Bellingham Urban Garden Syndicate

Comment

Comment by Chris Elder on October 5, 2009 at 7:38pm

I'll contact some people at master gardeners and see what they have in the way of garden reminders.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who came to both the Seed Saving Workshop and Urban Gardeners Fall Feast. Both were roaring successes in my head and certainly indicative of more such events to come soon. Any feedback on other desired class offerings, or ideas for community and garden support would be helpful.

I know its short notice, but I'm going to dig potatoes tomorrow about 10:30 am, and if you can dig a few extra for me you can take as many as you can carry home. We're talking 6 or 7 hundred foot rows, only 15 minutes from town. Thanks, Chris ~ give an email if you're interested. chris@bellinghamurbangardens.org

Comment by Susan Kroll and Sergio Moreno on October 2, 2009 at 12:50pm

I wonder if the master gardeners would be willing to send us out garden reminders... such as: "It's time to plant hard-neck garlic bulbs" or "prune your fruit trees by 1/3rd of new growth this month" or "apply dormant spray to your apple trees this week". Wouldn't that be helpful to those of us who manage two jobs, a household, AND a veggie garden/fruit orchard???
Just a thought!

Comment by Chris Elder on September 23, 2009 at 2:27am

Hey Everyone ~ If word has not yet made it around. There are two events coming up sponsored by BUGS and others. We're having a seed saving workshop this coming Sunday, Sept 27 at 2pm at the Center for Expressive Arts. And we have an Urban Gardener's Fall Feast scheduled for Sunday, October 4 at 5:30pm at the J and Irving Community Garden. See Transition Whatcom's Events page for more details. Thanks.

Comment by Cindi Landreth on September 15, 2009 at 9:00am

Regarding Transition University -
The model that was Northwest Freedom University is being considered for Transition University, a tool to build resilience into our communities through community supported and provided, non-credit education. This is where there are administrators that manage the catalog, attract the teachers/community members, help find class space, perhaps even suggest some of the classes, too, but the education itself is primarily inspired by the collective genius of the community members. The students pay the teachers directly for class time and materials, there would be an admin fee to cover the admin's work, and classes would be held all over Whatcom County (depending on needs, availability, requests, offers, supporting organizations, etc). The classes we want to focus on and emphasize, of course, are re-skilling for building resilience into our communities. We, of coures, will be inclusive of and in support of CLSR, the 4 colleges, the WSU extension office, Sushi Tree, RE Sources, Sustainable Connections, etc.... In other words, the community itself will help unfold what becomes Transition University although the foundations will be created by Transition Whatcom.

Now, all that said, it is still just a vision! There is a lot of leg work, funding considerations and many meetings yet to come. We are still working with the colleges (NW Indian College, WCC, BTC, and WWU) and coming up with a business plan - a way to make it possible!

There will likely be a TW Group started here when we get a bit further along so we can do a 'call for teachers and classes' and start cataloging names and class descriptions but we need to be careful not to put the cart before the horse. Please, stay curious and excited about it and do some thinking and write up your ideas - I am working on finding someone to catalog the data.

Thank you for all that you do! And...I passed on your blueberry and grapevine donation to Kate this morning.

Comment by Chris Elder on September 15, 2009 at 4:42am

Tell me more about Transition University...and what of an Urban Grange. The Center for Local Self Reliance will support some grange-style activities, but after talking with some of the CLSR members, a different space might be better suited for an urban grange hall. Maybe we could locate an abandoned restaurant, or the like. Tell Kate Clark that I will donate 5 blueberry bushes and several grapevines for 350 day.

Comment by Chris Wolf on September 9, 2009 at 11:53pm

Chris E. and other BUGS members:
1) Cindi Landreth and Transition Whatcom are working to re-open Northwest Freedom University, but call it Transition University, to teach re-skilling classes such as gardening, composting, wildcrafting, etc. Some of the urban farming education we want to do might fit in really well with that project.
2) For 350 Day (which I think is Oct 24?) Kate Clark is helping organize the planting of 350 edible perennials (fruit trees, berry bushes, etc) around town, and photograph and document the process. Trying to get schools, hospital, city hall, and other highly visible entities involved. We might want to help them in this effort. Both Cindi and Kate are contactable through this ning site if people want to be involved with either or both of those projects.

Comment by Chris Wolf on September 7, 2009 at 10:15pm

I envision each neighborhood having 1) a physical location for some kind of garden/self reliance center or hub, for instance the Caretaker house in Fairhaven, including a weekly produce exchange or "gardener's market"; 2) an online group for each neighborhood so members can message each other quickly regarding social events, needs, and surpluses, for instance our Franklin Park Gardening Group here on TW.ning; and 3) a dedicated person or small group of people to be gardening coordinators and/or mentors-- people with some gardening knowledge who can help coach others or at least connect others: "oh, you're wanting a place to garden? Why don't you talk to Mary just around the corner, she has lots of space and not time to garden anymore." These three things together seem like they could help each neighborhood build a very strong network of gardens and gardeners.

Comment by Shannon Maris on September 7, 2009 at 7:47pm

I'm really liking the neighborhood nodes idea too. Each area and set of gardens and gardeners will be specific in their needs, likes, and desires.
Will be great to have the "web" of nodes to communicate with, exchange and collaborate with for food, materials, tools, education, tours, etc.
Helps make the whole idea more manageable if a few people from each street or neighborhood work on a small project together. (Not to say we can't create big things together too!) It's also a great way to meet your neighbors!
So to Juliet's comment ... What do you do with lots of big rutabagas??
Try sauerkraut/natural fermentation - I can lend you a book. I have a pot brewing with sliced jumbo zucchini, kolaharbi, and turnips. Or chop and freeze for adding to soups thru the winter?

Comment by Rob Olason on September 7, 2009 at 5:57pm

I just found this video on the Transition US site about setting up a ning for garden share:


http://transitionus.ning.com/video/local-food-network

Comment by David MacLeod on September 7, 2009 at 2:41pm

Chris wrote: "I am hoping to have an online garden share set up soon."

Chris, doing garden sharing here on this TW site has been an idea I've wanted to see implemented. It could be as simple as starting another group here for that purpose. One discussion thread could be people offering gardening space, another thread for people looking for gardening space, another thread for people wanting to share or borrow tools.

There's a nationally oriented site that uses this Ning format doing this, at hyperlocavore.com:
http://hyperlocavore.ning.com/group/bellinghamwaseekingyardshares

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