West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
It’s one big outdoor party till 3 pm at West Seattle Nursery, as their 28th annual Open House continues. Above, that’s WSN general manager Marcia Bruno stopping by the Sustainable West Seattle tent just outside the nursery’s California SW entrance, as she circulated with treats. If you bring a tool to donate to the newly relocated West Seattle Tool Library, you get a coupon for $5 off a WSN purchase – within 15 minutes of the open house’s start, they already had a donation! Steps away, Scratch and Peck Feeds‘ Dennis sported a memorable hat:
And he in turn was steps away from Don Driftmier‘s Magna Cüm Latte espresso stand … free drinks!
Free seminars too (chickens were the theme for the first seminar of the day, led by Bonnie, who was wearing the rest of the chicken suit). Two more years, by the way, and WS Nursery will be celebrating its thirtieth anniversary.
(Courtesy Barker Landscape Architects)
That’s the almost-final design for West Seattle’s new Barton Street P-Patch, revealed at Southwest Community Center this afternoon. About 30 people were there for the last of three community design meetings shaping the future of the big parcel at 34th/Barton, once owned by Seattle Public Utilities, long little more than a stretch of lawn, till the Parks and Green Spaces Levy made money available to turn it into a P-Patch.
This design, dubbed “The Web” for obvious reasons, is based on the popular choice among four options shown at the second design meeting, which in turn were crafted from eight concepts roughed out by participants at the first meeting. Its key points include about 50 plots, as well as consideration for having minimal impact on the big birch tree on the site, which is being kept (as we reported 2 weeks ago) because of input from comments made both in person and online (WSB comments were cited as one of the input sources considered) – altogether described as “a community decision.” (To compensate for shade concerns, the largest garden plots have been sited north of the tree.)
BARTON STREET P-PATCH, FINAL DESIGN MEETING: Tomorrow (Saturday, April 2nd) is the final community design meeting for the new P-Patch at 34th/Barton, and as organizers say, “It’s not too late to get involved.” Though the big decision about the big birch tree has been made (here’s our most recent story), it’s now time to settle the garden’s look, feel, number of spaces, etc. You’re invited to Southwest Community Center, 1:30-3:30 pm Saturday.
Then on Sunday, not far away at Roxhill Elementary School …
ROXHILL GARDEN WORK PARTY: Joshua Medaris‘s drawing gives a hint at what Roxhill’s garden will look like when it’s done. We covered some early work last summer; now, your help is needed Sunday morning for “phase 1 of the garden renovation – moving the new garden beds over to the original garden area.” Advice from organizers: “Bring clothes that can get dirty, work gloves if you have them, a water bottle, and a friend.” The garden’s on the northwest side of the school, 9430 30th SW. The party is 9 am-noon Sunday; if you have questions, call Ariana Taylor-Stanley at 206-660-8958 or e-mail ariana.taylor-stanley@kingcounty.gov.
Longing for the warmer months so you can get out and garden? Here’s something to fuel your dreams: The West Seattle Garden Tour may seem like a long way off – three and a half months! – but tonight, you can preview the gardens on this year’s tour. WSGT’s website is now in full bloom, so to speak, and that includes the garden descriptions and photos. For example, check out the “Outrageous Waterfront Garden.” This year’s tour is July 17th, and there’s still a little time to sign on as a sponsor, too (we did) – proceeds benefit local nonprofits; sponsorship info is here.
(WSB photo taken last month)
It was a major point of discussion during the first two design meetings for the new P-Patch at 34th SW and SW Barton in Westwood (here’s WSB coverage from Feb. 13 and March 2), and it even came up during Mayor McGinn‘s walking-tour visit two weeks ago: Should the big birch tree that’s on the lot now stay, or should it go? Kate Farley sends word tonight that the decision has been made:
A special session was called for the steering committee of the Barton P-Patch to gather more information on how the gardeners can live compatibly with the birch tree, which will remain on site. Several local arborists donated their time and expertise to form a panel discussion. Included were Mark Harman of Stonehedge Tree Experts, Sean Dugan of Tree Solutions, Joe Markovich from SDOT, and Kyle Henegar, who is with the Washington Park Arboretum. Cass Turnbull from Plant Amnesty and John Hushagen of Seattle Tree Preservation were not able to attend.
