On a gloomy Saturday here in Seattle, I pulled myself out of the bed and took a shared ride to a community work party at Beacon Hill. So I went to volunteer for Beacon Food Forest. I was happy finally reaching the destination and finding people around. So, yes this is my first -
work party, gardening, community experience, non-Indian -- I was the only (actually 2 :P) Indian in a group of 100 (a real first). So yes thrilled to have come here.
What did I do?
Actively listened to basic dos and don'ts, 10 different team leaders and the projects they will lead us to. There was weeding, wall-building, workshop, medicinal plants etc. I chose the workshop. It was a environmental studies kind of classes out in garden. Studied many plants. Looked at an apple guild for the first time. A guild is a food forest with trees of different heights. eg: Apple at center, shrubs, strawberries etc. Then asked to identify and remove weeds from actually planted trees. Again some more listening already started getting since I wanted to do gardening, shoving, weeding etc. Let me think what I remember,
- Dycon radish is planted first to break the soil.
- Straberry is used for ground cover.
- Dead nettle plant are those that have purple leaves at the ends and attracts bees.
- Rhubarb has those huge leaves and have a fruit in center. We cut the fruit so it puts energy in leaves and not fruit.
- Honey berry native to Japan and Serbia. It is edible.
- Plant evergreens for gloomy Seattle winters.
- The Beacon Food Forest is a community Permaculture project. Permaculture is mimicking nature to design edible vegetable garden and edible landscape. Permaculture is based on 3 principles.
- Care for Earth
- Care for People
- Share with People
Aah remembered quite a few interesting. Nice. After this we got plant. I planted a "Lingonberry". Then the healthiest lunch. Had salad, bread, nuts, pasta, quiona, lentils, coconut soup (tastiest of all). Then work party finished. I wasn't done yet. I wanted to do more. So, went down to the garden and met Julie. I helped with shoving and weeding. I loved it. It was fun. Walked around. Finally took the bus home. Interesting to learn how plants grow and help us sustain.
Today's sneak peak.
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| Intro-board about Beacon Food Forest. |
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| This is the guild we worked on at the workshop. The tree with white flowers is the enterprise apple tree. |
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| Gathering area where we got our introduction. |
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| Lunch getting ready. |
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| Interesting a basic map of Beacon food forest |
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| A proof for myself that I actually did weeding |
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| removed almost 2 buckets full of weed -- feeling accomplished. |
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| With Julie who taught how to weed. She has been working here since the start of the food-forest in 2012. |
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| I guess tulips. |
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| The path to get the tools and all the way to washroom (they are far) |
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| the other stretch of the food forest I haven't explored. |
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| getting ready for tomatoes |
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| panted by me |
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| during the workshop. |
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| Calendula - orange in color - medicinal herb. |
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