Ravenna Community Garden: More Work Party Dates!

May 21, 2010 by 3 Comments

You’ve got FOUR work parties between now and next Tuesday, if you want a chance to get your hands dirty in your new community garden (or just “happen” to be walking by and want to ask questions).

Here they all are, including who’s the lead on the event and what you might be doing:

  • Saturday, May 22, 10am-1pm: Debra leads you in spreading wood chips and planting; wheelbarrows, pitchforks, shovels, rakes, gloves, seeds and plants would be useful.
  • Saturday, May 22, 3-5pm: Debra is back for more of the same!
  • Sunday, May 23, 9am-1pm: Liz is on hand to guide volunteers in chip spreading, planting, and any other work that may need doing.
  • Tuesday, May 25, 5-7pm: Susan (the garden designer) will be on hand to oversee garden work and answer your questions.

If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the Ravenna Community Garden, email the group at ravennacommunitygarden [at] gmail.com.

There is a Ravenna Community Garden Google Group as well.  AND Ravenna Community Garden is also on facebook.

Let's put this pile in its place, shall we?

Filed Under: Seattle Parks and Recreation

Ravenna Community Garden: Planting Pictures

May 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Some pictures of what people have planted in the community garden so far:

Of the seven "pinwheel" beds, three have been planted.

Pole beans, cauliflower, onions and lettuces

Peas (I think), corn and potatoes

Broccoli, broccoli and more broccoli!

Filed Under: Everything counts in large amounts

Signs of Life at Osaka

May 21, 2010 by 5 Comments

No, I STILL don’t know what’s going in, but here’s a few pictures of what has gone (physically) ON the outside of Osaka:

Two lamps and a painted door!

Close-up of one of the lamps.

Filed Under: Restaurants

Story Time Love Post

May 18, 2010 by 2 Comments

This week marks the end of story time at the Northeast Branch until mid-June. A month doesn’t seem like that long of a break, but it IS for two reasons:

1.  My toddler has no sense of time (a day and a half is, like, FOREVER).

2. Erica Delavan, the Children’s Services Librarian, is GREAT.

My tot and I regularly frequent the 11:15 a.m. Toddler Story Time on Thursdays. And we end up regularly sharing the meeting room with upwards of 70 other people (mix of adults and other tots).

That’s 70+ kids and adults (140+ total, if you include the 10:15 a.m. shift) all moving and talking and crying and cooing, while Erica guides us all through a familiar itinerary (including two stories and a new song with a shared theme, the early literacy skill and letter of the day, a story on the felt board, old and familiar songs to open and close the story time, and a stamp on the hand at the end), and does it WELL.

So it was a special treat to attend last month’s very first Pajama Story Time (start time of 7 p.m.) with only 35 other people.

Only 35 of us! We could hear the stories! Clearly! There was room to sprawl and dance! And, it turns out, Erica can really sing!

We sang the Bears in the Bed song (…so they all rolled over and one fell out…there were four in the bed and the little one said, “I’m crowded…roll over…”) and that’s when I realized, this woman can sing!  I’d never really heard her voice before, over all the moving and talking and crying and cooing. She even had this bluesy take on the song that really added something.

And, lucky for you, dear reader, there’s one of these PJ story times left: This Wednesday, May 19, at 7 p.m. The dress code? Comfy PJs. Feet optional.

Just don’t bring too many of your friends, okay?

Northeast Branch – Seattle Public Library, 6801 35th Ave. N.E.

Filed Under: Events, Kids, Seattle Public Library

Edible Garden Preview

May 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Mmm...lunch.

Since I’m on the tour myself this year, I’ve had a sneak peak at the garden descriptions list.

Here are some of the things you can see if you take the tour (on Sunday, May 23, from 11am-5pm):

  • raised vegetable beds
  • bees (honey and mason)
  • worm bins
  • CHICKENS
  • wear-round gardening
  • “squish” gardening
  • DUCKS
  • composting
  • a 20,000 square foot garden (no foolin’!)
  • vertical gardening
  • a Hugelkulture mound
  • GOATS
  • a cob oven
  • Forest Gardening
  • fruit trees
  • the Lawn Gone house (see the YouTube videos [part one and part two] of the process)

Children’s activities include: Potting up seeds, feeding ducks, soil in a microscope, making plantable pots crafts, and urban farm BINGO!

There's no place like gnome.

Filed Under: Everything counts in large amounts

Restaurant Inspection MEGA POST

May 10, 2010 by 5 Comments

Remy!

UPDATE: I’m rewriting the violations section of this post and will re-publish it SOON. Until then, I’ve taken out the bits I’m rewriting.

Yes, I realize that I may be the only one who likes looking at restaurant inspection reports, but I CAN’T HELP MYSELF.

I can think of a handful of reasons for my obsession:  My previous jobs in the food service industry, my never-ending quest for good food AND good service (at the SAME TIME), my other previous profession of high school science teacher, and a genetic predisposition toward chasing fire trucks and watching disaster movies, to name a few.

I usually sit on these inspection reports until five or more pile up, but our boys down at County have been BUSY lately. And I couldn’t be happier.

