Blog
July 26, 2025 SYEP (Seattle Youth Employment Program) is a City of Seattle program that offers qualified youth, ages 16-24, summer employment. The goal is to increase young adults ability to pursue careers that are meaningful to them. The youth that apply are from communities that experience racial, social, and economic disparities. When I applied […]
Third Annual Cider Fest
October 17, 2013 The weather forecast predicts perfect weather for Saturday afternoon. Please invite your friends to join us for cider, popcorn and friendship. We will also unveil the most recent architectural design drawing for our orchard space. In November of 2010, the orchard became a 1/4th owner of an old fashioned cider press. Ingela […]
Got Burrs?
October 10, 2013 Our three year old Chestnut Tree pleasantly surprised us this year by popping out 14 burrs! Our Maraval cultivar (Castanea Sativa x Castanea Crenata) boasts some of the most beautiful male flowers of any edible Chestnuts. (See photo) Catkins can hold the flowers of both sexes, with the males in the upper […]
Design Review Meeting Soaked With Enthusiasm
October 2, 2013 Twenty seven people gathered on the cold rainy Saturday morning of September 28 to review three designs from Barker Architects’ design team. Many warmed up with coffee or hot chocolate. In attendance were Mark Huston, P-Patch Trust Board Member, our fiscal sponsor, and Rich Macdonald, Supervisor of the Seattle P-Patch program. Justin […]
Saturday, Sept 28 – Architectural/Permaculture Hoedown
September 25, 2013 All are encouraged to come and help review three designs from our architecture/permaculture team. The designs are based on input from the community, WSDOT and SDOT. See insert. Sat Sept 28, 10-noon, Public Design Review Lunch will be served. Rain, no shine Door Prizes, Hot Coffee Sun Oct 13, 2-4 Work Party. […]
We Are Not Alone
September 5, 2013 We have a cousin in the York Neighborhood of Bellingham. Mary Loquvam and Byron Bagwell are the instigators of York Farm and this year they are harvesting storage vegetables: potatoes, beans and winter squash. The farm has taken the place of a fallow piece of land along the Washington State Department of […]
“It Feels Like No One Is Telling You What To Do”
August 21, 2013 A resident from Willis House (nearby senior housing) walked into the orchard Saturday. She strolled slowly and deliberately, gazing ahead, then to one side, then the other. She told me she had Sunday music commitments and would not be able to attend the Sunday design input meeting. I took the opportunity to […]
Have Some Pride!
August 9, 2013 Here she is, our first apple. Gorgeous. Our two-year old Williams’ Pride produced 14 apples. This apple is highly thought of for good flavor – especially for an early ripening apple – and its ability to remain crisp and delicious for at least six weeks after harvest. William’s Pride was developed by […]
Mounds of Kiwis
July 26, 2013 After tossing around ideas about a variety of perma-agriculture methods for several weeks, on the 16th of July Ruth and Aaron strategically built a hugelkultur mound under the arbor to host some incoming kiwi plants from Kiwi Bob. Hugelkultur (German – lit. Mound Culture) is a method of soil amendment that removes […]
Day of Dragonflies
July 7, 2013 Today, I was thigh deep in Green Lake, helping Friends of Green Lake (FOGL) haul Eurasian Watermilfoil out of the water. (Eurasian milfoil is an invasive non-native plant.) Dragonflies were everywhere and some were quite large, though not as big as this one pictured here from Butchart Gardens. (Possible sound wall art?) […]
The Best Sheet Mulching Conditions are Upon Us
June 28, 2013 The grass is short and the ground is moist – perfect conditions for sheet mulching. Now is a window of opportunity to smother more grass at the Orchard. Come anytime from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, this Sunday, June 30. There will be light tasks and heavier tasks. Materials and tools will be […]