Author: Rain Gilman

There are some basics involved in gardening-healthy soil, viable seed, prolific pollinators, sunshine, and water. Then there’s the intangibles-love of gardening, growing, creating, nurturing, sweat and labor. If you garden you know exactly how much love goes into just one vine ripe tomato…

Here in Ballard we are surrounded by individuals, non-profits and independent businesses that help our community grow sustain and flourish. We would like to take an opportunity to express our gratitude to our recent 17th Annual Edible Garden Tour “Raised Bed” community sponsors. Dirt Exchange and Swanson’s Nursery have generously sponsored this events for years. These are both excellent places to get what you need to grow beautiful gardens. The ability to buy quality bulk organic compost at Dirt Exchange is such a benefit and helps avoid plastic soil bags. If you’re looking for seeds, starts, or almost anything else for your gardening needs Swanson’s has you covered with a wide variety of organic products. We really appreciate both of these businesses and their dedication to helping make Ballard a more beautiful and bountiful place to live!

Thank you to our “Mason Bee” community sponsors: Brimmer & Heeltap, Limback Lumber, New Root Organics, Tree Swallow Farm, and Walt’s Organic Fertilizer Co.

We are so fortunate to have so many small local businesses that truly care about our community and are willing to invest in our future together. Please remember to shop small, local and independent. It makes a BIG difference to our community when you support local businesses!

Here at Sustainable Ballard our goal is to create more sustainable communities where eco-systems are healthy and peace is inevitable. PNW Climate Week is a first ever gathering of 7 cities spanning 2 Countries in an effort to find solutions via collaborations and community powered events. THIS IS SOMETHING TO BE EXCITED ABOUT! From Vancouver BC to Bend, OR there are hundreds of events/lectures/collaborations/activities for you to participate in virtually or in person. a diverse, equitable, inclusive, joyful and sustainable community co-creating a world for this and future generations where eco-systems are healthy and peace is inevitable

One event that is especially near and dear to SB’s locality and vision is an in person symposium “Understanding Climate Impacts on PNW Water” at the Ballard Library Tuesday July 14th 5:30-7:30pm. Presentations will drought, streamflow, flooding, water quality and how it impacts everything from salmon to agriculture to water quality. Come learn more and find out what individuals(YOU) and organizations(SB) can do to support long-term water security and climate resilience throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Featured Speakers include: Guillaume Mauger, PhD – State Climatologist, UW Climate Impacts Group, Paulina Lopez – Executive Director, Duwamish River Community Coalition, and Chris Wilke – Executive Director, Center for Environmental Law & Policy Their presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion. To find out more click here This is a free event. You should register in advance here Register for Event

Not able to attend this event? No worries, there is so much more going on all week. For more opportunities and community events check out the website here https://pnw.climate-week.org

Join our garden friends at Ballard P-Patch(the starting point for last year’s Edible Garden Tour which explored Northwest Ballard gardens) for 50 years of celebration! This is a lovely event and one of the best community events of the season.

There is truly nothing better than summers in Seattle. Blue skies, cool breeze, the smell of sunscreen and the feel of your favorite pair of needles in hand…so very nice.

July is almost at the apex of summer, which puts us in a great position to look towards fall and the Sustainable Ballard Festival in September. Members will be busy making beautiful hats from a large donation of Icelandic Lopi yarn. These noggin-ready masterpieces will be available for a small donation during the festival. All proceeds benefit Sustainable Ballard.org.

At the Ballard Tool Library, our #1 rented tool is an electric lawn mower. This beast is out every week in the spring and summer seasons. It’s so popular that we recently purchased a second! When we see a need, we try to meet it, but donations and rental fees from Sustainable Ballard members like you are what make our lending library possible. The tool library is open from 5-7 pm on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as Saturdays from 9-11am. Check out our inventory here, or come by to browse! 

