Tag Archives: gardening

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Tomatoes, piñatas, and free ice cream

We heard that some folks showed up to buy heirloom tomato starts on Sunday and were disappointed, because the tomato sellers from Feed were already gone. However, we hear they will be back at 19th and Lander from 2-4 pm this Sunday with more tomatoes, but you should check their website for the latest info.

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Steel drummers will play at the Franklin High School Arts Festival on May 14. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lowry.
Heirloom tomato plants are also one of the attractions to be found at this weekend’s Franklin High School Arts Festival, on Saturday, May 14 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Elizabeth Lowry writes:

This year, Francis Roque, a Franklin alum and ceramicist, has worked with FHS art students to create approximately 100 mugs called Quaker Cups, which we will sell at the festival for just $15 each. And, Principal Dr. Jennifer Wiley’s steel drum band will perform, along with the lion dancers, jazz band and other groups. Habesha, a group of East African students, will present a fashion show.

The National Honor Society will sell heirloom tomato plants (the best deal in town!), and other student clubs will have games, rummage sales, sno cones and so on.

May 14 also is the Orca Plant Sale and the open house for Fire Station 30 just down the street from Franklin – oh, and the Mt. Baker yard sales! Big weekend!

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A quick reminder—save the date of June 4 on your calendar for the Beacon Hill Festival at Jefferson Park, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. As usual, there will be music and other entertainment, food, booths showcasing local groups, and more. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

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You should also save a date for the annual Beacon Hill Piñata Party, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 16 from 12-3 p.m. at Stevens Place Park (sometimes known as Triangle Park). The event will include live entertainment, music, food, dancing, and piñatas. All ages are welcome. The event is free. Please stay tuned for more information as the date approaches.

The event organizers are seeking neighbors to make or donate six piñatas for the event. If you would like to be a part of the planning process or have a donation, please contact Jon Gould at: jon@childrensalliance.org.

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Hello Bicycle at 3067 Beacon Ave. S. has recently remodeled, so they are having a Grand Re-opening sale throughout this week. To celebrate, they are giving out free ice cream on Saturday, May 14 (while it lasts). The folks there also want you to know that the shop’s hours are changing; they will be closed on Mondays instead of Tuesdays, but open every other day from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Clean and Green

Heirloom tomato plant sale May 8 and 15

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Tomato-planting season is almost here! The folks at Feed will be selling heirloom tomato starts for your garden on the next two Sundays, May 8 and 15, from 2-4 p.m. (rain or shine) at the corner of 19th Ave. S. and S. Lander. Starts are $3 per quart pot. Please bring your own box to carry them home.

On May 8, varieties for sale include Red Brandywine, Stupice, and Black Sea Man. On May 15, the available varieties will include Japanese Trifele, Limmony, Taxi, Tigerella, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, Plum Lemon, Reisentraube, Juliet Grape, Paul Robeson, Gold Medal, and Red Oxheart. You can see more about these varieties on the Feed website.

Heirloom tomatoes. Photo by John Morgan, via Creative Commons.
Clean and Green, Local Events

Local groups to meet at South Seattle Garden Summit

These plants were part of a recent planting-strip improvement project on Beacon Avenue, across from the library. Photo by Jason.
Local urban gardening and farming groups will convene on Beacon Hill on Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. for a South Seattle Garden Summit and Potluck at the Garden House, hosted by ROCKiT Space and the Washington State Federated Garden Club.

The event will include a potluck dinner and social hour, then presentations and discussions among a variety of South Seattle garden groups, with a goal of planning a joint calendar of events to enhance use of community resources, avoid conflicts, and improve communication.

Groups participating include Beacon Food Forest, Friends of Lewis Park, City Fruit, local P-Patches, the Maple School Ravine Project and more.

All are welcome. The Garden House is located at 2336 15th Ave. S.

Here’s the agenda:

  • 6:30 p.m. Potluck
  • 7:30 p.m. Presentations by partner organizations
  • 8 p.m. Open discussion of common garden resources and needs. Review of calendars to avoid conflicts and make the best use of volunteer pool.
Clean and Green, Local Events

No foolin’ — free compost on April 1

Photo by Anne Norman via Creative Commons
Compost Days in Seattle begins on Friday, April 1 with local activities including garden-building and free compost.

