STAY TUNED FOR NEW DATE!!!

The light is returning, it’s still cold, and it’s the perfect time to learn about pruning your fruit trees!

WSU Extension Service is offering a free pruning class on January 21st, from 10 am – 12 noon. This is a basic class for those who have little or no experience in dormant fruit tree pruning. The primary focus will be pruning fruit trees, including young trees, for structure and yield; mitigation pruning in neglected fruit trees and lowering the canopy without topping. There will be a short lecture followed by a demonstration and an opportunity to practice (weather permitting).  Growing Groceries January 2012

Instructor: Tim Lawrence
Location: 898 Meadowood Lane, Freeland, WA

We had countless bees buzzing through the comfrey & poppies, lots of hands helping in the soil & with the plants, many eyes that gazed into the garden and many many smiles that radiated out, we even had a little bunny hopping through the grass for a few weeks!

The Westgarden was able to provide over 1000 pounds of food to The Good Cheer Food Bank as well as to the kitchen at The Whidbey Institute with the help of intrepid volunteers such as Mully Mullally, Mark Brady, Charles Williamson (a visitor from North Carolina!) and the occasional Whibdey Island native or visitor that would drop-in.

The 3rd grade class from the Whidbey Island Waldorf School helped in the garden throughout the Fall and into the Winter. They helped with planting, singing, harvesting, clearing, sowing, tucking the garden in for the Winter and even left us with this beautiful gift of a Garden Loom!

Cary Peterson, along with The Whidbey Institute and The Good Cheer Food Bank, organized the Community Garden Leadership Training which welcomed Stephanie Turco, who coordinated the Langley Middle School garden, and myself, Ellie Sherman; I was given the task of coordinating the Westgarden.

The Westgarden has been in cultivation for over 30 years, held by many Loving hands and filled with beautiful, healthy earth. It continues to support a thriving & diverse ecosystem as well as inspire dreams & peace in all who enter its gates!

Come visit in the season to come!

-Written by Ellie Sherman, Whidbey Institute Westgarden Coordinator 2011, apprentice in the Community Garden Leadership Training

There’s lots of work to do to prepare for winter! The 3-sisters bed was cleaned up, the pumpkins harvested, and cover crops planted.

We had too much fun with the delicious fall-bearing raspberries.

Delicious leeks, carrots, and potatoes were harvested.

Garlic was planted, and mulched.

Now, time for rest! Let’s hope the tender fava beans, clover and austrian field peas in the cover crop mix make it through the winter. So, as the garden rests, may you also have a rejuvenating and restful season of renewal!

A big appreciation to Ellie Sherman, apprentice in the Community Gardening Leadership Training!

Ellie co-coordinated the Good Cheer Food Bank with Stephanie Turco, and moved into a leadership role in the Chinook Westgarden.

She helped coordinate work parties and service learning projects for all ages, but her gifts for leadership and education were particularly expressed with children.

The Waldorf School Third Grade benefited greatly from Ellie guiding their projects in the garden. The children also learned about biodynamic preparations, and planting horns. Stay tuned for more posts on the Waldorf School garden projects!

The Westgarden was the most abundant ever. Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of fresh produce made their way up the hill to the Good Cheer Food Bank, and to chef Chrystyn at the Whidbey Institute kitchen. The Westgarden thrived under Ellie’s leadership and many were nourished! Thank you, Ellie!

By First Grade Parent & Enrollment Director, Sheila Weidendorf

On Friday morning, with the joy and excitement of Michaelmas still in the air, I had the opportunity to accompany Michael’s messengers, the meteors (First Grade!) on a forest walk to Whidbey Institute to tour their gardens. On this visit, the children were just to meet and greet and gardens teeming with life and bounty, and meet the gardener. The children were so very excited—as always—to walk through the woods, happy to show me the trails so familiar to them by now, eager to share discoveries of caterpillars and moss and pinecones. Once at the Institute, we even got to pet and feed a duo of very special fiber goats who were most appreciative of the chard WI Chef (and First Grade parent!) Christyn Johnson picked just for the purpose.

Once we reached the gardens, WI Gardener Ellie sat at table with us to share a snack of apples and nuts, and then led us into the garden beds. She introduced the children to some very special raspberries in their second fruiting of the season; to the “Three Sisters” of squash, corn and beans; took them on a tour of the garden beds planted and tended by this years Third-Graders (the OLDER kids!); taught them about garden sweaters (cover crops planted to protect and nourish the soil in the winter months) and exemplified an air of reverence and respect for our young students and future gardeners.

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day for our earthy journey, nor a more wonderful destination for such a walk.  The children reveled in the bounty of the gardens, and I was enlivened by our First-Graders and their wonder as much as by the beauty of the morning and the generosity of the Earth!

We also stirred the 500 preparation and sprayed it on the garden.

And we harvested yummy carrots that were planted last Spring(!) & ate them to help our eyes see better in the longer nights!

-Written by Ellie Sherman, Whidbey Institute Westgarden Coordinator, apprentice in the Community Garden Leadership Training

We screened this inspiring movie, One Man, One Cow, One Planet, about a Biodynamo from New Zealand, Peter Proctor, who has been doing AMAZING work with farmers in India for the last two decades.

Then on Michaelmas, September 29th, local folks gathered along with the 3rd grade Gardeners and made the Biodynamic 500 preparation that will be buried this Fall and dug up in the Spring. We also as stirred the 500 prep that the current 5th grade class had made the year before.

After stirring the preparation for an hour we offered it to the land around the Waldorf School, as an offering of healing & appreciation to the land that supports the school, the children & the community.

-written by Ellie Sherman, Whidbey Institute Westgarden Coordinator, apprentice in the Community Garden Leadership Training Program

The last class of the season is on Saturday, Oct. 8th at the Sears House, Bayview Corner. Learn about

• 9:00 am    Top Tips for October and the winter months.
  Presented by Cary Peterson, Growing Groceries Coordinator

• 10:30 am    Growing Great Garlic – It’s time to plant garlic! Learn about the different varieties and growing tips.
  Presented by local garlic grower Frank Parente, author of the book Garlic! Grow West of the Cascades.

Class fee is $15, scholarships  available.

Location: Sears House at Bayview Corner, (2812 E. Meinhold Rd., Langley).

For more information, call the Whidbey Institute at (360) 341-1884, or email growinggroceries@whidbey.com

True story. Though this garden has its fair share of shade, the tomatoes have been nurtured & cared for by our devoted volunteer, Mully Mullally, and have in turn thrived!

With the coming change of seasons the dew has set in and thus the tomatoes got blight!

Luckily, we noticed late one afternoon and saved what we  could. I took the plants out, bagged & threw them away and I sprayed the soil with a nettle and comfrey ferment/tea to give the soil a little something extra before we cover crop it.Thank You Tomatoes, for all you gave, and Mully for being such a good giver!

-written by Ellie Sherman, Whidbey Institute Westgarden Coordinator, apprentice in Community Garden Leadership Training Program

In May, the LEAF Service Learning program of Edmonds Community College transformed the southwest corner of the garden, and planted a 3-sisters assemblage of squash, corn and beans.

June….July

August! Beautiful and productive!