Meridian Playground Apple Trees Need Your Love

Did you know there are 30 apple trees at Meridian Playground? Most of them are from the historic Good Shepherd Center orchard. Ever notice what a mess there is when those apples fall on the ground in the fall? Ever wonder why no one picked the apples? Do you want to help those trees grow apples you would actually want to bite into? Come to the Meridian Playground orchard this Sunday, June 1, starting at noon, and help bring those trees…

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Meet City Fruit at Wallingford Spring Clean – April 19

Do your fruit trees drop more fruit on the ground than into your hands? Do you seek the secret to growing apples organically - without worms? Would you like to help harvest surplus fruit in your neighborhood and get it to those who need it most? City Fruit, a Seattle non-profit that supports care and harvest of local tree fruit, will be expanding into the Wallingford, Fremont, and Ballard neighborhoods this summer to harvest fruit that would normally go to waste.…

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Recycling Challenge – Get A Free Compost Collector

So you live in Wallingford and, of course, you faithfully collect your food scraps and haul them out to the yard waste cart. But do you yearn for a container that's a bit more stylish than that old quart-size yogurt container? Now's your chance. The City of Seattle is offering compost buckets (pictured right) to give - for free - to residents who pledge to compost.  The buckets retail for about $15 and are dishwasher-safe. Pick up your free compost collector…

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Winter is for Pruners

The long, cold days of winter anesthetize my soul. Apparently they do the same to fruit trees, because we are entering prime pruning season: the time of year when it won't damage your tree's essence if you trim back its branches. Of course, with fruit trees you really want to prune correctly so that you encourage fruit production and reduce the chances of introducing disease. Which makes it lucky that the fine folks at FECO (the Freeway Estates Community Orchard) are…

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Backyard Mushrooms and More Urban Orchard Fun

Ruth from the Freeway Estates Community Orchard (FECO) let us know that fungi fun will be mushrooming at FECO this weekend when mushroom coaches help future backyard mycologists (that's you!) learn about the art of mushroom growing. Sound Transit recently removed two beautiful Scarlet Oak trees near Roosevelt High School in order to make way for light rail. Rather than let that wood go to waste (and since oak is perfect for growing several different varieties of edible mushrooms), FECO teamed up with Roosevelt…

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Sharing (and Mapping) Fruit

Editor's Note: The following post originally ran last year, but Wallyhood reader, Luna, recently asked us to remind our neighbors about the various ways we can share our ripened surplus fruit. Luna also adds, "If nothing else, suggesting people who won’t eat their crops put a sign in their yards that say something like “help yourself – and leave some for the next person!” Last month’s post about the orchard pruning class resulted in lots of inquiries about what to do with a…

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Save the date: Harvest Fair is September 7

Get ready for Seattle Tilth's Harvest Fair happening at Meridian Park (4649 Sunnyside Avenue North) on Saturday, September 7, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. This hands-on festival is a fun day of workshops, activities, music and dancing, cider pressings, and cooking demonstrations. Try your luck in playing Chicken Poop Bingo, check out the harvest parade, see some chickens, goats, and bees. Plus, there will be up to 100 community organizations, vendors and organic farmers. Seattle Tilth is also taking applications for vendors.…

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