Douglas Fruiting Forest Update
Here’s a letter from CBJ about the success of the first Fruiting Forest Volunteer Day!
Photos by Michele Elfers
Hi folks,
We had a really successful volunteer day a few weekends ago. We actually built the garden! See some photos of the slideshow attached and a huge thanks to the 12 volunteers that showed up. We were truly amazed at how hard everyone worked. So if you haven’t been there yet, wander over and check it out. Some of the strawberries we planted were in bloom, so with some luck we might get a few strawberries this winter. Other plants we planted include:
- About 5 species of different types of currants (the plants are labeled)
- Serviceberries
- Raspberries
- Gooseberries
- Mint
- Nettles – These are in the smaller upper cedar bed on the south side, roots are not visible right now.
- Rhubarb
- Chives
- Oregano
Things we want to do in the future include planting some garlic this fall, so if anyone can donate some cloves that would be great! Also, we talked about a spring bbq and planting, maybe we can get some local potatoes, we would also like to get some more local edibles for our local bed. We will check in about planning this in the spring. We are also looking for signage, individual plant signs and a sign for the garden, if anyone would like to make them or donate towards their production please speak up.
Finally, if we all take ownership, weed, harvest, plant and make this garden thrive, it would be great to take on phase II. The idea is that you all will stop in an keep an eye on it and take the initiative to take care of it. Phase II could be to continue planting the slope with more berry bushes (right now it is covered with weed fabric to kill the grass). Building the sand pit and play area for the kids, adding some fencing or separation from the private property, more beds and more plants.
Thanks again for all of your work this fall.
Michele Elfers
Ben Patterson