17th Annual Edible Garden Tour: a very Seattle day

Despite rainy forecasts, we had over 175 visitors show up for the Edible Garden Tour this year! Hosts and visitors alike kept going even after a surprise 2 pm downpour – it was very realistic for what gardening in Seattle can be like.

This year’s tour included multiple full-lawn conversions, lots of gardening in sunny medians, a packed food forest, lovely landscaping, and more. It was also inspiring to see so many clusters of gardens – neighbors who knew each other and talked gardening, sharing supplies, plants, and tips. Ballard at its best!

We want to say a HUGE thank you to all of our garden hosts for sharing your spaces with us! Also, to our many volunteers who start early in the spring to scout gardens and prepare for one day of garden touring-You all are the best! Last but not least, thank you to our community partners who sponsor this event every year. Together we are making Ballard a wonderful place to live, work, and play! If you’re interested in hosting, volunteering, or sponsoring next year’s Edible Garden Tour in Southwest Ballard please contact us HERE. Until then, Happy Gardening!

The SB Menders want more people to know we are available. Please use our flyer and the information it contains to let others know about us – especially the seniors, the unhoused, and those who haven’t had the opportunity to learn to mend.  

One of our members had a great experience at Ballard Mending Night on Wednesday at St. Paul’s Church on 65th in Ballard. She only knew how to hand sew, but has been wanting to learn how to use a sewing machine. Here’s what she shared.

“Lynn, one of the Ballard Menders, helped me repair a 4-inch rip in a pair of jeans by adding a reinforcing patch (picture attached). She even let me finish the repair myself on the sewing machine, which was a fun confidence boost. The finished repair has a visible, mended look, and I actually love it. Even better, these jeans get a second life instead of ending up in a landfill.

I’m so thankful that a program like this exists in our neighborhood. It’s a wonderful resource for learning new skills, connecting with others, and keeping clothing in use instead of sending it to the landfill. It was a great reminder that repairing what we already own can be both practical and rewarding.”

If you want to join the Menders, contact Jody and if you’re already on our project list, we hope you will sign up for a Wednesday evening or Thursday morning soon! Volunteers make our projects possible. Thank you!

The market gleaners have been busy, and expanding! Our gleaning hauls are picking up for the summer and the last few weeks our volunteers have collected 700-800 pounds of produce each Sunday. We are collecting the gems of summer for our neighbors at Ballard Food Bank! Our crates are full of peaches, apricots, berries, eight-ball zucchini, edible flowers, radishes, and broccoli. 

Our team is also expanding its reach to glean from the Queen Anne Farmer’s Market on Thursday evenings and Magnolia Farmer’s Market on Saturday afternoons! If you’re interested in lending a hand at either of these market or at the Ballard Market on Sundays, please email Lesya at gleanballard@gmail.com to learn more. Feel free to share this with a friend if they might be interested in joining as well!

Meaningful Movies Ballard had an incredible turnout for May’s screening of Join or Die, our largest event to date! A huge thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the thoughtful post-film discussion with Ballard Solidarity, Seattle Emergency Hubs, and Rotary Club of Ballard.

We’re excited to continue the conversation this summer with two upcoming screenings at the Center for Spiritual Living Ballard. On Thursday, June 18 at 6 pm, we’ll screen The Big Payback, a film exploring reparations and racial justice in America. Then on Thursday, July 16 at 6 pm, we’ll show Earth’s Greatest Enemy, a film that argues that the American military-industrial complex is one of the world’s largest and least scrutinized contributors to climate destruction.

Meaningful Movies Project is also currently holding a fundraiser to help pay for a new website to strengthen support for local chapters like ours. If you’d like to contribute, donations can be made here

Join our dear friends at the Sunset Hill Community Hall this Saturday June 27th from 4-6:30pm for a fun filled evening of community! This is the perfect follow-up to our Edible Garden Tour during the day. They will have “Côte Gauche”Cajun Band at 5:00. Enjoy some food, dance, meet some neighbors