GRATITUDE
Many thanks for helping us with the 3rd annual Garden Festival. Thank you to Mill Haus Cider Co. for hosting and sponsoring the festival, Event Coordinator Bree who keeps us all organized, the wonderful vendors who braved the crazy spring weather, our terrific speakers Chuck Young; and Natalie Evans, Christine Gregorich and Michelle Prestin from the WSU Pierce County Master Gardeners as well as the amazing Mike Killen who staffed the Ask a Master Gardener Clinic solo.
We gave strawberries away, helped visitors participate in a seed swap and plant some seeds and sent them over to the Eatonville Family Agency booth who helped them paint plant labels. Special thanks to Katie Skelton and the other Moms who provided the baked goods to help raise donations for the Garden. We are grateful for you all!
Third Annual Garden Festival May 16, 2026
Our Annual Garden Festival, compliments of Mill Haus Cider Co. and our Garden members, will be held on May 16 this year which will be close to the time you should be starting your summer gardens. Join us for several educational workshops:
ACTIVITIES FOR THE DAY
- Free garden workshops taught by Pierce Master Gardeners and local experts.
- Hands on kids' crafts
Mountain Community Garden booth - seed planting, seed swap, strawberry plant giveaway
- Ask a Master Gardener Clinic
- 20+ vendors including local farms, edible plant starts, apothecary items, planting boxes plus personal care items + treats!
- Garden raffle baskets worth $250+ each
- $1 from every pint of beer and cider sold is donated to MCG
Workshop Schedule:
12:00 - 12:45 PM: "Water Conservation using Drip Irrigation"
Drip irrigation is the most efficient water saving method and an important topic given that Washington State has declared a statewide drought emergency due to near record low snowpack.
1:00 -1:45 PM: Master Gardener Workshop "Seed Saving Flowers Herbs and Vegetables"
Learn how to select the best plants for seed saving, choose the highest quality seeds, and master drying and storage techniques. Plus, find out how seed saving contributes to a healthier, more biodiverse garden.
2:00-2:45 PM: Master Gardener Workshop "Successfully Growing Tomatoes in PNW"
Learn how to grow mouth-watering tomatoes in our maritime PNW climate. You can do it by learning some simple helpful-hints for making the most out of our cooler & shorter growing season.
3:00-3:45 PM: Master Gardener Workshop "Unbeatable Plants for Maritime Northwest"
Unbeatable Plants highlights exceptional, reliable, and easy-to-grow plants for home gardeners. This presentation will cover plant selection criteria, how to use the Great Plant Picks website, and the history of and lessons learned from the Puyallup Demonstration Garden’s Great Plant Picks berms.
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Garden Education
Seed Saving
Seed Library Binder for Seed Growing and Saving
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Seed Savers Seed Saving Guide: includes information on recommended isolaton distances for seed saving, method, ideal population size or number of plants needed, etc.
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West Coast Seed Regional Planting Charts for B.C. Canada (choose coastal chart for conditions most similar to the Olympic Peninsula)
Kingcoseed.org Please note that these guides have been developed for large geographical regions and the direct sow and transplant months may vary depending on your location. In fact, most gardens have their own microclimates. To determine your microclimate, check out this WSU publication: FS181E Determining you garden’s microclimate. For more information on Seed Saving WSU Saving Seeds, Seed Saving Chart, seedalliance.org, seedsavers.org, seedambassadors.org, http://www.richmondgrowsseeds.org/ To access WSU large catalog of free gardening publications, click here: https://pubs.wsu.edu |
Edible Garden Series
Explore the basics of successful vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest—from seed to table.
Classes are taught by educators from Harvest Pierce County (a program of the Pierce Conservation District), Pierce County Planning and Public Works and the Franklin Pierce School District.
Visit https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/1558/Edible-Gardens-Workshops
Recordings of classes are also available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsTiNfFJHhvnAzaaz1Kn9c944Y8PO7hoe
Cascade Water Alliance courses
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Gardening Resources
Gardening Resources from Pierce County Master Gardeners
Growing Oregon Gardens Level Up series
USDA National Agricultural Library
Vegetable Varieties for Our Region
Growing Warm Season Vegetables in the Pacific Northwest
Growing Vegetables in the Pacific Coastal Region
Favorite Vegetables for the Pacific Northwest
Gardening with Lisa Seed Catalog Recommendations
Solving Your Pest Problems Without Harming Pollinators (Pollinator Partnership)
Growing Food in the City
Pollinators
Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects of the Maritime Northwest (Xerces Society)
Native Pollinator Garden Recipe Card (Pollinator Partnership and Earth's Allys)
Northwest Pollinators and Climate Change
https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/NW_Pollinators%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdf
Pollinators and Water-Wise Gardening with Native Plants
This hand-out can be found on a page with a number of other hand-outs from Washington Native Plant Society
https://www.wnps.org/index.php?preview=1&option=com_dropfiles&format=&task=frontfile.download&catid=139&id=1203&Itemid=1000000000000
The Mountain Community Garden is a member of The People’s Garden which is an NRCS program. They offer webinars on many topics pertaining to gardens including this one on pollinators. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyF0i3p-gQE
Pollinator Partnership
https://www.pollinator.org/shop/brochures
NRCS recommended
https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/plant-lists--posters.html
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/Farming%20for%20Pollinators.pdf
Water Conservation
Drought, Conservation, and Irrigation
How to Conserve Water In the Garden (Grow Organic)
Water wise Gardening Conserving and Irrigating (the Garden Professors)
What To Do With The Harvest
‘Choosing the Right Plants
https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/SPU/Environment Conservation/Landscaping/ChoosingtheRightPlants.pdf
https://gardenhotline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Bird- Friendly-Plantings-2020.pdf
https://gardenhotline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Attract- Benefical-Insects-2020-1.pdf
https://gardenhotline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Taste-the- Flowers-2020.pdf
https://gardenhotline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/The-Benefits- of-Evergreen-Conifers-2020.pdf
https://gardenhotline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SOIL- RESOURCES-FOR-EDIBLE-GARDENING-2024.pdf