Garden On, Vashon

I dropped by the Food Bank 11/11 and happened upon the Food Bank gardeners harvesting in time for the Wednesday morning distribution.

Jen Coe harvests rainbow chard at the Food Bank garden 11/11.

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Last spring, the Food Bank decided they wanted to supply their clients with more fresh produce in the off-season. Island gardeners regularly drop off homegrown vegies during the summer, but those contributions decline as quickly as summer gardens do. 

So the Food Bank tapped Jenn Coe to jump-start a vegie patch in the field next to their facility. Rotary Club kicked in the money and muscle for fencing and water-lines. David ( ) collected manures, composted it, and did all the tilling. 

Now the Food Bank gardeners have quite a harvest going. I’ve seen potatoes, beans, tomatoes, leeks, onions, bok choi, chard, and mixed lettuces growing lustily in the many wide beds, plus cover crops to prepare the beds.

Jenn told me “It’s been extremely successful. It’s 100% volunteer run, including a lot of participation from Food Bank clients. They come early  to help weed and harvest for the Wednesday distribution.” All produce goes to the Food Bank.

“Yesterday we harvested chard, kale, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, bok choi, and cilantro.  Leaving the leeks for later.”

Thanks to many donations of transplants, they did put in a summer garden. But next year, Jenn would like to focus on a pure fall/winter garden because that’s what the need is. “For instance, right now we have one bed of kale and I’d like to have four, so that we could harvest from one of those beds each week. I’d like that garden to be filled to the brim with cauliflowers, leeks, broccoli, and kale.” 

They’ll have produce to harvest through the winter. Work parties are from 9-11am on Wednesdays, and she invites anybody who wants to come help. “If it’s raining, we just harvest and go home; if not, we stay on and weed until 11.”

You can phone her for information at 384-0973.

Left: Leslie Patheal picks mixed lettuce for the Wednesday morning distribution at the Food Bank, while Jen Coe (right) harvests chard.