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KINGSTON FARM AND GARDEN CO-OP

GIVING GARDEN
Kingston, WA, USA
DRIVING DIRECTIONS


Providing fresh, organically-managed, sustainably-grown produce to the ShareNet Food Bank since 2011.

THANK YOU TO FLOTSAM and JETSAM GARDEN CLUB
for a $255 grant to double our grow-racks used for seedling support.
This will enable us to increase production this fall and in future years -
especially important during the pandemic, when the food bank is experiencing an increase in customers!

THANK YOU POULSBO GARDEN CLUB
for a $370 grant for materials to build "medium tunnels".
This will increase tomato and pepper production during years when they are "rotated out" of the high tunnel.
And thanks to Brenda, for refining the design and constructing the tunnels...

THANK YOU OLYMPIC ORGANICS
for five cubic yards of beautiful aged compost!
Some will go under the high tunnel, and some will amend the Big Patch.

2020 FRESH VEGETABLE DELIVERIES

Thanks to Valley Nursery, for this year's seeds!



Maia has contributed 22 dozen farm-fresh organic eggs to date,
and we've sent in the following garden starts:
12 flat-leaf parsley starts
12 red kale starts
6 raspberry plants (thank you Florence)
5 pots of cardoon starts

NOTICE: ShareNet requests no more plant starts this year.

Because of COVID-19 concerns, they are working with a much smaller volunteer group
and they have to simplify some of their procedures.

...and, for the record...

YEAR
TOTAL PRODUCE
DELIVERED (lbs)
SPREADSHEETS AND MILESTONES
2019
1816.00
2019 production spreadsheet
Tomatoes in the high tunnel again!
More raised beds. More greens.
Squash did not do well this year.
2018
1508.00
2018 production spreadsheet
The high tunnel lay largely fallow this year.
(No-till experiment failed! Weeds love high tunnels.)
2017
2295.75
2017 production spreadsheet
We received generous donations of compost!
2016
2479.75
2016 production spreadsheet
We had sprouting racks for seed trays this year.
2015
1361.75
2015 production spreadsheet
2014
2325
2014 production spreadsheet
(We added a high tunnel and a large-crop area)
2013
1268.75
2013 production spreadsheet
2012
1384
2012 production spreadsheet
(we doubled the garden area from 2011)
2011
699
2011 production spreadsheet
This was our first year, using half the present "Veggie Patch".
We also started rather late.


GARDEN PLANNING FOR 2020
SOCIAL DISTANCING
With the potential of a lot more hungry folks because of the COVID-19 disruption of their employment,
we are working at producing as much as we can -
despite the odd weather this year!
And for once, the sprawled-out nature of our planting areas is an asset. No problem keeping our distance.

If you can come work in the garden, TELL KATHY AHEAD OF TIME

Text 360-809-3467
or email kscurry962@gmail.com

to reserve a time, and get a choice of tasks.

There is usually a regular Garden Party from 9 or 10 to 11 or 12 on Saturday,
(earlier hours are for hotter days)
but expect to be spaced out at a significant distance from any fellow gardeners.

As an additional precaution, if you have your own gardening implements and gloves,
bring them, use them, and keep them separated from those belonging to the Garden.



TASKS READY TO GO:
  • In the high tunnel, weed and lay down newspaper as weed barrier between plants.
  • Outside, weed and lay down mulch around raspberries.
  • Prepare new raised beds for blueberries
    Get shade cloth up over beds of greens
  • There are 2 BRAND NEW raised beds to be positioned, filled and planted! (THANK YOU, FRANK!)
  • We have seedlings for winter crops to transplant.

  • And of course, EVERYONE'S favorite,
    WEEDING WEEDING WEEDING!


THANK YOU
to Brenda and her husband, for building and installing the new organizer. Life is much easier!
Also, Brenda (who doesn't like weeding) provided a nice bunch of weed barrier and some commercial soil.

to Aline, Brenda, Florence and Isobel (that's alphabetic order) for running deliveries to the food banks

to Farmhouse Cafe and Cup and Muffin for ongoing supplies of coffee grounds for the compost heap

To Kingston Middle School Horticultural Program for donating a fine selection of vegetable starts!
We planted some, distributed some to ShareNet customers,
sold some (with some other extra starts) at the Kingston Saturday Market, and shared some with our friends at Fishline!
Thanks to the Kingston Market folks for the discount on our stall,
and to the market patrons for so gerenously giving new homes to the plants!
And special thanks to Scarlett, Aline and her boys, and Lynn for sacrificing their personal time to make this all happen!

Some pictures from Summer 2019
Lettuce thrives
in the gutter planters
Aline and Lynn
loading a harvest
for delivery
shallots were
harvested in two lots
Harvesting garlic


Here's what went on in winter 2018-2019...
Kinley and Paul
removing torn plastic
after November 2018 windstorm
Aline and Ann
team up to power wash
small greenhouse.
WANT A BUCKET?
We collect coffee grounds
for our compost heap.
WE NEED LOTS.
Experiments in
terracing, mulching,
cover cropping.


THANK YOU

To University Congregational United Church of Christ middle schoolers
in 2019, for setting up trellising, harvesting and braiding garlic, and weed- weed- weeding!
in 2018,for building a raised bed for herbs!
And special thanks to Aline, for ensuring that the herb bed foundation was absolutely level,
and to Isobel for instructing everyone on herb transplanting and grouping.

