Cold Nights, Sunny Afternoons

The Community Garden is tending their soil and brassicas, dreaming and planning. The sunny days inspire, but the nights are still getting pretty cold – gardener Fred said that water in buckets had a frozen layer on Tuesday morning. This isn’t bad! But it means seeds you plant right in the ground may not germinate right away. Gardener Christal is stockpiling burlap, and grateful that Theo Chocolate is helping her out by setting aside their sacks.

Stop by on Saturday!

Join the gardeners at the Crown Hill Community Center to plant starts. Food grown is for passersby, and most is donated to the Ballard Food Bank.  Volunteer right here in your neighborhood.

Saturday April 3rd

12pm – 5pm

What’s Growing

  • Parsley – planted last spring. This is its second year! The gardeners look forward to harvesting seeds to share!
  • Lettuce – the cloches make a big difference!
  • Chard
  • Garlic – Fred might plant more. Officially too late, but you can eat like green onions.
  • Kale
  • Peas
  • Carrots – technically still early, but try it out to see if that’s true this year.
  • Stinging Nettles
  • Orach – Pretty (starts below) and an alternative to spinach, less likely to bolt in warm weather.

Sage Advice

“In April, a week is a long time – spring is coming in hard and fast.”  – Gardener Fred

Donation Request

  • A carpenter – to help plan and build a seed library and bulletin board.
  • Your energy and ideas! What would you love to see happen in the shared garden? Stop by and help out at the garden for a bit during the Saturday work party. Or, stop by and chat with Fred in the garden.

This Week:

  • Build your compost pile! Grass is full of nitrogen and oak leaves are great for compost too. Fred also suggests picking up some seaweed / washed up Eel grass. Everything in the ocean is in the seaweed and full of all the micronutrients your garden is missing.

Hot tip: The SW corner behind the Whitman soccer field has lots of grass clippings and oak leaves. SPS stages garden waste behind the soccer field before sending it to the yard waste facility. Fill a bucket and dump it into your compost – this will heat up you pile and really make it roar.

  • Plant things! Most greens can go directly in the garden – Gardener Christal said to plant most of what you grow for leafy deliciousness. Get your starts stared – cucumbers and squash seeds in little pots inside.