Garden Update 2022
This year we have a new deer fence thanks to the Sharon Ballard Community Grant from the Pierce County Master Gardener Foundation. We also expanded the Garden about 30 ft. so we can add some more fruit bearing shrubs and have more vegetable gardening space. Our greenhouse is unheated but serves to hold our spring plants after up potting, provides growing space for seedlings in the spring and early summer, and hold some of the more heat tolerant potted vegetables during the summer. We continue to support Eatonville High School students in their community service internships. We partnered with the WSU SNAP program to update our Garden Flyer to target those with lower income who may not be able to afford a garden plot, and distributed them widely to the public and at the food bank. We are again partnering with the Emergency Food Network and Harvest Pierce County to provide free plant starts to the community. Check out our Events page for more information as well as current educational offerings.
This year we have a new deer fence thanks to the Sharon Ballard Community Grant from the Pierce County Master Gardener Foundation. We also expanded the Garden about 30 ft. so we can add some more fruit bearing shrubs and have more vegetable gardening space. Our greenhouse is unheated but serves to hold our spring plants after up potting, provides growing space for seedlings in the spring and early summer, and hold some of the more heat tolerant potted vegetables during the summer. We continue to support Eatonville High School students in their community service internships. We partnered with the WSU SNAP program to update our Garden Flyer to target those with lower income who may not be able to afford a garden plot, and distributed them widely to the public and at the food bank. We are again partnering with the Emergency Food Network and Harvest Pierce County to provide free plant starts to the community. Check out our Events page for more information as well as current educational offerings.
Community Garden Update September 2016
The Garden is in the process of moving! On September 10, National Day of Service and Garden volunteers, under the expert direction of Richard Ames, and Cyndy Ame’s coordination of the event, disassembled the raised beds and moved them along with the shed and compost bin. The deer fence will remain in place until the end of the 2016 harvest season to complete the growing season for the vegetables remaining in the food bank plots.
Our new garden site, thanks to the generosity of Tom and Louise Van Eaton, is located on Rainer Ave, behind the town’s visitor center. It isn’t much to look at right now as it needs mowing and leveling, but we plan to be back up and running by next spring, in time for the planting season! If you would like to join or volunteer for the Garden and earn some Working Member Owner hours, contact Barbara at 360-832-3868.
To help us with our move and to support the food bank plots, the Mountain Community Co-op’s annual rummage sale will be held on October 7th and 8th at the Methodist Church. Debra Grant, our expert Rummage Sale director, is unable to be here to coordinate the event this year but is providing guidance to us from Florida so we can have a successful event! All proceeds will go to supporting the Garden. Please consider donating your gently used items. We will accept donated items beginning on Thursday, October 6, at 2pm. If you have items to donate or would like to volunteer for the event and earn some Working Member Owner hours, contact Barbara at 360-832-3868.
The Garden is in the process of moving! On September 10, National Day of Service and Garden volunteers, under the expert direction of Richard Ames, and Cyndy Ame’s coordination of the event, disassembled the raised beds and moved them along with the shed and compost bin. The deer fence will remain in place until the end of the 2016 harvest season to complete the growing season for the vegetables remaining in the food bank plots.
Our new garden site, thanks to the generosity of Tom and Louise Van Eaton, is located on Rainer Ave, behind the town’s visitor center. It isn’t much to look at right now as it needs mowing and leveling, but we plan to be back up and running by next spring, in time for the planting season! If you would like to join or volunteer for the Garden and earn some Working Member Owner hours, contact Barbara at 360-832-3868.
To help us with our move and to support the food bank plots, the Mountain Community Co-op’s annual rummage sale will be held on October 7th and 8th at the Methodist Church. Debra Grant, our expert Rummage Sale director, is unable to be here to coordinate the event this year but is providing guidance to us from Florida so we can have a successful event! All proceeds will go to supporting the Garden. Please consider donating your gently used items. We will accept donated items beginning on Thursday, October 6, at 2pm. If you have items to donate or would like to volunteer for the event and earn some Working Member Owner hours, contact Barbara at 360-832-3868.
Community Garden Update May 2016
The growing season has begun and our community garden is becoming active again! For those of you wondering how the Mountain Community Co-op is involved in the Community Garden, here is a brief history. The Community Garden was developed in response to the desire of Co-op member owners to see the Co-op become more involved in the local community. The idea of a community garden was part of the Mountain Community Co-op’s initial five-year Strategic Plan approved in 2008. Co-op members envisioned the Garden as a place to provide educational opportunities to the community on organic gardening and associated health benefits, environmentally sustainable practices, and to provide a way to contribute healthy, nutritious food to our local food bank.
