Traditions and 5k's.

Hi Everyone!

Sam here, moving over to the board blog to make things a little more streamlined!  So as you know last spring we solicited 6 gardeners to participate in the annual Big Backyard 5k that runs through Marymoor park.  This 5k raises money for the park system. Two weekends ago was the big race!

When we asked the garden to participate, we quickly got 2 couples Jim and Rachel as well as Kenneth and Tatyana.  As we got closer with two slots still open I volunteered along with my spouse and my son.   In one of the emails I made said that participants who dressed up as gnomes would get bonus points!  Little did I know....

 

Is that a red cap I spy?

Yes, yes not one but two red caps!  Could it be?? Does anyone else around them see?

Now wait a second...I see only one red cap but the beard disappeared, as if by magic?

Now two gnomes are spotted towards the end of the race...but the beard grew back!! Clearly these gnomes possess special garden powers.

Earlier these two were spotted in the garden before they mysteriously disappeared.  (Thanks Kenneth and Tatyana for being such great sports!) 

 Heidi and son seen here before the race...one last trip in the stroller!

 There were two waves of participants, the fast folks, and five minutes or so later, the folks walking dogs, and pushing strollers.

All in all it was a great day, great participation!  Afterwards there was music near the concert stage and things for kids to do.  I am hoping that this is the start of a great tradition with our garden, where all participants dress up as gnomes!  Could you imagine how great that would be?  Thanks Jim and Rachel and thanks Kenneth and Tatyana for starting this great PR campaign for the garden.  Next year let's try to make it an even dozen participants! 

~Sam

Spring has Sprung

There is so much going on in the garden right now.  With the recent heat wave, many cool spring greens have really taken off. In fact some arugula in my garden thinks summer has hit and is beginning to bolt.  Here are some photos of spring veggies in many plots at the garden.

Top left is orange stemmed chard, super healthy, great chopped up and added to spring soups. 
Saute, onions, carrots, celery, garlic in olive oil until all are soft, season with salt and pepper and your favorite herbs.  Add your chard, broth to cover all the veggies, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 1 can of your favorite beans and that is what I call a soup.  Simmer until all the veggie flavors blend together,  turn the heat off and add 2 handfuls of short pasta, we use elbow macaroni.  Leave the uncooked pasta to 'cook' in the heat of the soup for 20 mins and dinner is served.  We pair our veggie soups with homemade focaccia bread but that is a family secret.

Top right, a nice couple of rows of tender salad greens.  Keep picking the outer leaves until the heads bolt (start to form seed heads, then pull up the plant and get ready to do it again in the Fall.)

Bottom left, nothing is like fresh artichokes.  Great for salads and fresh eating when steamed.  The plants are large so give them enough elbow room, sometimes getting up to 4 feet high and 5-6 feet wide.  To harvest many heads at a time plant at least 2-3 plants.

Bottom right, a nice tight head of broccoli, just about the right size for eating too.  Don't let them flower, pick them right before and you will be eating a delicious tender vitamin packed treat.

-Gia

MCGA Spring Work Party-The Best One Yet

Thank you everyone for coming out and working today at our first 'official' work party of the season. We got a lot done and had tons of fun too. See below for a photo summary of our most successful work party to date. (Photos courtesy of Sam and Laura)

Sam, Laura and Hannah were our greeters today as well as 'on hand' project managers and job 'pointer outers'. Much thanks also to Mike, Kendrick, Dana, Michelle, Jack, Shirley, please forgive us if we have left out any names!

John and Roman help to disassemble some very old planting boxes in favor of making room for new mini plots!  Thank you guys!  Paths were weeded, the wood chips on paths replenished too.

The sky threatened to turn grey but not a drop of rain fell, it was a perfect day, with a mix of sun to keep us warm, wind to cool us down and clouds to give us relief when we were sweating hard.

Here are some food bank worker bees tilling the food bank gardens and getting the beds ready for our seasons crops.  We planted potatoes today but will fill the food bank with spring planting very soon.

This is one of our new projects this year, we built a tomato only bed or the food bank garden along the pet memorial wall.  We are hoping being close to the wall will help the tomato plants stay warm and produce bountifully.

Here are the ladies have a go at taking apart the old ornamental beds,  thanks so much for your hard work.

Noxious weed removal was in full swing and folks for down on their hands and knees to help rid us of some weeds that cause everyone grief at the garden.

The tomato beds are looking great, only time will tell if the extra heat retained via the wall will help our tomatoes avoid blight and help produce a bumper crop.

After a busy morning, we all break for lunch! A giant thank you to all who attended and worked,  we really appreciate you.

Jump into Spring

Hello Spring (knock on wood)!  What a wet, wild, windy and wacky Spring we have been having. I know I have not been the only one anxiously waiting for warmer weather to arrive. Many of our fellow gardeners have already braved February and March to ensure they get a nice spring crop and harvest. Check out these early bird gardens.

I love the use of the hoop houses to start seeds and starts as early as Feb.  They stay warm and cozy in and get a nice jump start, even though we have seen temps in the 40's at night.

Another early bird gardener with a quick and simple, screw-less and nail-less method for making raised beds.  They are holding the boards together with soil and plats of wood on the outside of the boards.  Genius.

This gardener is already planning for summer with two smart drip irrigation systems designed to water the plants and not the weeds, way to go!

All I can say is "WOW".  These guys had their veggies under hoop houses for the winter and boy did they start early!  Look at the symmetry of the planting too! 

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.