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At the Warren G. Magnuson Park |
| Amphitheater | Childrens' Garden | Native Borders | Native Plant Nursery | Orchard | P-Patch | Tranquil Garden |
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Summary of Activities for 2003OverviewThe Magnuson Community Garden is a partnership between the Magnuson Park Division of the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of Neighborhoods, and the community represented by the Magnuson Community Garden, a non-profit group. As year of 2003 closed, the Magnuson Community Garden had completed most of its infrastructure building phase. In 2002 the garden received a Large Projects Fund award from the Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund Program of $150,000. The award was given to build the infrastructure and the initial functional elements of the Magnuson Community Garden. This included producing the final construction drawings, removing asphalt, grading, installing an irrigation system, creating paths and walls, building garden beds, and amending the soil. The voters approved $118,000 for the development of the Community Garden in the Parks-for-All Levy. That funding was used to complete the design and funds some of the basic infrastructure work such as grading and irrigation. By the end of 2002 the final construction drawings, asphalt, grading, installation of the irrigation system, soil amendments, and most of the garden beds had been completed. The principal work accomplished in 2003 focused on completing the paths, walkways, Tranquil Garden pad and amphitheater walls The Department of Neighborhoods award continued into 2003 to allow the completion of the planned projects. This award requires a volunteer match as part of the award process. The basic infrastructure for the garden including concrete and gravel paths, bridges, amphitheater seating, the base and walls for the tranquil garden is complete. While some finishing touches continue into 2004, the Native Plant borders surrounding the garden are in place, the Magnuson P-Patch is completed and occupied, with the exception of the tool shed, the Native Plant Nurseries are place, and the Tranquil Garden walls and base were installed. Where possible, recycled building materials were used either from the park complex, other city property. Many items were donated or purchased a nominal fee. For example, the pavers in front of each compost bin came from the ReStore and a private donation. Sign posts used in the P-Patch are reused stop sign posts from Seattle Transportation. The concrete planter boxes were formerly housed at the Seattle Center. The existing large information sign and the roofs of the soon to be built P-Patch tool shed are adaptive reuse of items from the naval base's commissary parking lot. During 2003, several events took place in addition to the many work parties held throughout the year. The Magnuson Community Garden held an Open House, Saturday, February 1, 2003, a year after groundbreaking. Various groups assisting with the building project displayed plans, provided information about their organizations, and discussed available volunteer opportunities. Participants included EarthCorps, MESA, the P-Patch, Native Plant Society, and the Orchard Society. Representatives from Seattle Parks Department and Department of Neighborhoods addressed the audience. Visitors were taken on tours of the garden. In July, The Magnuson P-Patch participated in the 30th anniversary of the the city's P-Patch Program with an open house. The first educational event was a soil block class hosted by Diane O’Neil, and avid gardener and Magnuson Park's Jazzercise instructor. The Magnuson Community Garden wishes to acknowledge and publicly thank our many volunteers and donors. Without the staff of Magnuson Park and the cooperation of the city, the Magnuson Community Garden would not have been possible. Among the many volunteers who spent many long hours planning, building and coordinating activities in the garden were Bob, and Marty DeLong, Tom Kelly, and Vajra Allan who were recognized as "Good Neighbors" to Magnuson Park on Saturday, February 8, 2003. Other donors of volunteer time, goods, services, and funds during the year included Alice Sandstrom, Macdonald Sullivan, the University Lions Club, Jon Ruhnke Landscaping, Nakano and Associates, and others. Many plants were donated to the garden including those from Green Light Gardening, Ellen Carnworth, and other P-Patch gardeners. D. Daniel Hunt, M.D. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Washington for arranged for the donation of over 1000 flower bulbs planted on Martin Luther King Day. We also thank Starbucks, the Essential Bakery for work party refreshments though out the year. They, as well as, the Sunflower Bakery, and PCC provided refreshments for the February Open House. The following summaries provide information about specific activities that occurred within the sections of the garden and the work parties held through out the year. Infrastructure for Garden. Infrastructure Development Jon Ruhnke Landscaping was the successful bidder for several of the infrastructure projects during the year. The first project was the installation of 1500 lineal feet of 5 foot wide, ADA, crushed rock paths through out the garden. The paths were installed in February 2003 and a final layer and compaction occurred in March. A second project involved the grading and preparing surface for a 2000 square foot concrete pad and concrete footings for a block wall in the Tranquil Garden. Other work included grading and preparing for a 1200 square foot concrete walkway, grading and stepping of amphitheater, final grading of ADA P-Patch area, and Installation of amphitheater stairs. Two bridges across the stormwater swales were built by EarthCorp. Amphitheater's block walls were installed and capped by garden volunteers. Bollards were placed at the P-Patch entrances. Park crews built Eco block storage bays. Native Plant Nursery The Native Plant Nursery committee met several times during 2003. The nursery beds were completed, an irrigation system installed, and a sun shade was erected. A live stake area was designed and developed in order to provide a source of cuttings and future propagation for native plant material in our parks. Bollards were installed at the periphery. Late in the year the committee took on the task of designing and building a potting shelter. Work not yet completed, but expected to be completed by March 15, 2004, includes running chains through the bollards and erecting the potting shelter. Orchard The orchard area was laid out in March 2003, the ground prepared, and irrigation was provided. Volunteers transplanted 28 