The Garden was established in 2012 led by a small group of Co-op members and with assistance from a number of community members, Eagle Scout (Max Dernowl) who organized the work party to clear much of the land and construct most of the raised beds; a compost demonstration grant from Pierce County; a small loan from the Mountain Co-op to purchase supplies for the first few raised beds; and more recently a grant from the Nisqually Tribe to support and demonstrate water conservation at the garden as an example of what residents can do in their own gardens. We also had a significant amount of assistance from the Tacoma/Pierce County Garden Coordinator (now Harvest Pierce County), who provided help in getting us organized and access to grants.
The Community Garden is part of our Mountain Community Co-op, but open to all community members. In keeping with our Co-op values, only organic gardening techniques are used and water conservation is a primary goal. A small membership and plot fee is charged to Garden members. No Co-op operating funds (funds used to run the Store) are used to support the Garden. The Garden is self-sustaining with operating funds from membership/plot fees, grants, donations, and fundraising efforts. If you are searching for some way to contribute to your Co-op that fits your interests and time schedule, you can volunteer your time at the Garden and your time counts towards your annual 24 hours to keep your Store discount. Garden volunteers may assist in planting, garden maintenance, harvesting, and bringing food to the food bank.
In the near future, the Community Garden will be moving to a new location as the property we are currently using is being sold. We hope to begin moving in September. We are beginning to disassemble some of the raised beds in preparation for moving but will still have at least 16 beds to use throughout the garden season so if you are interested in joining the community garden, contact us at [email protected]. Our new location, thanks to the generosity of another local landowner, is closer to the center of town. However, there is much to do before we can move. If you are looking to contribute your time to earn your discount hours, we have many jobs that you can help with! We are looking for a licensed plumber to help us with the water hook-up and there is some clearing and leveling that will need to be completed before we can set up the raised beds.
We thank the Christiansen family for allowing us the use of their land for the past five years. From 2012 to 2015 we donated over 2000 lbs. of fresh organic produce to our local food bank.
Our first fundraiser this year will be May 14. We will have a booth at the Freedom in the Son event at the Center Point church property at 351 Madison Ave S, in Eatonville and will be selling plant starts, yard sale items and some hand-made jewelry. Come and support your community garden!
The growing season has begun and our community garden is becoming active again! For those of you wondering how the Mountain Community Co-op is involved in the Community Garden, here is a brief history. The Community Garden was developed in response to the desire of Co-op member owners to see the Co-op become more involved in the local community. The idea of a community garden was part of the Mountain Community Co-op’s initial five-year Strategic Plan approved in 2008. Co-op members envisioned the Garden as a place to provide educational opportunities to the community on organic gardening and associated health benefits, environmentally sustainable practices, and to provide a way to contribute healthy, nutritious food to our local food bank.
The Garden was established in 2012 led by a small group of Co-op members and with assistance from a number of community members, Eagle Scout (Max Dernowl) who organized the work party to clear much of the land and construct most of the raised beds; a compost demonstration grant from Pierce County; a small loan from the Mountain Co-op to purchase supplies for the first few raised beds; and more recently a grant from the Nisqually Tribe to support and demonstrate water conservation at the garden as an example of what residents can do in their own gardens. We also had a significant amount of assistance from the Tacoma/Pierce County Garden Coordinator (now Harvest Pierce County), who provided help in getting us organized and access to grants.
The Community Garden is part of our Mountain Community Co-op, but open to all community members. In keeping with our Co-op values, only organic gardening techniques are used and water conservation is a primary goal. A small membership and plot fee is charged to Garden members. No Co-op operating funds (funds used to run the Store) are used to support the Garden. The Garden is self-sustaining with operating funds from membership/plot fees, grants, donations, and fundraising efforts. If you are searching for some way to contribute to your Co-op that fits your interests and time schedule, you can volunteer your time at the Garden and your time counts towards your annual 24 hours to keep your Store discount. Garden volunteers may assist in planting, garden maintenance, harvesting, and bringing food to the food bank.
