Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Urban Garden Fair









Saturday the 9th, the kids and I went to the Urban Garden Fair (which is part of the Food + Farm 4 day festival here in Portland). The fair took place at the Boyd Street garden which is part of Cultivating Community (http://www.cultivatingcommunity.org/ ). They offered soil ammending talks, painting for the kids, homemade ice cream, "home fries" made by Local Sprouts (a community supported kitchen. http://www.localsproutscooperative.com/ ), and they let everyone get into the garden and plant! The kids raked the area and planted onions in a "honey comb" pattern in which cabbages will be planted in the center. We found loads fat worms, which new to us, we never had worms in our gardens in Tucson. And the level of filth... well let's say that the little boys were covered in dirt, grass, and paint! But boy was it fun. It was so nice to be outside, with a group that not only gardens but invites kids in to join. Everyone was friendly and put the kids to work, no matter the age. Some kids were hauling water (like Logan), others were raking, some pulling weeds, some planting corn and others onions, they were feeding the fruits trees and trimming the raspberry bushes. They even have an area that later this season will be turned into community plots! It was really nice to see how well the kids worked together in the garden... I can hardly wait to get planting at the new house!

1 comment:

Amy Bradstreet said...

That garden is always so beautiful, especiall come Aug-Sept. There's nothing like digging in the dirt to build community, I agree. I can't wait until you can start gardening at your new home, either! So exciting!!