apple trees, 9 pear trees, and 4 plum trees that had been grafted and in a holding garden. Espalier panels were built between the orchard and the Children's Garden. They demonstrate two dimensional patterns applicable for small home garden fruit production. The chair of the Orchard Committee would like to set up an apprentice program, as an educational component to the garden and to ensure that the orchard is properly cared for. Native Plant Borders During the year volunteers continued to add various species of plants and trees to the native plant borders surrounding the garden. An irrigation system was installed. Work parties were held through out the year, rain or shine. Magnuson P-Patch The Magnuson P-Patch is part of the Department of Neighborhoods’ P-Patch-Community Garden Program. In the spring, plots were laid out in the undeveloped areas of the P-Patch and assigned through the P-Patch office. A total of 140 plots were built in the garden. This included the Giving Gardens; special plots set aside for raising vegetables for the local food bank. Lettuce Link and others provide seeds and starter plants. This year over 1500 pounds of food were collected from the Giving Garden plots and donations from gardeners. These were taken to the Lake City Food Bank and to the Sand Point Community Housing Association. A new food bank bin was built by Thomas Hargrave, one of the Magnuson gardeners skilled at carpentry. Four sets of 3-unit compost bins were built by AmeriCorps volunteers. The community garden provided the lumber for tool boxes for each “pod” of the garden which were built as an Eagle Scout project. Five ADA P-Patch beds were built. All the plots in the Magnuson P-Patch for the 2004 growing season have been filled by returning and new gardeners. During the year. each gardener was required to provide 10 hours of volunteer service. Many contributed many more hours than required. Children's Garden The Children's garden started its activities in January with a work party on January 25, 2003 to plant flower bulbs donated in honor of Martin Luther King. Work parties were held each month. During the year, volunteers planted 400 shrubs and grasses, built a tool shed, added stepping stone paths, installed the rolling lawn, and installed a drip irrigation system. The gravel courtyard was installed and periphery beds were planted in the fall. A nautical theme was adopted in the summer. To kick off the theme, a Big Blue Whale bed was planted with silver foliage plants and an ornamental grass spout in the fall. The last work party of the year was held in November which was attended by 24 teen volunteers from Youth for Peace. In 2002 the Master Gardener's Foundation designated the Magnuson Children's Garden as a Master Gardener Youth Garden. In 2003 it received a grant from the foundation ($850) to build the tool shed Work Parties Held January through December 2003 The first work party of the new year was held by Native Plants on January 11, 2003. An all garden work party and celebration occurred on Martin Luther King Day, January 20, 2003. The highlight was the planting of 1000 flower bulbs. A donation arranged by D. Daniel Hunt, M.D. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, University of Washington. In addition to delivering the flower bulbs to the garden, Dr. Hunt participated in the work party and planted some of the bulbs. The Children's Garden had a work party the following week and planted another 400 bulbs from Dr. Hunts project. In February, Native Plant Border work parties were held on February 8 and 22. The P-Patch had a work party to layout the remaining garden plots. AmeriCorp volunteers working for The Habitat for Humanity built the compost bins. The number of work parties increased in March as the growing season started. Native Plants, the Orchard and the Children's Garden had planting work parties. The Magnuson Environmental Stewarship Alliance (MESA) had a work party to finish building the nursery beds. On March 15, volunteers from the Church for Spiritual Living (CSL) planted native plants, and started mulching all the in between areas. More planting parties took place in April. Mulch was spread over the entire Native Plants area, grass was planted on the rolling hill in Children's Garden. A group from the UW Coastal Society came on April 26. They helped with planting and mulching in the native plants area and helped add crushed rock to the amphitheater stair seating. A group from the Vietnam Park Service also stopped by and helped plant a few plants. Paths were weeded, rock borders added, and Dahlias and onions were planted. The new tools bins were put in place and stocked. Recycled pavers were placed in front of the compost bins. At the May work parties a path was made from the bridge to the concrete path, chips and compost were spread around the plants to the south of the ponds, the ground was prepared for hydra seed. Native Plants installed a watering system in the native plant borders. In June, Park personnel distributed the reused planters around the garden. P-Patch volunteers put donated plants into the planters at a July 4 holiday work party. By the end of June over 2000 hours had been logged by volunteers for various building and maintenance activities. Summer work parties focused on garden maintenance including weeding and mulching. The Children's Garden prepared the top of the hill for pavers. All of the blocks for the amphitheater were put in place and filled. The northwest part of the P-Patch was planted with artichokes and lined with donated bricks, and the last posts for the espalier in the orchard were put in place. The Children's Garden completed the building of its tool shed in September. The amphitheater was back filled and compost spread in preparation for grass seeding. The last of the plants were moved from the holding area in the P-Patch and the remainder of the P-Patch was tilled for marking off the last group of P-Patch plots. The Day of Caring was September 26th, volunteers from the Casey Foundation, Tramell-Crow, and MESA planted many shrubs and small trees, weeded, and also set four sign posts. Work parties continued though out the fall into winter. In addition to general maintenance, planting resumed in the Native Plant Borders. In December, members of CSL once again volunteered time to the garden. 2004 Open House An Open House is being planned for Saturday May 5, 2004 from 10 am to noon in the garden. Events will include informational displays, musical or other entertainment in the new amphitheater, garden tours, and a coffee hour. 2002 Report of Activities |
| Magnuson Community Garden - 6344 N.E. 74th St., Suite 104 - Seattle, WA 98115 |
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