Growing Food, Growing Community

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Comment by Cathy Tuttle on February 17, 2012 at 2:21pm

Missed this article somehow! on Cyrus Abby and GFGC http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2009330268_brod...

Comment by Aaron Armstrong on March 21, 2011 at 10:26pm

The new Wallingford Garden Group was a huge SUCCESS. Thank you everyone for your support.

We had a great first gathering at Wallingfarm with tons of knowledge, seeds and support to go around. We all met some neighbors that we didn't know and I think are on our way to creating a sustainable and local support structure for the hopeful and existing urban farmer.

We talked about what we would like to do with a group like ours and came up with some very practical and inspirational ideas. We look forward to building community through more seed and plant exchanges, cooperative experimenting in the garden, sharing of knowledge specific to our little neck of the woods, guidance from members experienced in areas that we are not, finding role models in urban ag, a local tool library, and the distribution of resources from the Co-op store and elsewhere.

At today's meeting we had a permaculture expert, a member of the Tilth Board, the founders of an urban CSA, someone who grew up on a real live farm(!), a member of the Seattle Tree Fruit Society and many other knowledgeable and motivated people. We heard about several resources for the Urban Farmer such as Gaya's Garden (a permaculture resource for the Northwest), the Maritime Guide to Pacific Northwest Gardening, the WSU Snohomish County Extension and many other local goodies.

We also had a SNEAK PEEK of the new resource from Tilth, "Your Farm in the City" by Lisa Taylor et al; an impeccably designed and relatively thorough look at info relative to agriculture in Seattle. It includes info on Chickens, Bees, Livestock, Containers, Fruits and Veggies, Composting and more. Soon to be available for $18.95 from Tilth and numerous booksellers. Check out a quick review here: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-57912-862-3

We discussed what we are planting now and threw ideas back and forth regarding where, when, how and what to plant now and in the coming weeks. It was all very exciting and I can't wait for the next one!

I hope to see even more new faces next month. It will likely be on a Tuesday evening next month, unless I get some feedback from several probable attendees who would not be able to make it that day of the week. I will post the date of our next meeting soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Thanks again Everyone!!

Aaron, Laura and Konghai

Comment by Cathy Tuttle on September 23, 2010 at 11:33am

Two-BlockDiet_Un-Manual.pdfVancouver Two-Block Diet we could do in Wallingford! VANCOUVER -- Neighbours Kate Sutherland and Julia Hilton have hatched a mini-revolution that has transformed two blocks of east Vancouver into a true urban village.

"Julia had land and I didn't, but I have a passion for growing things," Sutherland explained. They thought they would work together to grow vegetables, but like true revolutionaries they cranked up a tiny propaganda machine in the form of a simple flyer they distributed to their neighbours, recruiting more than a dozen to the cause.

"We made up a very simple leaflet and handed them out on [Hilton's] street and my street," Sutherland said.

Thirteen people came to the first meeting, intrigued by the idea of eating local by growing their own food. The Two-Block Diet was born.

They started a sprouting station to grow tomatoes from seed and then built a greenhouse to protect the seedlings; then came the communal compost. From there, they began to organize weekend work parties to convert unused backyard space into gardens.

"Not having a community garden, we help each other grow food on our own plots," she said. "Eight of us will show up in one back yard for kind of a barn-raising."

Many of the neighbourhood's backyards were entirely transformed in the process.

"We were having work parties about every two weeks at somebody's home while we were establishing gardens," Sutherland said.

Buoyed by the success of their first harvest, some Two-Blockers are now keeping laying hens. The arrival of bee hives this year has the neighbourhood salivating for the season's honey harvest.

As food production ramps up, the group has started to preserve its bounty.

"We applied for a small grant and bought a pressure canner," Sutherland said. "We brought in peaches and used the local honey when we canned the peaches."

In less than two years, Hilton and Sutherland's Two-Block Diet group has evolved from potlucks and planning sessions into a self-sustaining urban village in the Riley Park-Little Mountain area, where sharing labour and food are the natural way of things.

Now that the need for transformative work parties has diminished, the group mostly gathers to order seeds and plan their gardens and, at harvest time, to preserve.

"People are growing two to three times what they were two years ago," Sutherland said. "But for me the real payoff is in the sense of community.

"I lived on this block for 12 years and had never been inside most of my neighbours' homes; now I have been in all of the members' homes," she said.

When a gardener's husband fell ill, the Two-Blockers organized a meals-on-wheels program, taking turns bringing fresh meals to the couple while he convalesced.

Eager to spread the revolution, Hilton and Sutherland have created a manual for people who want to start a group in their own neighbourhood, condensing their two-year experience into a two-page tip sheet. You can even ask a member of their group to attend your first meeting as a resource.

Click here to read the manual

Click here to read Randy Shore's blog, The Green Man



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Block+Diet+turns+Vancouver+neighbours+i...

Comment by Cathy Tuttle on November 11, 2009 at 11:17pm

Greenhouse Volunteers Wanted!
Last year, in a modest greenhouse near Gasworks Park, a hearty crew of Wallingford volunteers managed to grow thousands of organic veggie starts destined for several Seattle Community Gardens (read all about it: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2009330268_brod...). The resulting produce was ultimately delivered to food banks and we were proud to be part of the chain that helped feed our neighbors by donating more than 3,000 plant starts. We'd like to resume greenhouse production early next year, and we'll need some new volunteers to fill out our cadre of greenthumbers.
What's involved?
1) committing to one approximate two hour shift once a week to plant seeds, transplant germinated seeds and watering.
2) a brief organizational meeting about once every 2 to 3 weeks.
3) a January to May/June commitment to help take care of the tender young plants.
It was a heartwarming, collaborative experience and we want to do it even better next year!
Come and join us! Call Cyrus at 323-1438 or email Abby at abbyklingbeil@yahoo.com, and let us know if you're interested.
Part of Growing Food Growing Community in your Sustainable Wallingford http://greenwallingford.ning.com

Comment by Michelle on July 27, 2009 at 11:31am

Lettuce Link is in need of a volunteer to regularly pick up produce from the Good Shepherd P-Patch and deliver it to Family Works on Tuesday mornings. Contact Michelle if you're interested or know of someone who can help out: michelleb@solid-ground.org

Comment by Abby Klingbeil on June 14, 2009 at 5:42pm

Check out the great column about the greenhouse/plant starts project:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2009330268_brodeur12m.html.

Comment by Kathleen Byrnes on April 2, 2009 at 2:43pm

Hello!

Wallingford COMMUNITY Senior Center will be hosting a P-Patch party here on Wednesday, April 15 at 1 pm to discuss plans for our P-Patch plot in the Good Shepherd garden. Please join us for a cup of tea and ideas about how to best use our plot!