Monday, August 2, 2010

Harvest Celebration- August 14th!

Please join us on Saturday August 14th from 10am-noon in the Vestal Community Garden for our Harvest Celebration!

Vestal students and community members have been hard at work transforming an area once covered by black top into a bountiful garden. Join us to celebrate their efforts and to enjoy time in the garden as summer comes to an end. We will also have a children's art project and garden fresh snacks.

Please RSVP to Laura Benjamin, NWSA AmeriCorps Garden Coordinator at laurabenjamin.vestal@gmail.com or 503-916-6437.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Portland School Garden Tour

The Vestal Community Garden was proud to be a part of GROWINGGARDENS School Garden Tour this past Friday July 23rd. Parents, students and garden enthusiasts from the Portland area were able to share ideas and resources with each other and see a variety of different garden programs. You can learn more about the School Garden Tour and see some great pictures at GROWINGGARDEN's Blog.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Another honor for our garden!

We were picked as one of the Global Top 10 for Project Earth's 2010 World Environment Day Contest! You can learn more here: http://www.projectearth.net/Competition/CompetitionWinners/578ceaa3-6544-4fe0-b8bf-ba37af8260a8 (scroll down to see Vestal's page)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Summer Workshops

Join us this summer to learn about a variety of gardening topics and enjoy a bountiful summer.

Each workshop will run from 10am-noon and will include an informational component and a work project. No registration necessary. Tools and snacks provided.

June 26th- Fall Garden Planning with Portland Community Gardens
July 1oth- Garden Maintenance
July 24th- Garden Maintenance
August 8th- Fall Soil Building with Oregon Tilth

2010 Garden Summer Camp!

This summer the Vestal Community Garden is excited to offer 6 sessions of summer camp for children ages 6-12. Gardeners will learn the fundamentals of organic gardening in an interdisciplinary, stimulating, hands-on and fun manner. We will also work with the OSU Nutrition Extension program every Wednesday, providing gardeners with a nutritious snack and recipes.

Session 1: Gardening Basics- June 29th-July 1st (9:00am- 12:30pm)
Session 2: Soil and Compost- July 6th-July8th (9:00am-12:30pm)
Session 3: Worms and Insects- July 13th-July 15th (9:00am-12:30pm)
Session 4: Art in the Garden- July 20th-July 22nd (9:00am-12:30pm)
Session 5: Multicultural Gardening-July 27th-July 29th (9:00am-12:30pm)
Session 6: Garden Cooking- August 2nd-August 5th (9:00am-12:30pm)

One session of camp costs $15 per student.

For registration materials please contact Program Coordinator Laura Benjamin at laurabenjamin.vestal@gmail.com or 503-916-6437. Or stop by Vestal School's Main Office- 161 NE 82nd Avenue.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Vestal Fruit Tree Giveaway!

The annual Vestal Fruit Tree Giveaway is this Saturday April 17th from 9am-noon in the Vestal Community Garden!

We will have a variety of fruit trees and berry bushes along with care instructions. There is a 3 tree limit per family and we are asking for a $5 donation per tree if possible. Arrive early for the best selection. Most fruit trees sell for $30 each, so this is a great deal. And what a fantastic opportunity to bring fresh fruit to your backyard or community garden plot for years to come.

We hope to see you this Saturday!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Students become stewards

after opening ceremony

Yesterday was the grand opening of the Vestal Community Garden. The student body of Vestal wrote their hopes and dreams for the garden on flowers and then tied them on surrounding fence. Commissioner Nick Fish recurited the students as honorary park rangers which they enthusiastically accepted.

Next on the agenda. . . getting cisterns!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Garden Grand Opening This Friday!

The Vestal Community Garden Grand Opening is this Friday March 12th at 9:45 am. Join us for guest speakers, a performance by the students of Vestal and a celebration of this amazing garden that was covered by asphalt only a few months ago. We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Garden Work Party- 3/6/2010

Join us on Saturday March 6th from 9 am to noon to help with garden care.

There will be a brief workshop about how to ready your garden's soil for spring planting. We will also continue building raised planter beds and creating pathways with woodchips. No gardening experience required. We will supply tools and snacks.

Come spend time outside at our fantastic site. Meet your neighbors and learn about how you can grow your own food.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Community Garden Plots Still Available

A few 20' x 20' community garden plots are still available for $75. With the great sun our site receives and the compost and mulch we have added to our soil, your harvest should be bountiful.

Please call Portland Community Gardens at 503-823-1612 to sign up for a plot. Include your name, address and telephone number. And don't forget to mention if you are a Vestal parent or community member!

Garlic and Peas!


A special thanks to the volunteers at our February 6th work party. We built five new raised planter beds and spread countless wheelbarrow loads of wood chips to create safe pathways in the garden. Vestal students have now planted garlic and peas in the raised beds and have started lettuce seeds indoors. Our cafeteria will be serving produce fresh from the garden before we know it.


And don't forget the Vestal Community Garden grand opening on Friday March 12th at 9:45 am!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Garden Work Party This Saturday- 2/6/2010

Join us this Saturday February 6th from 10 am to Noon to finish readying the garden for spring planting.

We will be building raised beds, spreading wood chips and enjoying time in our wonderful garden. Tools and snacks will be provided. No gardening experience needed. We hope to see you there!

The Vestal Community Garden is located at 161 NE 82nd Avenue.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

GRAND OPENING 3/12/2010

Mark your calendars Vestal Garden Grand Opening is coming up.
Are you as excited as we are!!

If you haven't already Google earthed Vestal, you should. The next time the satellite takes a picture of our address it will not look the same. We have permanently changed the Vestal landscape for the better.

Be there at 9:45 AM, if you want to witness the GRAND OPENING CEREMONY.

Monday, January 25, 2010

KATU showcases our efforts

KATU News featured the Vestal Garden's MLK Weekend volunteers in a segment of "Everyday Heroes." You can see the video here: http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/82471132.html?tab=video

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Worms Eat Vestal's Garbage


Vestal now has 2,000 new residents- red wiggler worms. Two kindergarten classes have indoor worm bins and students are learning about worm anatomy, what worms need to survive and how they help us in the garden. This week the Student Garden Committee built an outdoor vermicompost bin. The red wigglers eat food waste added to the bin. This is a fantastic hands-on opportunity for students to learn how to reduce food waste and in a few months we will have nutrient rich compost and worm castings to add to our garden soil.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

What a weekend!


The Vestal Community Garden hosted two fantastic volunteer work parties over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. Our volunteers made great progress in readying the garden for our first spring planting and somehow managed to avoid the rain. On Friday January 15, volunteers from Hands On Greater Portland spread 15 yards of soil on our community garden plots. Our plots now have a rich blend of soil, compost and other organic material, which will help us to grow a bountiful harvest later in the year. On Monday January 18, Northwest Service Academy AmeriCorps members built raised planter beds for the school garden. The raised planter beds will help to prevent nutrient loss and compaction of our soil and to make gardening more accessible for all Vestal students.