First BIG gathering at the garden!!!

Joan Cronk is writing an article on Community Gardens for her LIFESTYLES article in the Puyallup Herald. Colleen Carroll, the photographer for the paper, came out to the garden on Thursday, May 29th to take gets some photos. She took alot of pictures of DIRT!We had a great turn out of people for the photo op. Thanks to all that came:Steve and Jonathan Bjerk, Dolly and Melody Smith, Holly Spaulding, Nicole Martini, Norma Laughlin, Jo Anne Slaybaugh, Clyde and Murphy (our Lhasa Apso) and new gardeners Igor Veremeykin and his wife and daughter. It was so great to look around and see everyone! It is amazing how far we have come in such a short time with the garden! Just think in February I was just meeting with the Puyallup Parks and Recs to speak about getting Community Garden established (again).Steering Committee~ Thank you everyone for making the Puyallup Community Garden possible. It could not be done without your vission and hard work!We have only just begun to make the Brown Property a truly fantastic place for the community to come to.
Kathy Powell

Hi Jen -

This is the first time I've looked at the blog and it's really nice. I like your idea of having local farmers/organic sellers post ads on the blog. I haven't planted yet because it seems like it's always too rainy and cold. Later this week the soil will have a chance warm up as we will have a couple of days in the 80's. Did you supplement your soil before you planted? When I plant, I think I will bring some Cedar Grove compost as well as a little agricultural lime and some organic vegetable fertilizer. In Western Washington some of the acidity in the soil needs to be neutralized for vegetables. We have to solve the puzzle of where to get our soil tested. Did you find some tools you can use when you're at the garden?

Thanks again for the nice blog. Holly

The Puyallup Community Blog is finally up and running! Members can now post items on here, such as growing tips, issues they are having, and gardening events amongst numerous other things.

If you have a plot at Puyallup's Community Garden, and you would like to post here on this blog, please email puyallup.community.garden@gmail.com and let Jen know you would like to contribute to this thread.

If you have ideas for the blog, or would like to advertise your organic garden or store with us, please email the above gmail address.

A few people have already planted this season, including myself (Jen). Yesterday I spent a few hours hunched over, pulling weeds, digging holes, and then planting my tomatos, basil, and parsley. I noticed that a lot of the plots seemed rather dry, so all of us may need to check our spots regularly until the plants can shoot their roots further down.

~Jen D.

PUYALLUP’S NEW COMMUNITY GARDEN

LIVE, LEARN, AND GROW GREEN

Puyallup, WA – May 5, 2008 – Puyallup’s Park and Recreation Department established a Steering Committee, headed by Puyallup’s own Kathy Johansson Powell, to oversee the revamping of the overgrown, 17.5-acre plot located at Brown’s Property in Puyallup. The goal? Provide community access to growing fresh produce and plants while fostering neighborhood improvement, a sense of community, and connection to the environment. With the rising cost of food and the reduction in flavor, people all over the country are taking notice and planting their seeds.

The American Community Gardening Association (http://www.communitygarden.org/) claims numerous benefits to communal gardening. First, New York University recently released a study stating that the value of surrounding property significantly increases. The association also cites a study that greening projects have positive effects on neighborhoods and their residents, such as crime reduction both to property and people, improvement of property and overall appearance of the neighborhood, and increased feelings of safety. The gardens also combat two forms of alienation which plague modern urban life: breaking down societal isolation by creating a social community, and bringing people in contact with the source of their food.

Pierce County Master Gardener’s Program is overseeing this new project by providing research-based information on growing plants, insect identification, and environmentally responsible gardening practices, thereby ensuring the garden’s success (http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/Master_Gardeners/index.htm). Puyallup’s community garden is open to the public and is divided into individual plots with two choices of either a 10x10 or 10x20 with cost ranging from $15-20 per plot plus a $20 water fee. The Steering Committee is encouraging locals to participate in the planning and beautification of Brown’s Property, with opportunities in the near future for social gatherings, education and recreational points of interest, and general beautification of the land. For more information on how to get involved or obtain your own plot, contact Parks and Rec at: 253/841-5457