BMAC, in partnership with The Sustainable Living Center, is creating a new model for a community garden. Since the pandemic, Assumption Garden has lost momentum and volunteers. Located on Assumption Church’s property, the garden has the infrastructure including ADA accessible beds, an automated drip line,…
Coordination Coordination starts with contacting farmers via phone or in person, whichever is most convenient, to ask if they have excess crops or are finished harvesting for the year. Some farmers have annual gleans with crops like apples, melons, or pumpkins. Other farmers who have…
Key Points Location and committed management are important to the success of a community garden. Fencing needs to extend underground in some areas to deter ground squirrels and other burrowing animals. Donated plants may not be very productive if received too late in an already…
Key points Before committing to gleaning or purchasing from any orchard (commercial or residential) consider: o Height of the trees o Condition of the ladders o Quality of fruit o Amount of volunteer…
Key Points Even when large amounts of summer squash, cucumbers, and other prolific vegetables are being donated by local gardeners, food pantries will still gladly accept the same produce from commercial growers because of its higher quality. Distribution is often the greatest barrier to providing…
Farmer’s markets are an ideal place from which to glean and if you visit often you’ll soon become a familiar face to the vendors and the Market Manager. Markets are a dichotomy of foodies, enthusiasts, and folks just beginning to take part in the local…
Kitsap Harvest made its first engagement with possible glean sites at the Farmer’s Markets. We handed out our tri-fold brochure with a detachable door hanger or our door hangers. We asked people to share these in their neighborhoods, or anywhere they saw excess food such…
Food Bank Gardens Kitsap County is lucky to have three food banks that sustain gardens: Bremerton Foodline, North Kitsap Fishline, and South Kitsap Helpline. Purchased in 2010, Helpline enjoys a particularly voluptuous nursery and is run by Master Gardeners, staff, and volunteers. A portion of…
During the second year of the program, Kitsap Harvest created 39+ new community partners. Most of these partners were accrued by providing education and gleaning resources to the staff and volunteers. We reached out to programs such as Kitsap Youth Leadership, WIC, Olalla Recovery Center,…
Developing strong, positive, and professional relationships with farmers is imperative to the growth of your program. In the first year, focus on establishing relationships and trust with the farmers by being reliable and consistent in your interactions. Once a solid partnership has been established between…