Take a Seat

We now have two new picnic tables thanks to Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
Students in the Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class built two picnic tables with attached benches, providing Vestal students and community gardeners with additional seating. With our new picnic tables, we can now seat an entire class in the garden, helping to make our garden a functional outdoor classroom.
Mr. Blanchard's 4th Grade class was able to talk to the women about their experiences and interest in the construction trades. We are so pleased to have our new picnic tables and that their construction provided students at Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. and Vestal School with learning opportunities.

Sharing Our Success

The Vestal Community Garden was very proud to be a part of the 9th annual Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium this past Monday January 24, 2011. The symposium brought together people from various universities, local governments, and non-profit organizations to present and share urban ecosystem research. The Vestal Community Garden partnered with Depave to illustrate how community groups can remove uneccesary asphalt to create an outdoor learning and community gathering space. It was a great opportunity to share our successes with people from all over the Pacific Northwest.

Keep an eye out for weekly blog updates coming in February!

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.

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.

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)

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.