The discussion was centered on how to protect the tree, and at the end of the meeting there was agreement that the controversial root barrier should not be installed. As Kyle Henegar said at the end of the meeting, “It just doesn’t get any better than this…these are some of the top tree people in Seattle.” Several ideas for protecting the tree were suggested and will be explored as we go along in the design process, so stay tuned.
The 34th/Barton site, previously Seattle Public Utilities land that wasn’t needed by that department any more, is being turned into a P-Patch courtesy of money from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy that voters approved in 2008. The third and final open community meeting before the garden is built, with a final proposed design to be presented, is scheduled for 1:30 pm Saturday, April 2nd – two weeks from tomorrow – at Southwest Community Center.
NO SCHOOL TOMORROW – SO STROLL THE WEST DUWAMISH GREENBELT! Just so happens that tomorrow’s day off for Seattle Public Schools students coincides with the Nature Consortium‘s monthly free guided eco-hike through the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the largest contiguous stretch of forest left in Seattle city limits. 1 pm tomorrow, meet at 14th and Holly (map), it’s a fairly easy “hike” – RSVP to Lisa at NC, lisa@naturec.org.
WEST SEATTLE GARDEN TOUR ANNOUNCES BENEFICIARIES: Speaking of the Nature Consortium – they’re among this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour beneficiaries! Jane Watson with the WSGT committee sends word that they’ve just decided who will get the proceeds from this year’s tour (set for July 17th):
Each year, the WSGT donates the net proceeds from the Tour to Seattle-based non-profit organizations that promote horticultural, educational, or artistic endeavors. This year, we are pleased to announce that proceeds from the 2011 Garden Tour will benefit ArtsWest Theatre, the Seattle Chinese Garden, the Duwamish Longhouse, Lincoln Park P-Patch, Nantes Park, the Nature Consortium, Walking on Logs Landscape Restoration Group and the West Seattle Tool Library.
Jane also notes that if you’d like to be a sponsor (business OR individual) for this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour (WSB is signing on again this year), this is the last month to do it – sponsorships make up more than half the nonprofit tour’s proceeds, which go to those beneficiaries. You can find out more about sponsoring WSGT by going to westseattlegardentour.com.
Of the four potential designs shown at last night’s second community design meeting for the new 34th/Barton P-Patch, that one won an informal vote, double the support of the second-most popular. Another informal poll indicated support for preserving the big birch tree that’s on the sprawling site (a hot topic of discussion at the first meeting, as noted in our report from last month). After the jump – the three other designs, plus toplines from last night’s meeting:Read More
(WSB photo from February 13th)
Tomorrow (Tuesday) night is the second and final community meeting for the design of the new 34th/Barton P-Patch – the public meeting after that will unveil the design that results – so the volunteers who are working on the project are hoping to see you tomorrow night, regardless of whether you were at meeting #1 (which drew a sizable turnout, as we reported two weeks ago). 6:30 pm tomorrow, Southwest Community Center.
Dawnelle just shared this photo, explaining:
Someone planted spring flowers in our long-term pothole here on Seola Beach Drive SW! I doubt that the pothole patrol will ever fix it, it’s been there for a couple of years now. Looks nice, huh?
We’re not sure whose jurisdiction the planted pothole’s in – Seattle, Burien, and unincorporated King County all have shares of that general area – but, for those within city boundaries, here’s the latest on the pothole-repair picture.
ADDED 12:56 PM: Heard back from Dawnelle, who says this is on the city side.
WEDNESDAY MORNING NOTE: Dawnelle says in comments that the pothole-repair crew showed up this morning.
