Author: Rain Gilman

The Ballard Sprouts greenhouse is in full swing with over 12,000 seeds planted and more to come. We started seeds on February 14th and started transplanting on March 3rd. We put 5 seedlings per pot and set the pots outside, covering them with row cloth in cold temperatures.  We will fertilize twice and then distribute the plants starting on the first full weekend in April to the Seattle Giving Gardeners who will grow the plants and donate the harvest to Food Banks or food kitchens. Here is a photo of 5,000 plants and the Ballard greenhouse. If you would like to visit our project then please go to SignUpGenius, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A4FAEA72EA46-herons, and sign up for one of our tours of the greenhouse. We are happy to show off our work.

The Sprouts program has a pilot project at Heron’s Nest in West Seattle off of West Marginal Way.  A lively cohort of volunteers from the West Seattle neighborhoods are carefully tending the plants through this very cold winter weather. Their goal is 2,200 plants this year and hopefully they will all return and enlarge the project in 2024. Here is a photo of the team and their sprouts. 

NOTE: NOTE: We are looking for another greenhouse in the Ballard area!

We are actively looking for another greenhouse since we will no longer have access to our current Ballard greenhouse after June 2024.  Please spread the word that we are looking for another greenhouse so that we can continue this project in Ballard.  Send any leads to info@SGGN.org.

Celebrate spring by protecting air quality, human health, and climate stability – volunteer for Idle Free Ballard! Unnecessary vehicle idling wastes four million gallons of fuel in the US every day. And it isn’t even good for your car!

Turn off your engine –waiting for the bridge to open, outside school, or in the drive through! Check your phone before you turn your car on.

We need you!
Hand out cards and posters to your friends, neighbors, local shops, businesses, etc. We deliver!
Contact your local school to educate parents and students for Earth Day.
Table at upcoming spring events!
Sew or print an Idle Free banner!
To get cards or posters, or learn more, visit https://www.sustainableballard.org/idle-free-ballard/

Remember, idling gets you nowhere!

Join Sustainable Ballard’s Edible Garden Tour project and many other local organizations for this fun event!

Looking for a new taste from your edible garden? From greens to roots to legumes, the Great Seattle Seed Swap has a vegetable variety for everyone. In fact, seeking old or unusual varieties that you might not find in the seed racks is one reason people come to the King County Seed Lending Library seed swap.

The seed swap includes seed sharing and education. This year, a short class will be held on seed-saving basics. Attendees are urged to bring seeds to share, but it is not required. The swap is free and open to all.

The seed swap will be Saturday, April 1, 2-4 p.m., at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the Community Hall of the Brick Building.

The King County Seed Lending Library (www.kingcoseed.org) operates a network of locations taking seed donations and offering small quantities of seeds year-round to local gardeners.

Save the Date! Sept 30, 11 am – 4 pm

@ Loyal Heights Community Center Lawn

We are celebrating 20 years of sustainability here in Ballard in 2023! Mark your calendar and join hundreds of other Ballardites for an engaging and fun-filled day featuring live music, workshops, hands-on activities and plenty of games, quizzes and prizes.

NOW SEEKING SPONSORS

Every year Sustainable Ballard invites local environmental organizations and green businesses to help create the unique & joyful Sustainable Ballard Festival. We depend on community partnerships to help us cover the costs of this free event and provide quality education to the community throughout the year.

Through the years, together we’ve created an interactive, playful and engaging event for Ballard neighbors and greater Seattle residents. If you own a Ballard business or a Seattle sustainability business, we’d love for you to join in by becoming a sponsor. Show your customers that you care about sustainability and the community resources that make Ballard a thriving place to live. Sponsoring the Sustainable Ballard Festival also encourages community engagement with your business, provides an opportunity to educate the public about the sustainability issues important to your success, and places your organization or business in a relevant context.

For more information about how to join the fun please contact Rain.

Explore the basics of successful vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest—from seed to table. Classes are taught by educators from Harvest Pierce County (a program of the Pierce Conservation District) and Pierce County Planning and Public Works. 

Classes will be offered either in person, virtually via zoom, or as a hybrid (both in person and online). Please pay close attention when registering to make sure you are registering for the version you prefer. See below for details and the registration link. You will receive a confirmation email once you register, and if appropriate, you will receive Zoom links 2-3 business days ahead of the class.

In person classes are either the WSU Research and Extension Center in Puyallup or the Fruitland Grange:

WSU Puyallup Extension: Allmendinger Center, 2606 W. Pioneer, Puyallup

Fruitland Grange: 11102 86th Ave E, Puyallup

Hybrid and in person classes will occur on Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pacific time. Zoom only classes will occur Tuesday evenings from 6:00PM – 7:30PM. For any questions please contact Kristen McIvor at KristenM@piercecd.org or 253-363-1846

All classes are FREE. Be sure to register to reserve your spot! 

