Evergreen Community Garden: Student Organized Agricultural Project, Year 5!

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The Student Organized Agricultural Project (S.O.A.P.) is a GO! for 2015!

The amazing Hannah S. and Jackie V. are this year's student facilitators, along with Community Garden Coordinators Gabrielle and Colin.

If you want to be part of a gardening team
to take something like this...

the garden in the rough, early spring

and transform it into something like this...

the garden in mid-June as crops start coming in

...then you should consider joining the S.O.A.P. team plot!

A Part of the Evergreen Community Garden Club,

a Registered Student Organization

tesccommunitygardens@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ecogardens

We have a HUGE plot in Evergreen Community Gardens dedicated to people who do not want an individual plot, but still want to get their hands dirty at Evergreen’s garden. It works great for anyone who thinks they might be gone for part of the summer, isn’t sure they want their own plot, can commit some time, but aren’t sure how much, and people who just like the idea of working on a team in a larger plot, with more crop options. Originally proposed by graduate student and gardener,
Matthew, the project is loosely modeled after
the Wendell Berry Community Garden
in east Olympia

Pollinators have a happy home here

Every year is a lot of fun. Last year we started with around 20 gardeners. A few moved out of the area and we ended up with way more of some food than we could use. Some things do really well, and some things kind of flop, so we learn as we go. Every season is different and there are no “experts”.

From harvest to juicing and smoothies. We usually have more than enough food for the team gardeners!

Team gardener and former Masters of Environmental Studies student, Kim J. in our bean trellis

Crop planning happens as a group. It is already underway for the 2015 season.

The basic plan behind the project:

10 to 20 gardeners
Regularly scheduled meetings especially during the planning and work party stages, but come and go as you please.
Everyone who participates shares in the harvest

Most beloved of all farm managers, Rose, holding one of many harvest baskets

Here is a general list of gardeny things we can do:

Get together and create our crop plan
Go through seed catalogs
Decide what we want to plant (so we can get seeds) and where we want to plant them (crop rotation from last year)
Draw a plan on garden map
Make a “To Do” check list to help guide gardeners who come at different times
Tool familiarization

S.O.A.P. team starting seeds in the beautifully expanded greenhouse, 2013 season

Start seeds in the greenhouse (can start now, on-going through the season)
Some good things to start now are hearty greens (kale, collards etc), onions, etc.
Working the soil – creating seed beds
Clear out old beds
Dig and/or double dig
Add soil amendments (compost, etc.)
Let rest for a week or so, then
Plant our starts
Garden Feng Shui

2012 team clowning at first work party of the season

Creative use of space
Thinning
Vertical gardening
Shape of the beds
Ornamental/Insectary borders (flowers and herbs)
Culinary herb patch
What herbs do we want to grow
Tending and maintenance
Watering
Weeding
Pruning
Snacking
Harvesting
Garden
Potlucks
Helping with Community Garden upkeep
Doing our part for the larger garden
Pitching ideas/helping out with Harvest Festival

Harvest Basket we put together for Student Activities, 2014

The S.O.A.P. garden group is forming now. There is still time to sign up. The first step is to

put together an Interest List.

All interested people should contact garden coordinators at tesccommunitygardens@gmail.com and they will compile a list of people interested in the Community Plot, or contact Hannah. We will be having on-going planning meetings and hope to have a work party in mid-April in preparation for April and May plantings.