bricks.

 

At the end of the day: Over 20 hours of labor went into this today. The beds are all outlined and prepped for tilling, the tall bed in the middle is ready for us to build around it, and all the sod is cut and flipped, ready to be covered in wood chips.

Materials and Breaking Ground

If you have been by the field lately, you may have noticed the outline of string in the corner of the lot. This is the area where we will be building the raised beds. Additionally, we gained some more free lumber, an amount that will allow us to completely build out all of the planned beds. Not only is this wood in great condition, but the board lengths are all either 8ft, 6ft, or 5ft lengths--the exact lengths called for in our design of the beds! This means only minimal cutting to trim the ends of some of the boards where needed (they aren't all exact lengths). Combined with the bricks which will form the curved outer accent wall of the beds, we will now be able to begin bed construction as soon as we have the ground ready (which might happen later this week).

Also, we will be placing a large sign in the field in the next day or so. It will have a bit of basic information for neighbors to read, and a bulletin board for people to leave notes.

Stay tuned for more updates.

*Update: we found a place with inexpensive rentals on a sod cutter who will also give us a 20% discount. I'll be cutting the sod on Wednesday during the day if anyone is available and wants to help. After this we'll be prepping the ground under the beds and then, with any luck, building garden beds by the weekend.

Meeting Tomorrow and Soil Test Results

Just a reminder that tomorrow (Saturday, April 30th) we will be meeting at 3pm to discuss plans for the garden.

Also, today I received the results for the soil samples that were sent off to be tested. Good news: we have safe soil! Also, the pH level is within a good range for growing vegetables and flowers, though when we bring in soil we will try to raise it just a bit to make it even more optimal. This means that we will not need to worry about building the beds extra high or bring in larger amounts of soil. Instead, we'll be able to work the new soil in with the soil in the field.

Questions and Answers about the Garden

I was out in the neighborhood today, passing out letters to about 50 of our neighbors and several people had questions about the garden. I thought it might be helpful to put a few of the questions and answers up here so that others can benefit as well.

Q. Who owns the field where the garden will be located?
A. Providence Mount Saint Vincent owns the property.

Q. Do you have permission to start a garden in the field?
A. Yes! We have been in contact with Providence Mount Saint Vincent and they have agreed to our using part of the field to start a community garden. They are letting us use the property for free in order to grow food and flowers for our own use. There is an agreement of use waiver that every gardener will need to sign in order to use the property for gardening.

Q. How much of the field will be used for gardening?
A. Our initial plan is to begin gardening in a small portion of the field (approximately 1/8th of the area inside the fence). This will allow for space of up to about 10 gardeners. If there is considerable interest from neighbors, we will look at options for enlarging the space up to the size of a quarter of the field. We know that a lot of people in the neighborhood use this field and we would like to maintain a significant open area in order to allow for other uses of the space (Our agreement with Providence Mount Saint Vincent only covers the use of space for gardening, and we are not allowed to grant permission for other uses of the space. That said, we know the open space is appreciated by many, and we hope to enhance the space, in all its uses, for the enjoyment of everyone).

Q. What about the soil?
A. We have sent soil samples to be tested, especially since we are in an area with higher risk of lead and arsenic contamination from the Tacoma Smelter. We plan on building raised beds, and if the soil is contaminated, then we will work to make sure that there is a good depth of safe soil to grow food in.

Q. Is this a City of Seattle P-Patch?
A. No. While the site has been recommended in the past to the P-Patch office, it is not currently one of the sites listed for development as a P-Patch in their current plans.

Q. Since a lot of people use the field to play with pets, how will you keep animals out of the garden?
A. We will work with the pet owners who use the field to develop solutions if this becomes a problem. We believe that by having raised beds and laying down mulch between the beds, the space will be defined well enough that people playing in the field with their pets should have little trouble keeping their pets out of the beds.

Q. When is the meeting? And what if I cannot come?
A. The first meeting will be on Saturday, April 30th at 3pm. We will meet in the field. If it is raining we will meet across the street on the first floor of the brown apartment building. The Information from the meeting will be posted here on the blog within a couple of days after the meeting.

How Can I Be Involved?

In order to make the garden a reality, we will need as much help as we can get. Our hope is to do this entirely on donated goods and services as well as rescuing and recycling materials offered free through Craigslist and Freecycle or from our neighborhood. Below is a list of ways that you can help us make this dream a reality.

Take Action

·                     Join us in becoming a gardener (no experience needed) or teaching new gardeners     

·                     Help us build the garden (work dates to be announced)

·                     Visit us when you see us working and follow us here on the blog

Donate

·                     Newspaper and Cardboard (non-glossy newsprint only, please)

·                     Bricks, rocks, or untreated lumber (heat treated is okay, just not chemically treated)

·                     Wood chips, compost, soil

·                     Tomato cages, twine, wooden or bamboo stakes

·                     Seeds, flower or vegetable starts

Lend

·                     Shovels

·                     Gloves

·                     Wheelbarrows

·                     Buckets

·                     A Helping Hand!

Spread the Word

·                     Talk to neighbors about the garden

·                     Ask around and see if you know anyone who can help us get the materials we need for FREE

·                     Give us your ideas for the garden!

To contact a gardener about being involved you can email us at GrowCharlestown @ gmail.com (without the spaces).

What is Grow Charlestown?

“Grow Charlestown” is about neighbors working together to create a place of beauty and abundance right outside our doorstep. Our aim is to provide space for growing healthy food, especially for those in the neighborhood who do not have access to usable land. Throughout the next several months, we will be creating a neighborhood garden on a small portion of the field located on the southwest corner of Charlestown and 48^th Ave. We realize that many of our neighbors also use this open space for recreation and as an off-leash area for pets. Our hope is to preserve a large open area while also providing ample space to grow food for ourselves and for donation to a local foodbank.

We have been granted permission by the property owners to create a garden for the use of the neighborhood. There is a waiver form that all gardeners will need to sign in order to use the property for gardening.

Letter to Our Neighbors

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings! We have recently received permission from the owners (Providence Mt. Saint Vincent) of the open lot on the southwest corner of 48^th and Charlestown to begin a garden in a portion of the field. We realize that this rare open space in our neighborhood is enjoyed and used by many, and we hope to enhance the space for the enjoyment of everyone in the community. If you are interested in gardening with us or you just want to learn more about what we will be doing, please join us for an informational gathering on Saturday, April 30^th at 3pm in the field (in case of rain, we will meet across the street in the brown apartment building).

                              

At the meeting, we’ll talk about plans, soil testing results, and how you can be involved as a gardener or as a helpful friend of the garden. To find out more and stay up to date with our plans you can stop by and talk to us when you see us working in the field, or you can go online to www.growcharlestown.blogspot.com where we will be posting updates.

Thanks,

Daniel and Jocelyn Tidwell