The day starts at 10 a.m. with a garden-building project for the Hohlfeld family at S. Bayview and 16th Avenue S., in conjunction with Spring into Bed, a non-profit organization that constructs gardens for low-income families so they can grow organic food in their own backyard.

Immediately afterward there will be a compost giveaway at El Centro de la Raza, across the street at 2524 16th Avenue S. City of Seattle residents can pick up one free bag of compost between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., while supplies last. (We hear there are 500 bags.) There will also be coupons available for compost and Green Kitchen Kits. You can get some of the coupons online, if you prefer:

Compost Days is a partnership between Cedar Grove Composting, Seattle Public Utilities, and local retailers.

Local Events, Volunteering and Giving

Activities this weekend and beyond

Tonight is your first of three chances to show you rock, at this year’s Beacon Rocks! auditions for musicians and performers. The live audition for individuals or groups will be at Kusina Filipina, 3201 Beacon Avenue South, tonight from 8-11 p.m. See our earlier post for more info.

Perhaps you prefer to get your hands dirty. On Sunday, you can do that at one of two community work parties. The Lewis Park work party is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lewis Park, 12th Avenue South and Golf Drive South. Help plant native plants or do other things the park needs. Tools, gloves, water, and refreshments are provided. This is a weekly event.

Also on Sunday, there is a community planting party from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Beacon Avenue South and South Forest Street, to remove the existing clover and plant a perennial garden on the planting strips there. See our recent post for more information.

On Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., ROCKiT space is hosting the ROCKiT Relaunch Community Potluck at the Garden House, 2336 15th Avenue South. It’s free—just bring food and come socialize with your neighbors!

As always, check the events calendar for more upcoming events on Beacon Hill.

Clean and Green, Volunteering and Giving

Neighbors wanted to beautify planting strips

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Volunteers are needed for a work party this weekend to improve these planting strips across from the Beacon Hill Library. Photo by Wendi.
A group of Beacon Hill neighbors invite you to help beautify the neighborhood by re-landscaping Beacon Avenue planting strips at a community planting party this Sunday, March 20, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The project was awarded a grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods to remove the existing clover and plant a perennial garden on the planting strips at the corner of Beacon Avenue South and South Forest Street, across Beacon Avenue from the Beacon Hill branch library.

Please wear work clothes and bring gardening tools if you have them. If you’d rather not garden, you can participate in a litter cleanup on Beacon Avenue as well. Food and drinks will be available. Questions? Contact Sara Stubbs at sara.mcdonald@gmail.com or 206.595.1829.

Meetings

Public safety topic of next NBHC meeting

Public safety on Beacon Hill is the focus of next week’s North Beacon Hill Council meeting, Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m.

Here is the planned agenda as forwarded by Judith Edwards:

  • 7:00 Hellos and Agenda
  • 7:05 Public Safety on Beacon Hill
    (10 minutes each)

    • Sgt. Ann Martin, South Precinct, Seattle Police Department
    • Lt. Fowler, new South Precinct Lieutenant
    • Craig Thompson, Community Leaders for Public Safety Committee Member
  • 7:35 Q and A
  • 8:00 Other Community Reports and Announcements
    • Food Forest at Jefferson Park
    • Community Planting on Beacon and Forest, March 20
    • Advisory vote from Council on supporting parking at El Centro for 80 vehicles, and acting on discussion at our last meeting there will be no fencing around the parking lot.
  • Announcements and upcoming events
  • 8:15 Executive Board Meeting – Vote on parking at El Centro, approval of meeting minutes from previous months.

The meeting is at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. All are welcome.

Clean and Green

Alien invaders spotted at Fire Station #13

Broom is pretty, but it's bad news. Photo by zeevveez.
An alert neighbor contacted King County Noxious Weed Control after she spotted Spanish broom growing in the back lot of Fire Station #13.  Because it aggressively replaces native plants, Spanish broom is a Class A Noxious Weed, meaning that eradication is required. Fire Station staff promptly eliminated the plants.

