THANK YOU MICROSOFT VOLUNTEERS!

As part of United Way’s Day of Caring event on Friday, September 23rd, a large crew of enthusiastic volunteers from Microsoft spent the day working in Magnuson Community Garden’s p-patch!

img_2861The volunteers did some amazing work! Accomplishments included clearing of the north end of an abandoned plot in the northwest corner of the garden, removing an apple tree from the middle of the garden, refreshing the northeast gravel path that had become overgrown with weeds and overhanging bushes from the Native Plant border, and removing weeds and sheet mulching a couple of seriously overgrown areas along the southeast border of the garden.

Special thanks also goes out to the p-patch gardeners who spent time in the p-patch working alongside the volunteers!

Cover Crops!

While it’s still technically summer, it’s a good time to start thinking about cover crops!

Planting a cover crop is a great way to improve soil quality during the off season. Benefits include controlling weeds and recycling Nitrogen, attracting beneficial insects, controlling for erosion,and in the case of legumes, actually adding Nitrogen to the soil.

From crimson clover to mustard, winter rye grain and buckwheat, there are many options.

For assistance in deciding what is best for your garden this fall, a good resource is the Territorial Seed Company 2015 Fall & Winter Gardening Catalog Cover Crop Chart.

New Events Added to the Children’s Garden Event Calendar!

There are a lot of things going on in the Children’s Garden this fall!

  • Saturday, September 10th from 10 am – 2 pm: Seattle Works TeamWorks stewardship event – Help make mosaic bricks for our new Butterfly Garden, complete its perennial plantings and more!
  • Friday September 23rd from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm: annual United Way Day of Caring volunteer event in the Magnuson Children’s Garden and P-Patch, with a group from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation giving the garden a “fall spruce up” just in time for the Oct 1st Scarecrow Fest!
  • Saturday October 1st from 11 am – 2 pm: The annual Scarecrow Fest!  In partnership with Magnuson Community Center, we’ll host our usual array of family-friendly activities, such as worm bin exploration, nature art, plus Scarecrow Fest favorites such as the orchard maze/scavenger hunt, Bluegrass band, harvesting for the food back, and much, much more!
  • Saturday, October 8th from 10 am – 2pm: Seattle Works TeamWorks stewardship event – This last major event of the year will be about preparing the garden beds, tool shed, and other areas for winter!

For general information about the Children’s Garden at Magnuson, visit the Children’s Garden page.

For complete listings of events, see the Children’s Garden Events and Calendar page.

Celebrate Local Food & Urban Farming at Harvest Fair on Saturday, Aug. 6th!

Seattle Tilth’s annual Harvest Fair can be described as a country fair in the city.
Co-presented with PCC Natural Markets, Harvest Fair is on Saturday, August 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Meridian Park (4850 Meridian Ave N., Seattle).

A family friendly event, Harvest Fair offers fun opportunities for people of all ages. Take a turn at The Central Co-op Cider Press, snuggle a goat or chicken at the urban farm area, or make an aromatic herb crown to wear festively around the grounds — connecting you to similar traditions across the planet and throughout history.

 

At the demonstration tent, learn new kitchen and garden tips that you can try at home:

10:30 a.m.         Worm Bin Demonstration

11:30 a.m.         Learn How to Make Kombucha

1 p.m.               Beneficial Bug BINGO — win prizes!

2 p.m.               Herb Sodas and Herb Salts for Kids

3 p.m.               Cooking Demo: Papas Dulce and Kale

 

Stock up on ripe produce at the height of the season: organic farm stands will be overflowing with fresh, deliciousproduce such as peaches, berries and cucumbers — perfect for making jams, pickles and other canned goods. Vendors will be selling native and edible plants, garden supplies and hand made goods. Enjoy tasty food and live music!

It’s free but donations are encouraged at entrances to help cover expenses. Details can be found here.

Shakespeare in the Park!

Greenstage Productions will be presenting Shakespeare in the amphitheater at Magnuson Park next Thursday through Sunday.

Schedule:

  • ‘Merry Wives of Windsor’ : Thursday, Aug. 4 at 7PM, Saturday Aug. 6 at 7PM and Sunday Aug. 7 at 3PM
  • ‘Cymbeline’ on Friday Aug. 5 at 7PM, Saturday Aug. 6 at 3PM
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