Should it stay or should it go? The fate of the big birch tree shown above is one of the issues that came up as about 50 people joined in the first design meeting for the new 34th/Barton P-Patch, Saturday afternoon at Southwest Community Center.
Landscape architect John Barker, who’s leading the design work, told attendees that an arborist checked out the tree with him earlier in the day, and proclaimed it to be perhaps the healthiest European paper-birch tree she had seen in the city. On the other hand, materials prepared for the meeting show it casts a significant shadow, so the design process will have to determine whether that’s an impediment to maximizing the site, or perhaps a feature for cool shade on warm summer days. Toward the start of the meeting, a show of hands was requested, and the “keep the tree” hand-raisers significantly outnumbered those supporting “take out the tree” – which is the only tree of any kind on the site. Barker estimated that it would cost about the same to keep it or get rid of it.
But the tree’s future was just one topic, albeit one that took up a fair amount of time.
There’s so much going on tomorrow around West Seattle, organizers of the planning meeting for the new 34th/Barton P-Patch want to make sure their big event doesn’t get lost in the shuffle: They hope everyone interested in the new community garden can join them for the first community design meeting, 1:30-3:30 pm Saturday at Southwest Community Center (map).
Meantime, you might recall that some wondered about possibly naming the new P-Patch after the late Tony Genzale, longtime owner of the Tony’s Market produce stand across the street; WSB’er Mike has been checking into that and reports that city staffers have told him that naming the P-Patch in honor of a person would be a possibility, but would require getting a feel for what the community thinks, among other factors. Mike says, “It is my hope that ‘Tony’s P-Patch’ would be special and heartwarming. He was a great guy!” (P.S. If you missed the news, Tony’s Market reopened this week, with Tony’s son Joey in charge – here’s our story.)
(WSB photo from orchard work party last month)
Another step ahead for the new Community Orchard of West Seattle – it’s sprouted a website! You’ll find COWS online at fruitinwestseattle.org. And there you also will find details of two upcoming events to which community volunteers are heartily invited – classes followed by lunch and a work party, 10 am Saturdays, February 12 with the topic “Perennial Plantings” and March 12 with the topic “Annual Plantings.” It all happens at the north end of South Seattle Community College on West Seattle’s Puget Ridge (6000 16th SW) – RSVP info is on the brand-new website.
(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Ready to tour the new Knowing the Spring Courtyard at the Seattle Chinese Garden on the campus of South Seattle Community College on Puget Ridge? It’s ready for visitors, Wednesdays-Sundays noon-4:30 pm, after a “soft opening” on Sunday afternoon.
That’s program director Julia Freimund welcoming visitors at the garden’s also still-in-the-formative-stages Discovery Center. More garden photos after the jump:Read More
(WSB file photo of P-Patch site)
Almost two years after first word the empty city-owned lot at 34th and Barton (map) might become a P-Patch, it’s finally close to reality. Barton P-Patch Outreach Committee Chair Terri Lindow just sent word of your chance to help design it:
BARTON & 34TH P-PATCH COMMUNITY GARDEN COMMUNITY DESIGN WORKSHOPS
Feb. 12th & March 1stWHAT: You are invited to participate in creating a new P-Patch community garden at Barton Street and 34th Avenue SW (near Tony’s Produce)
Please attend these meetings to learn more about the new neighborhood project and participate in the design process.
At this first meeting we’ll start with big ideas and end up with a schematic design. Barker Landscape Architects will facilitate the public workshops to design the garden that best suits the Barton P-Patch community. Each session will build on the last so please try to attend all three.WHEN: Meeting 1: Saturday, Feb. 12th 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Idea Generation and Preferences
Meeting 2: Tuesday, March 1: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Refine Alternative Plans
Meeting 3: To Be AnnouncedWHERE: The Southwest Community Center, 2801 SW Thistle St. Seattle, 91826
Interested? Questions? Call or email Randee at Randeef@comcast.net or 206-218-3320.