In the near future, the Community Garden will be moving to a new location as the property we are currently using is being sold. We hope to begin moving in September. We are beginning to disassemble some of the raised beds in preparation for moving but will still have at least 16 beds to use throughout the garden season so if you are interested in joining the community garden, contact us at [email protected]. Our new location, thanks to the generosity of another local landowner, is closer to the center of town. However, there is much to do before we can move. If you are looking to contribute your time to earn your discount hours, we have many jobs that you can help with! We are looking for a licensed plumber to help us with the water hook-up and there is some clearing and leveling that will need to be completed before we can set up the raised beds.
We thank the Christiansen family for allowing us the use of their land for the past five years. From 2012 to 2015 we donated over 2000 lbs. of fresh organic produce to our local food bank.
Our first fundraiser this year will be May 14. We will have a booth at the Freedom in the Son event at the Center Point church property at 351 Madison Ave S, in Eatonville and will be selling plant starts, yard sale items and some hand-made jewelry. Come and support your community garden!
Seed Sharing May Be Illegal!
Did you know that seed sharing may be illegal in the US?!?
Check out this YouTube video on this issue at https://www.youtube.com/watch….
If you would like to sign a petition to save seed libraries, here is a link:
http://saveseedsharing.org/petition-2/
Did you know that seed sharing may be illegal in the US?!?
Check out this YouTube video on this issue at https://www.youtube.com/watch….
If you would like to sign a petition to save seed libraries, here is a link:
http://saveseedsharing.org/petition-2/
Community Garden Update
December, 2014
Most of the garden is closing for the season although we will continue to grow a small amount of greens and other plants that tolerate cold weather to feed the food bank. We are weeding and mulching the garden beds to keep the weeds out as well as to prevent rapid leaching of soil nutrients over the winter. Thank you to the volunteers who assisted on the National Day of Service in September and constructed our new, wonderful shed for tool storage. Thank you to Kristi Simpson and the Sustainable Living club at Eatonville High School for helping us with various fall garden chores!
To date we have grown over 900 lbs. of fresh organic produce for the Eatonville Family Agency food bank. Thank you to all of our donors this year. Your support also helped a few food bank recipient families learn how to grow their own healthy produce!
If you have an interest in participating in the Community Garden, sponsoring a plot for a low income family or the food bank, or donating your time or materials, contact us at [email protected], or 360-832-3868, or leave us a message at the Store.
Registration forms are available by clicking here.
Deer Fence Installed
You can hardly make it out in the photo to the left but a 400 ft deer fence was constructed around the garden plots and is successfully keeping the deer out while still allowing for nice views of the garden.
Special thanks to Jimmy Blackett for directing us in how to build the fence and for donating the gate. Thanks to Debra Grant for organizing the work parties to construct the fence and to all of the volunteer fence builders!
Special thanks to Jimmy Blackett for directing us in how to build the fence and for donating the gate. Thanks to Debra Grant for organizing the work parties to construct the fence and to all of the volunteer fence builders!
First tomatoes and cucumbers of the season!
Believe it or not, I just picked the first tomatoes in my community garden plot. These were started from seed in early March under grow lights, and tended until ready to plant under the plastic cloche in mid-May. By mid-June, several green tomatoes were present and on July 4 I picked these beauties. Admittedly, these were the only two red tomatoes but many are coming on nicely. The plastic cloches seem to work very well for tomatoes and peppers.
Outside of the plastic cloches, cucumber starts grown from Uprising Seeds, were ready to pick on July 8!
Outside of the plastic cloches, cucumber starts grown from Uprising Seeds, were ready to pick on July 8!
A million thanks to our donors
We want to thank all of the community and garden members who donated starts to plant in the food bank gardens. We would also like to thank the folks who generously donated funds to purchase plots for food bank customers, and the Key Bank volunteers who helped plant the gardens. Thank you to Dave Mittman who provided the original garlic to plant which we now have growing from year to year, keeping the food bank and gardeners well supplied. Thanks to Irene and Toby Bensinger for their advice and starts. Thank you to the Share the Harvest and Harvest Pierce County for starts for the food bank. Thank you to the National Day of Service volunteers for constructing the wheelchair beds and storage shed and helping weed. We also wanted to thank Dee Lance for donating many garden tools and to Josh Prebble for his past work on mowing, pruning and generally getting the front garden ready for the summer. Special thanks to Rich Rahier for keeping the grass mowed and especially to Eagle Scout Max Dernowl and his crew for the original construction of most of the raised beds. We are forever grateful to Lisa Cool's talented daughter for designing our logo and the incredible Kate McKee, local Eatonville artist, who painted our beautiful sign.