More Info and Register Here

Saturday April 8th 10am – 12pm	Garden Soil 101 – in person only Learn how the soil ecosystem works and how to prepare your garden soil for planting	Fruitland Grange	n/a
Tuesday April 11th 6-730pm	Garden Soil 101 – zoom only Learn how the soil ecosystem works and how to prepare your garden soil for planting	Virtual via zoom	not yet available
Saturday April 22nd 10am – 12pm	Your Summer Garden – Hybrid in person and zoom We’ll discuss all the things to think about to get crops in the ground and plan for a successful harvest	Fruitland Grange	not yet available

March 11 -12, 12 pm – 6 pm

Saturday March 11th and Sunday March 12th various neighborhood organizations, businesses, and residents will celebrate the much awaited re-opening of our beloved park. Come by our booth and learn more about some of Sustainable Ballard’s projects and join us for a great line-up of activities:

Saturday, March 11
12-2 pm Birdhouse Building with Ballard Tool Library, Smog in a Jar with Idle Free Ballard
2-4 pm Make Postcards with Homeless Camp Solidarity, Veggie Toss with Market & Bakery Gleaners

Sunday, March 12
12-2 pm Knitting with Ballard Knitters for People Experiencing Homelessness, Card Making with Free Letters Home
2-4 pm Seed Planting with Edible Garden Tour, RainChangers Personality Quiz with RainWise Rebates

As the Bakery Gleaning Team Lead, I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge so many of our community members who have been picking up the baked goods and delivering them to St. Luke’s Edible Hope program and the Ballard Food Bank: Barrie A., Sally B., Marcia C., Lynne M., Michelle B., Leslie W., Lucy W., Riley H., Gabby S., Karen N., Amy L. and Robert S. Thank you for participating in this project! It makes a big difference for whose who are experiencing hunger.

~ Christine

To find out how to volunteer with this project please contact Christine.

Marketing & Membership Manager and water lover

WHAT PROJECT(S) ARE YOU CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN?
It is my pleasure to assist our project leads with almost all of our active projects. I’m also involved in events such as the Sustainability Festival and our Barter Fair.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST SUSTAINABLE BALLARD EVENT/PROGRAM YOU ATTENDED?
Most likely it was one of the many Edible Ballard Garden tours over the past 10+ years. This has always been one of my favorite events as an avid gardener and food grower. It is so inspiring to see what other gardeners/neighbors are doing with their spaces.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A MEMBER OF SUSTAINABLE BALLARD?
I love connecting people and helping our neighbors explore ways to become involved in their community in a sustainable way. It’s important for me to steward caring for our beautiful Pacific Northwest home and educating others on ways in which to have a positive impact on their local environment.

SHARE A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF
I was a sea kayak naturalist guide for many years in Monterey Bay and got to paddle with sea otters almost daily. Seeing a raft of 30+ sea otters demonstrated the power we have as humans to identify our mistakes and change our behavior to live more sustainably with the other flora and fauna on this delicate planet. I’ve also been fortunate to travel to the Galapagos Islands and swim with marine iguanas, paddle past penguins and snorkel with Galapagos sharks. Once again, this enforced the belief that we can participate in eco-friendly travel and not ruin/negatively impact the places we so love to explore. I love anything on, in or near the water!

Ballard Sprouts started planting seeds on Valentines day, 20 trays of 220 seeds each.  During the very cold spell we kept the trays on the heating mats.  Now we have planted another 20 trays and are just beginning to transplant the first seedlings into pots, 5 per pot.

We will continue seeding, transplanting, fertilizing and caring for these plants until mid April when they will be donated to gardeners who are growing food for the Food Banks or food needy programs. Here are photos of volunteers planting seeds and Michael checking them one week later.

Ballard Sprouts will no longer have access to its greenhouse in Ballard as of June 2024.  We are actively looking for another greenhouse.  Please look around and ask your neighbors who have a greenhouse if they would be willing to host this project in the future. We would like to locate another greenhouse as soon as possible so we can provide a smooth transition. We have 30 Sprouts volunteers who will most likely continue on. Email any leads to: info@SGGN.org. We will provide a tour of our current facility. Thank you.

In anticipation of the loss of the Ballard greenhouse we have reached out to Heron’s Nest in West Seattle. They have a greenhouse and we are running a pilot project there this season.  There are 10 new Sprouts volunteers from West Seattle who are running the project at Heron’s Nest. We are training them on all our procedures. The giving gardeners in West Seattle are pleased to know that they will be able to pick up their plants much closer to home. Our goal is to have three locations in Seattle growing Sprouts.

Sustainable Ballard’s Sprouts project is part of the Seattle Giving Garden Network (SGGN.org) and we have a new webmaster with a great new look.  SGGN also has a new, fun, colorful logo. Look for it on the home page.

Join us for our very first Spring Beer Hop! We’re excited to partner with Stoup Brewing, Reuben’s Brews, Bad Jimmy’s, Bickerson Brewhouse and Obec Brewing for our inaugural Spring Beer Hop. Sample a taster at each of these 5 Ballard Beer District breweries, learn about Sustainable Ballard’s on-going community projects, and celebrate our beautiful planet by raising a toast this Earth Day! Learn more about how local breweries meet their production challenges and engage in green practices in an effort to be more sustainable. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance. Your ticket includes: 5 tasters and a chance to win awesome gift baskets filled with prizes donated by our wonderful sponsors: Stamp Act Coffee, Sacred Rain Healing Center & more.