Homegrown in Ukiah

Last Saturday was a celebration of Ukiah's efforts to become a more self reliant community. We hope that everyone who came out had a blast, enjoyed lots of good food, met some new people, and got a different preservative on whats being grown in our community spaces of Mendocino County.

In case you missed it some highlights include: Jack Simpson gardener Oliver Schearer dazzling us with his vibraphone skills. Cleveland Lane gardeners showing us what a mini Ukiahn-Michoacan would look like. Washington Ave. gardeners celebrating their successful first season with Ensalda de Nopalitos. April Cunnighman from Head Start showing off school garden curriculum. Grace Lutheran gardeners sharing their favorite recipes.

Thank you again to all of our supporters: Tierra-Art,Garden, and wine for the use of their space. Ukiah Brewing Company, Patrona Resteraunt and Lounge, and The Ukiah Valley Medical Center for chef time of Molly Vogel, Phil and Craig, and Jim Stuart. Together we Can! for providing us with volunteers. Mara Montiel, Sid Cooperrider, and Will Siegel and friends for providing music, and of course all of our wine donors - Rivino Wines, Frey Vineyards, and Raye's Hill vineyard.

Check out some pictures below taken or check out our facebook page. Pictures were taken by two awesome volunteer photographers Cate Oliver and Paul Taylor. Again, thank you all for your support - we hope to see you again next year.

Natural Building in Community Gardens

I recently attended a week long Natural Building Intensive course at Emerald Earth in Boonville. In this course, we learned how to use basic materials such as wood, earth, rock, and straw to build beautiful, safe structures. The methods feel so intuitive, and the work is most often accomplished as a community. Using these techniques, you can build large homes and skyscrapers, but I'm to take what I learned and start small by constructing some structures and garden features in community gardens throughout Mendocino County. We are starting with a small cob greenhouse at the South Ukiah Head Start Preschool garden, a cob bench at the Cleveland Lane Community Garden, and counters and benches to surround the earth oven already constructed at Talmage State Preschool (there is also a cob greenhouse there!). In Willits, Mason has plans to also build a shed in the WISC garden, and in Ft. Bragg at the Learning Garden, Veronica Morales of the Noyo Food Forest plans to build an earth oven.


This is an example of a cob bench at Emerald Earth.

These structures will make the gardens even more functional, beautiful spaces for communities to gather. And the best part is, we're going to build them together, strengthening partnerships with different organization, such as the Solar Living Institute and Head Start Preschools, and building community so that we can then take what we know to share with others. I can't wait! See you out there.

happily yours,

Lovin' donation from Lovin' Blooms and AVHS!

A big thank you to Lovin' Blooms and the Anderson Valley High School Agriculture Department for such generous donations of starts to The Gardens Project. Last week we were up to our ears in plant starts - four different varieties of tomatoes, tomatillos, chives, bunching onions, two different varieties of eggplants, endless peppers, and so much more!

The donations were given to Nokomis, S. Ukiah Head Start, Orchard Head Start, Willits Head Start, Orchard, Jack Simpson, Grace Hudson Elementary, and Pomolita Middle School, Calpella Elementary, Round Valley Elementary, Blosser Elementary, Oak Manor Elementary, River Oak Charter School and Eagle Peak Middle School. Wooza!

Check out the picture to see how much they donated, its a sight to see. Imagine in September when these lovin' plants have a lovin' bounty of food.

Thanks Lovin' Blooms and Anderson Valley High!

Garden Work Days

This past weekend Nokomis Head Start and South Ukiah Head Start had work parties at the gardens. The families and children came out to celebrate their gardens by building compost piles, harvesting produce, pulling out summer crops, and moving dirt!



Jack Simpson also hosted a work day at their garden. They were able to plant some Iris bulbs, herbs, and flowers around the boarder of their garden. The Jack Simpson garden is looking fresh for the fall with their new starts already planted!





Looking for something to do this weekend? Talmage state pre-school is having a work day with the CCC volunteers where they will pull up summer crops and plant some fresh fall starts! Check out our event calender page for more information on this weekends work parties, and for future volunteer opportunities!

United Way Day of Caring

Yesterday was the 19th annual United Way Day of Caring event, and with lots of help from some caring local volunteers we made things happen! With the help from employees from Fetzer Winery, and the Ukiah Valley Medical Center we were able to put in a wheel-chair accessible path at the Jack Simpson apartments. We were lucky enough to have 20 individuals help us accomplish making the path, and they were great!! The group was able to move a large pile of gravel from the parking lot into the garden, rake it out, and use the vibe plate to mush it all together. We were able to make a path around all the beds in under four hours!



The Plowshares Garden also had some great volunteers helping to pull out some tough bermuda grass and build the foundation of a potting shed adjacent to the garden, where vegetables will be washed, plants potted, and memories made. John Cunnan, a rockstar craftsman who has ventured into building with sustainably harvested Doug Fir trees that reduce fire hazard, led the team digging trenches, mixing cement, and carefully placing cinder blocks, all the meanwhile keeping the elegant structure to be in mind.

To see more pictures from the day, click here!!!

Thank you again to all the volunteers who came out yesterday, and for all the organizations for giving them the day off!!

Peas and Carrots-

The Gardens Project

Summer Youth Crew Keeps Working It!

Jack Simpson clean-up
Originally uploaded by The Gardens Project

The Summer Youth Garden Crew continues to support community and school gardens throughout the area. In the last week they have done major clean-ups with weeding, mulching, path work, harvesting, and irrigation installation at Willits High School, Orchard Apartments Garden, the Jack Simpson Apartment Garden, the Talmage State Preschool and the River School Garden at MCOE.

Fantastic work! More power to the youth!

The CCC Rocks!!

New raised bed!
Originally uploaded by The Gardens Project

The California Conservation Corps was back at work building wheelchair accessible raised beds and tool sheds for three new gardens in the Ukiah Area. A giant thank you to the numerous crew members who diligently worked for 6 days to build 15 two foot high raised beds for the senior Jack Simpson Apartments and the Orchard family apartments of RCHDC. They also constructed three tool sheds for the two apartment gardens, as well as the Talmage State Preschool.

The CCC is a tremendous resource and all of the gardeners are so appreciative of the amount of work that they were able to accomplish.
Many thanks to North Cal Wood Products for their generous donation of sustainably harvested redwood for the beds, Mendo Mill and Lumber Co. for the great discount they provided for the tool shed materials, and John Haverman at MCOE for the tool shed designs. Additional thanks go to the Ukiah Natural Foods Coop and the Community Foundation of Mendocino County for their generous grants.

To see pictures of all of their great work, visit The Gardens Project photo gallery. Let the planting begin!

Jack Simpson Senior Garden Digs In!

Beds are in!
Originally uploaded by The Gardens Project

The Jack Simpson senior garden of Rural Communities Housing and Development Corp. (RCHDC) dug in on Saturday, April 24th! Cold Creek Compost donated and delivered the compost and the California Conservation Corps (CCC) brought an amazing crew to move the compost, dig tree holes, and level the paths. The Ukiah High School Interact Club moved compost and dug beds, and Together We Can Mendocino was there again, shoveling and digging! Not to mention that enthusiastic effort of the Jack Simpson residents.

The compost was moved and dug into the beds that have an automatic drip system installed by the Higgins family and North Coast Hort. Next steps: Plant pineapple guavas as a green fence, build a tool shed and raised- wheelchair accessible beds, put in a hardscape path and start planting!

To see more pictures of the day, visit The Gardens Project photo gallery!