Square Foot Garden Demonstration, May 16

Bill Rigsby, a Pierce County Master Gardener, will be demonstrating how to construct a squarefoot garden space May 16, 2009 starting 10 a.m. at the Puyallup Community Garden.

Square foot gardening is a new innovative way to garden efficiently while using less space, less water, yet producing more growth. The demonstration is designed to benefit both beginners and experienced gardeners.


PLANNED DEMONSTRATION TO INCLUDE:

* Basics of square foot gardening
* SOIL how to mix your own
* Potato Tower- sample of
* How to Instructions/Potato Tower

All attendees will be invited to participate in an informal question and answer session.

Bill has years of experience in gardening, and is pleased to have the opportunity to meet local people and share some of his knowledge towards Square Foot Gardening. "This demonstration is just the first of many we plan to have available to the public at our learning garden," said Kathryn Powell, Chair for the Puyallup Community Garden and Master Gardener. " To be able to provide opportunities to learn more about gardening is extremely rewarding."

The demonstration will be held at the Puyallup Community Garden located at Brown's Park, 1111 19th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA and will begin at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, May 16. The demonstration is FREE. Bring your lawn chairs. Call Kathy Powell at 253-820-8996 for more information

April 19, 2009 Garden Clean-Up Pictures!

This article is being reposted with the author's permission--Emily Knudsen--from The Melon Online. Original article is located HERE.


Well, I have to admit it—the Obamas have surprised me. Late last week, Michelle Obama announced that she will begin converting and cultivating the White House lawn into a fruit and vegetable garden. And, according to her, the whole family is required to pitch in to keep it weed-free (with the exception, of course, of Grandma, who will do whatever she damn well pleases as the matriarch). A local elementary school will also be tending to the garden.

While I expected great things from our new president and his family, I wouldn’t expect such a bold move. Why do I consider this so bold you ask? First of all, the Obamas are planning on tearing out an 1,100-square-foot chunk of the iconic South Lawn. This area has largely been left untouched, but for the notable exception of Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden. When author Michael Pollan wrote an open letter to the future president in October, he suggested the idea of planting an edible garden. Yet, he also quickly conceded that the move would be controversial since the lawn (and lawns in general) has become something of an American symbol itself.

Secondly, this action sends a huge signal to the food industry. This move certainly seems to represent Ms. Obama’s discontent with the food industry’s offering of unhealthful, over-processed foods.

The importance of diet was first brought to her attention by her daughters’ pediatrician. Once she was aware of how the food she gave to her children was negatively impacting her girls’ health, she changed her ways. She realized the true importance of a home-cooked meal (with a substantial serving of vegetables)—nutrition. She suggests that those who can’t have their own garden can still beneficially modify their diet by purging their cabinets of processed foods. Since the food industry, as it stands, does not offer many healthful choices, she is simply striking out on her own to provide her family with nutritious meals. (Food harvested from the garden will also be donated to a soup kitchen.) She hopes that as her own children tend the garden, they will be less hesitant to eating their veggies. She further wishes to see the other schoolchildren go home to their families to teach them about the importance of a fresh, local diet.

Back in 1943, the USDA protested Eleanor Roosevelt’s gardening plans, thinking the food industry would take a hit from a proliferation of home gardening. Yet she continued with her effort and ended up inspiring 20 million households to plant their own victory gardens. If we are so fortunate to have the Obamas be equally or even more successful, it is quite possible the food industry will suffer the consequences.

But if you ask me, that’s precisely the point. As consumers, we need to demand better from those who provide us our meals; our health depends on it. And there is no better way of doing that than relying on our own soil and capability to provide ourselves with our own sustenance. So, the fact that Michelle Obama is thumbing her nose at the giant lobbying forces of the Monsantos and Cargills of the world for the well-being of her family and the nation is a daring move indeed. If the new White House garden catches on in suburbia and cities across the country, the following may be large enough to force change upon the food industry. Then we can declare our victory over the now destructive food industry.

Garden Clean-Up with Parks and Recreation Appreciation Day, April 18th

Bring your gloves and tools and...

GET BROWN AND DIRTY!

At Brown Property, our very own Puyallup Community Garden.

When: April 18th, 2009

Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Contact: Puyallup's Park and Recreation for more information at: 253-841-5457 or email Jen at: puyallup.community.garden@gmail.com

Address: 1111 19th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA

For more information on registering for your own garden plot, visit Parks and Recreation's garden website.

American Community Gardening Association Membership!

Puyallup Community Garden has officially joined the prestigious ranks of the American Community Gardening Association.

You can view our specific webpage by clicking HERE.

If you have recommendations or changes to make, talk to Jen by emailing puyallup.community.garden@gmail.com

We are gearing up for a new and improved location and season, so keep checking back to find out more.

Puyallup Herald Features Puyallup's Community Garden

Please click HERE to view the wonderful article by Joan Cronk on our wonderful garden, published this past June!

Now that our growing season is coming to an end, many of us are pulling our plants up, covering our ground, or perhaps starting to think about a winter cover crop to plant.

If you have ideas on how to develop the garden further, make the place more beautiful, or feel more a part of the garden community, feel free to contact Kathy by emailing puyallup.community.garden@gmail.com (link is also at the top right corner of this blog).

This is a shameless plug, I know, but here are some links that were written for The Melon Online about local gardening and Farmer's Markets that you might find interesting:

Puyallup Farmer's Market

The Art of Eating Locally


Thanks to all the wonderful people who cultivated their plot.

Let's continue to Live, Learn, and Grow Green.

August Garden Potluck Pictures

Garden plot holders had a wonderful time gathering to talk about this season's positives and negatives, get to know each other better, eat delicious food from the garden, roast some hot dogs, and pull some weeds.

Those of us who attended (see the pictures below!) loved the chance to network and develop a sense of community, and I, for one, look forward to many more years of garden potlucks!

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful food!

~Jen D.

May 2008 Garden Cleanup

COMMUNITY GARDEN SUMMER PICNIC

Mark your calendar for a Garden get-together Saturday, August 16th at 6:30 pm for garden plot holders and families. A Weber BBQ, hot dogs and buns, and ingredients for s'mores will be provided. A couple tables will be set up for the potluck food. Please bring your own lawn chair, plates, utensils, cups, and beverage as well as a dish to share.Let's enjoy this potluck as a time to get to know your garden plot neighbors and share some gardening secrets, frustrations and joys. See you there!!

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