Spanish broom looks much like its close relative Scotch broom. Both are medium-sized evergreen shrubs growing 6-10 feet high with small yellow flowers. Scotch Broom is not native to our region, but it is a “non designated noxious weed” and control is not required in most of King County, though it is recommended.

How to spot the difference:

  • Spanish broom flowers are very fragrant; Scotch broom flowers are not.
  • Scotch broom has ridged stems; Spanish broom stems are round and smooth.

If you find Spanish broom on your property (or notice it somewhere else) or have questions about another invasive or otherwise noxious plants, contact the King County Noxious Weed Control Program: 206-296-0290 or via email at noxious.weeds@kingcounty.gov. You can also report infestations of broom or other noxious weeds by using the online form.

Be sure to visit the Noxious Weed Control website to learn about the Weed of the Month, volunteer as a Weed Watcher, or get tips on safe ways to handle potentially dangerous plants like Giant Hogweed. You can also review the complete Noxious Weed list for ideas about what not to plant in your garden. Butterfly bush, for example, is considered a Class B Noxious Weed in Washington State and a non-regulated weed in King County. This means that gardeners are encouraged but not required to remove it.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: new neighbor, new jobs, and an old thief

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These steps, which once led to Culinary Communion, will soon lead to Tasha's Bistro Café. Photo by Wendi.
The population of North Beacon just went up by one — Beacon Hill Blog contributor Melissa Jonas brought a new Beacon Hill neighbor into the world on Friday. Congratulations to Melissa and Shane, and welcome to baby Sylvia Grace!

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Tasha’s Bistro Café in the old Culinary Communion space, scheduled to open late this month or early next, is hiring servers. Tasha’s has also applied for a liquor license in the category of restaurant (beer and wine) and direct shipment receiver, with a catering endorsement.

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Need to train your dog? Today is your lucky day. A dog training class, Dog Training: The Pet Adult Dog, starts tonight from 7:45 to 8:45 at the Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Avenue South. The class is for dogs over five months of age (and their humans, aged 15 and up) and will include basic obedience, loose leash walking, polite greetings, handling, solving in-home behavioral problems, and impulse control. The class fee is $78.

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The Transportation Choices Coalition is sponsoring On The Move, an incentive program to get Southeast Seattle residents out of their cars and onto buses, trains, bicycles, or feet. Participants who commit to riding transit, walking or biking 2 days a week this summer may receive prizes, discounts to local businesses, and free ORCA cards. For more information, sign up here or call 206-329-2336.

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Northwest Kidney Centers will hold its 8th annual Kidney Health Fest for African American Families on Saturday, June 5, featuring free health screenings, entertainment and healthy food samples made by local celebrity chefs. The free event, open to all, runs from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Van Asselt Elementary (formerly the African American Academy), 8311 Beacon Avenue South. The event is co-hosted by Mount Zion Baptist Church and the First AME Church.

More information is at the event’s website.

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Cesar Chavez Demonstration Garden is having an heirloom vegetable plant sale at 2524 16th Avenue South (El Centro de la Raza) this Saturday, May 22, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; Wednesday, May 26, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; and Saturday, May 29, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

(Editors’ note — The correct date of the third sale is Saturday, May 29, not May 30 as reported earlier.)

The garden is located just north of Beacon Hill Station and is run by the Master Gardeners of King County. They will be selling heirloom vegetable starts, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, cucumbers, melons, onions, and leeks.

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North Beacon’s “larcenous landscaper” appears to be back for another season of plant thievery. Neighbors on the BAN mailing list are reporting new plant thefts, and one witness on 13th Avenue South reports that the thief appears to be the same one as was caught on this video last May. The witness describes him as “an older Asian gentleman, dressed in sport coat and slacks, smoking a cigarette,” and saw him return to a silver Toyota SUV — with the irises he’d just taken from someone’s yard.

If you too have had plants stolen, or if you see the plant thief, contact the police. The SPD case number is 2010-161547.