And the GOLDEN STIR SPOON AWARDS for ZERO violations go to:

I’ll add that if you’re interested in being subversive and changing the culture at Bagel Oasis, they’re hiring:

You know you want to.

Also, remember: IT’S NOT CALLED “PEOPLE OASIS,” you Yelp-pers.

Filed Under: Food

Friends of Ravenna Ravine Work Party TOMORROW

May 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

This Saturday is shaping up to be a busy one, if you’re into gardens and parks. There’s the community garden work party at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, you can Spring Into Bed all around the city, you can get some community service hours in at the Picardo P-Patch (if you have a plot there [EDIT: This is happening MONDAY, from 6:30-8:30pm]), and, heck, maybe your own yard could use some work.

However, every second Saturday of the month, the Friends of Ravenna Ravine gather to do battle against invasives like nightshade, bindweed and jewelweed (all co-starring this month).

Know thy enemy - jewelweed, in this case

George Macomber of the FRR sends out an email the week of the work party, detailing the work to be done that Saturday. This week’s agenda:

We will be starting near the Kiosk removing nightshade along the creek, looking for jewel weed (not as good as it sounds) and other bad things. We also have a few trees to plant. The bindweed is getting started ( it emerges on tax day so it has a 3 week head start.)

This month’s email also included the following tidbit about a future project in the park:

Beginning in late June the county will be starting a project to insure that sewage does not mix with the creek on its way to the Lk. Washington during rain storms. They will block the trail between the 55th and the ball field, and dig down to reach the point where the creek enters a ‘Box Culvert’ that runs under the field. They will not be digging upstream from the drain. They will be treating thistle and removing yellow iris in the daylight area, probably in May and June and replacing dead trees in the fall.

I’m definitely FOR keeping sewage out of EVERYTHING, except the sewer.

FRR meets at the lower playfield at the kiosk in SE Ravenna Park, north of NE 55th St. and north of the ballfield. Check the Friends of Ravenna Ravine homepage for more information on these work parties.

Filed Under: Meeting, Seattle Parks and Recreation

Twas the Night Before the Garden Work Party

May 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

[Clement Clarke Moore I am not.]

farewell to sod

soil delivery!

That’s what the garden site looks like as of 5:30 pm.

The material for the raised bed sides is currently being cut as I type this. The material is called Trex, and it’s a composite material (combination of wood and plastic) that will stand up to the elements for MANY years to come (a prerequisite for building the garden on city property).

good thing Dunn Lumber delivers

a up-close of the tag

If you’d like to read more about Trex, here’s the What is Trex? page of the company’s website.  But the short version is: It’s made of recycled waste materials and no toxic chemicals or preservatives, is easy to clean, AND you can use it around your hot tub.

Don’t forget: The work party is from 9-3 tomorrow, at the north end of the big green field behind the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE).

Filed Under: Seattle Parks and Recreation

Community Garden Plan!

May 6, 2010 by 1 Comment

First, though, a few shots of the SOD BUSTIN’:

the long view

the view from the west

BUSTED

Now here’s some good stuff: THE PLANS. Design by Susan Gregory of the community garden group (who does this sort of thing for a living, if you’re in the market for your own garden plans).

the whole plan, posing with donated veg

west side

close up of east side "pinwheel"

I will not be in town on Saturday during the bed building work party, but would love to post any pictures and/or comments that are passed on! Just send them my way (rebecca at ravennablog.com).

Filed Under: Seattle Parks and Recreation, Updates

More on the Rav-Eck Community Garden

May 6, 2010 by 1 Comment

Like I said in the previous post, the Ravenna Eckstein Community Center Community Garden is a GO. Sod-busting should be happening as I speak, and a raised bed building work party is happening this Saturday.

I received an email this morning from the group who made this project come to life, and it includes descriptions of the work party this Saturday AND the project as a whole (bolded parts by moi):

After many months of planning and dreaming, we are finally ready to start work on the Ravenna Eckstein Community Center Community Garden!! We have permission to construct raised beds and a path, and we will be having the very first work party on Saturday May 8 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. to get started. Please invite any and all to come down and lend a hand, even if only for an hour or two, or just stroll by and take a look at the garden taking shape! The garden site is at the north end of the little park behind the Community Center [6535 Ravenna Ave. NE], and it is quite a large space. We’ll provide bagels in the AM and Pizza in the PM for hungry workers. Bring a cordless drill and a shovel or wheelbarrow for moving dirt if you can, or just bring your work gloves and your imagination! Also, if you have extra bedding plants we may actually get to putting in some green stuff!!

On Thursday May 6 from 4:00 until 6:00 we’ll be cutting sod and getting ready for Saturday. Come down then if that time works best for you.

A community garden is different than a p-patch, since it is truly a shared endeavor. All of you who are interested in building a stronger sense of community, learning about sustainable gardening, or just enjoying a beautiful growing space to bring your families, please come and join us. We’ll be having work parties all summer, too, if you miss this one.

A HUGE Thank YOU to everyone at the Parks Department and especially to Trevor [Gregg] for all the work done to make this project a reality!

Debra Morrison

Hard work, sunshine, pizza, and a opportunity to share in future community-grown tomatoes? THAT’S a good Saturday.

Filed Under: Seattle Parks and Recreation
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