Ballard Sprouts readies greenhouse for 2015 season – training sessions Mar 1 & 2

We are sweeping the cobwebs out, sorting the pots and getting the greenhouse ready for volunteers for the 2015 season.  It is all going to kick off with a training session on March 1st or 2nd.  If you would like to be a part of this, contact Lori at loriconzatti@yahoo.com.

Ballard Sprouts, a Sustainable Ballard project and a part of the Seattle’s Giving Garden Network (SGGN.org)  grows vegetable starts for Giving Gardens around Seattle.  Last year we (in partnership with another greenhouse in Ravenna) released over 8,000 starts and this year we want to do even more !!

We collaborate with the Ravenna Sprouts greenhouse to grow three seasons (spring, summer, and autumn) of starts. Our work at the Ballard location will begin March 1 with the Ravenna location starting mid-February.  Both greenhouse projects end the first week of June. Our goal is to grow garden viable veggie starts for the Giving Gardens so that the gardeners can harvest early in the season for Food Banks and Community Feed programs. We ask that each of you commit to coming once a week for 1-2 hours per week. The ask is for 3 months of 1 – 2 hrs per week of volunteer time — time you will spend in a most lovely bright and warm greenhouse while the edges of winter soften into spring outside.

We will be doing almost all of the planting and​ germination at Ravenna​, while the Ballard ​group will focus on transplanting​ and hardening off.   This allows us to take advantage of micro-climate of each site.  The Ravenna Greenhouse is very warm and very bright which will facilitate rapid germination and early growth, while the coolness and abundant outdoor space at the Ballard site will facilitate slow intense growth and successful hardening off.  The Ballard site also provides an easily accessible pick up location for the community gardeners to ‘shop’ for their starts.

We would love to have you join us and follow our progress this year.  Just check us out on SGGN.org and contact loriconzatti@yahoo.com for more information on volunteer opportunities.