Today we’re welcoming one of our newest WSB sponsors, WEdesign, which is taking the traditional WSB opportunity to tell you about what they do: WEdesign Inc. works with homeowners to design and install custom landscapes that fit their lifestyle and budget while promoting a healthy, sustainable relationship with the environment. 
We combine custom stone work and carpentry with edible landscaping, backyard wildlife habitat and drought tolerant plantings. Drip irrigation, low-voltage lighting, rain gardens and custom play spaces round out our favorite functional gardens. Clients appreciate most that our collaborative design process results in a landscape that meets their needs in an ecological way. Our installation team is well-trained and experienced, offering a high level of craftsmanship and responsive customer service. We pride ourselves in creating landscapes that homeowners and their families can enjoy for years to come.
WEdesign is a member of Seattle Tilth, the Coalition of Organic Landscapers and a 5-star EnviroStar business. For more than 12 years, owner Michael Lockman has been a member of the West Seattle community, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. You’ll find WEdesign online at we-design.net; e-mail michael@we-design.net or call 206-459-7022.
We thank WEdesign for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
That’s not fog or mist … that’s steam rising off hot compost at the site of the future Community Orchard of West Seattle. A group estimated at up to 50 volunteers has just wrapped up a truly groundbreaking work party, putting down cardboard (remember the donations last fall?) and compost mulch along the orchard site, which is now on the northeast side of the South Seattle Community College campus. They worked at the site – undaunted by the steady rain – after a morning permaculture workshop.
ADDED: Two photos shared by organizer Aviva Furman (best known for Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle):
She has some words of gratitude in the comment section – and info on how you can get involved with the orchard.
From tonight’s North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting at Delridge Library, two major topics – solving P-Patch challenges, and promoting the neighborhood. Our summaries, after the jump:Read More
(Photo of orchard-to-be site at SSCC, courtesy Aviva Furman)
From Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle‘s Aviva Furman, two announcements tonight: First, she confirms the deal is finally official for creating the Community Orchard of West Seattle on the south end of the South Seattle Community College campus, and COWS needs your help at a work party to really launch the effort:
Come be a part of an exciting new urban agriculture project here in West Seattle: The *Community Orchard*! With a generous grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and the contract with South Seattle Community College finalized, we are ready to begin.
The orchard will be a demonstration site for growing fruit sustainably in our climate. COWS will hold the 1st design session and work-party on Saturday, January 15th. We will be learning from permaculturist, Laura Sweany, about the elements of site analysis. In the afternoon, we will be sheet mulching the garden beds and creating wood chip paths. Come see how quickly a site can be transformed! Future classes in February will focus on plant selection.
January 15th
10-12:15 Design Workshop (FREE)
12:15-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:30 Sheet Mulch Work Party
Please RSVP [here’s the link]. All are welcome to the afternoon session, but space in the morning session is limited.
Second announcement – imagine being able to trade produce with neighbors/friends/community members so you’re not, oh, say, eating zucchini cookies, zucchini soup, stuffed zucchini, etc., all summer. Aviva says an online system is on the drawing boards and they’d like your input:
*Got kale…want carrots…*
While plants are dormant in these short days of winter, Community Harvest is busy germinating ideas. Have you ever had a bumper crop of zucchini? Lettuce bolting faster than you can eat it? Maybe you are one of those lucky ones with an Italian Plum tree in your yard. We are planning an online system for people to trade or sell their surplus produce with their neighbors, as well as a simple way to donate to food banks. We need your input. If you are a food gardener, or someone who enjoys eating locally grown produce, please take a few minutes and fill out this survey. Help shape Veg-eBay. Create a P-Pod in your neighborhood.
