Growing Groceries at Marymoor Community Garden

I have been growing food with my family since I was 8 years old.  I actually have an old photo of me and my first cucumber.  We had a tiny sustenance farm on Guam and grew everything from sugar cane, to sweet potatoes and special herbs and mints that we sold to Vietnamese restaurants.

This will be my first year as the resident WSU Master Gardener at Marymoor Community Garden.  I am excited to be able to mentor my garden neighbors.  There is nothing more exhilarating and gratifying than producing healthy food for you and your family.  I look forward to a wonderful season.

Please join me, Gia Parsons and Laura Matter, from Seattle Tilth,  on April 1st at 1 pm at the garden for  a hands on workshop on early spring veggie garden preparation and planting.

We will be covering the basics of getting started to include:

· Soil Building; How to check your soil to make sure it is ready to plant. Choosing soil amendments and fertilizers. Till or no-till methods.

· Planting Vegetables; Choosing the best varieties for spring planting. Knowing when to use seed and when to use transplants. Spacing in the garden bed. How to plant your veggies.

· Spring maintenance; Understanding crop rotation and succession gardening. Choosing mulches for your beds. What to expect from your plants (when can you harvest them?)

NOTE: Laura has worked with Seattle Tilth for 4.5 years and in horticulture for 30 years in the northwest. I am a site coordinator for Picardo P-Patch in NE Seattle where I have been in leadership for the last ten years and am the Garden Hotline coordinator at Seattle Tilth.