Within a month, we were delivering herbs to ShareNet,
and they were being snapped up!
This provides a seasoning alternative to salt,
which may not be suitable to many diets in the most vulnerable groups.
Carefully creating a level foundation
After Day One
Planting the herbs
ALL DONE!



To Washington Youth Academy
For coming on 31 March 2018 and again on 27 October 2018 and doing some major work clearing blackberries and Scotch broom,
building compost bins and asparagus beds, repairing roads, sinking fence posts, turning beds, and clearing ground.
Cadets in formation
Getting serious with Scotch Broom
(R) Turning over cover crop
(L) Building compost bins
Leveling ground

(and thanks to local volunteer leaders Aline, Brenda, Frank, Isobel, and Kinley
and to Gabriel and Mathias for running the farm cart)


To University Congregational United Church of Christ Youth, and their director Margaret Swanson,
for building our new raised beds, and helping us put the Giving Garden to bed on 28 October 2017.
One-quarter of the workforce
assembled raised beds
Another quarter first cleared out
the site for the raised beds,
then painted linseed oil on the beds
The other half of the work force
were divided between
the Veggie Patch and the High Tunnel,
and were collecting materials,
pulling out foliage and agricultural plastic,
and generally putting the garden to bed.

(And thanks to the local volunteers who were team leaders - Aline, Frank, Isobel and Kinley
and to Katherine for her talk on ShareNet activities.)

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Thanks to the ShareNet Board for providing funding for raised bed materials
and lots of brown cardboard boxes for mulching and weed control as we experiment with introducing partial "no-till" methods
To Valley Nursery and Viking Feed, for a lovely seed selection, in preparation for 2018
To Kingston Middle School Horticultural Club, for sharing their seeds, then donating their left-over seedlings
To Kingston High School Honor Society, for providing volunteers during the Spring planting season
To Kingston Farmers Market for donating booth space to help us sell / adopt out plants we did not have room for
To Alene and Paul, for donating the extra fencing materials for enclosing the Big Patch (trying to slow down the rabbits!)
Thanks to Ardelle, Mary and Roger for ongoing supplies of horse / mule cleanings for composting
and to John, Carl and Kathy for loading us up with their tractors!
To Cup & Muffin and Farmhouse Cafe for all their coffee grounds!
To Ed, for scouring yard sales for garden material donations.
To Aline and Brenda and their families, for very timely donations of a variety of needed materials
And to Farrago Farm, for sharing space and equipment, and providing all the water and electricity!

And in 2017:

To Kingston Middle School Horticultural Club, for in excess of 100 seedlings
To Woodside Stables at Maple Ridge Farm for multiple cubic yards of barn cleanings,
which we've stacked up to compost for the 2020 gardening season
(If you want a truckload or ten, contact Lisa at 360-551-3726)
to Olympic Organics for 10 yards of slow-release compost (and we're really sorry about the stuck truck)
To Verns Organic Topsoil, for another 5 cubic yards of Garden Mix
to the ShareNet board for 2016 & 2017 monetary grants for replenishing our supplies and building raised beds.
to Central Market for providing an entire case of their sturdy plastic bags for harvest deliveries
to Valley Nursery and Viking Feed for providing a wonderful selection of seeds for the 2017 garden
(And to Valley, again, for beefing up our supply of seeding pots)
to Henery's Hardware for coming up with (and donating) a bunch of seed trays on short notice.



Planting the carrots in a raised bed
REALLY WORKS!


DELIVERIES OF FARM ANIMAL MANURE
STILL GLADLY ACCEPTED!
Leave a message for Kathy at 360-297-2649
or (better yet) text 360-809-3467.
We can provide a truck, if you have means to load at your end.
We can use horse, cow, goat, sheep,
llama, rabbit and poultry waste.
Any others, let's discuss.
Aline preps a late June harvest





->->->-> CHECK HERE to view winter 2017 - 2018 activities! <-<-<-<-

AND HERE ARE MORE HISTORIC ENTRIES!


THIS PROJECT CONTINUES TO BE OPEN TO ALL!
We'd love to have you come.

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HOOP HOUSES

Our low hoop houses allow greens production at a low rate throughout the winter.
The high tunnel is particularly good for tomatoes, melons and winter greens!

Here are some web sites with home-made hoop house plans:

WSU Greenhouse Resources for Small Scale Producers
WSU Crop Tunnels and Plastic Mulch
westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html
www.albertahomegardening.com/how-to-build-an-inexpensive-hoop-style-greenhouse
www.albertahomegardening.com/an-inexpensive-hail-proof-pvc-pipe-greenhouse
doorgarden.com/10/50-dollar-hoop-house-green-house
cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/em015/em015.pdf

FARM TO SCHOOL

Here is the WA State Farm to School web site: http://www.agr.wa.gov/marketing/farmtoschool/
Here is the WSDA Farm to School web site and tool kit: http://www.wafarmtoschool.org/


Here are food banks in North Kitsap:

DIRECTIONS TO THE KINGSTON FARM & GARDEN CO-OP GIVING GARDEN

at Farrago Farm and Vineyard
7029 NE Crawford Drive
Kingston, WA 98346
Wolfle School is a half-mile west of George's Corner on Highway 104 (see map below).
Highland Road runs up beside Wolfle School. Follow Highland to its end (1 mile). It comes to a "T" with Crawford Drive.
Turn right on Crawford. The Giving Garden will be the first driveway on the left.