It was the big harvest before the big freeze. Aviva Furman from Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle shares the photos, explaining that she was joined at one of their local food gardens last Friday by 12 students from Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) and teachers Steve White and Kristin Moore, as they harvested vegetables before the temps dropped: 14 poujnds of kale, carrots, and rutabaga, subsequently donated to the White Center Food Bank. Aviva adds, “They also worked the soil to prepare it for future crops: turning in a cover crop of buckwheat, and composting sunflowers that were long past their prime. A special ingredient, coffee grounds, donated by the Westwood Village Starbucks, was added to the mix.”
The treats and decorated trees are inside at West Seattle Nursery, where the annual holiday open house continues till 3 pm, but you’ll want to venture outside too – wreath-making is under way, with a seminar coming up at the top of the hour …
Also outside: Free espresso! And the barista’s been busy …
West Seattle Nursery is at California/Brandon; the official open-house info is here; and note that West Seattle Nursery will be selling Christmas trees again this year too. (Not there yet – unless you take note of the beautiful potted Norfolk pine indoors!)
(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
Big news from the north end of the South Seattle Community College campus on West Seattle’s Puget Ridge – a milestone for the Seattle Chinese Garden! The visiting Chinese artisans will be returning to China on Wednesday after spending three months on site completing the “Knowing the Spring Courtyard.” Here’s its formal entrance:
The artisans originally weren’t expected to be finished for a few more weeks, but their work is done ahead of schedule, and they say it’ll be exciting to go home and see their families. They lived on site in trailers, which will be relocated to an upper hill now, to make room for a larger visitor’s information trailer. Here’s the interior of the courtyard:
And here’s the south entrance to the courtyard.
A central sculpture in the interior courtyard is located in the southwest corner. The rocks were brought over from China, guided in with cranes and intricately placed by the artisans.
WSB contributing photographer Ellen Cedergreen, who took these photographs today, reports she learned, all that’s left to do is some grading on the grounds, move some trailers around, and complete some landscaping. er.This first phase of the garden is set to be complete by 12/31 in time for it’s soft opening and will be open to the public 12-4, Wednesday-Sunday thereafter.
West Seattle artist Oleana Perry shared this photo and explained what the bags are all about:
Yesterday I spent the day making decorative harvest-leaf bags out of burlap coffee bags. My leaves are out of control in my yard and I don’t like the big plastic pumpkin bags (plastic is forever), so I solved the problem. The decorative burlap bag will break down and compost the leaves over the winter season. Then I will mix the leaves in my garden soil and use the bag as weed block or for my garden path. The West Seattle Nursery liked them as well, so I had to make about 25 of them in my front yard yesterday. People walking by kept buying them as I was making them, it was pretty hilarious. It amazes me that all of these burlap coffee bags come from all over the world and a huge majority of them go into landfills. I think this is a resource we should all be thinking about.
She says you can find her bags at West Seattle Nursery or you can e-mail her about bulk orders – art4thoughts@yahoo.com
(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
The South Seattle Community College Arboretum‘s Coenosium (“plant community”) Rock Garden is five years old – but it has a new designation as of this weekend. On Friday afternoon, garden volunteers and other supporters gathered for its dedication as a Garden of Peace. There to help lead the celebration, Dr. Laura Dorsey, founder of Atlanta-based Gardens for Peace, whose mission is “to identify and link gardens throughout the world, to foster respect for the environment and a climate of peace among all peoples” :
In our photo, Dr. Dorsey is dedicating the garden while its co-founders Bob and Dianne Fincham (who run a dwarf-conifer farm in Pierce County) and SSCC Arboretum Volunteer Coordinator Claire Hendrickson (seated, in black) look on. Applying to have the garden included in the international network was Hendrickson’s idea. The garden’s story is told here.
The garden runs heavily on volunteer power; Friday’s event was a chance for some of them to take a break and mingle. But more help is needed, Hendrickson says, every second Saturday at the garden between 9 am and noon. She can be reached at arboretum@sccd.ctc.edu or by calling 206-764-5323.
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