A PROJECT OF SUSTAINABLE BALLARD · ANNUAL SINCE 2008
Edible Garden Tour
Once a summer, Ballard throws open its garden gates. The Edible Garden Tour is a self-guided ramble through the neighborhood’s most abundant backyards — veggies, pollinators, chickens, and all — so you can gather ideas for your own plot.
WHEN
Sat · June 27
10am–4pm
WHERE
All over Ballard
self-guided
COST
Free
donations welcome
WHAT IT IS
A whole neighborhood of gardens, in one day.
Pick up a map, hop on your bike, and wander from garden to garden at your own pace. Each stop is a real Ballard backyard tended by a neighbor who’s delighted to talk shade beds, drip lines, espalier apples, or the secret to a good tomato in our cool summers.
It’s part inspiration, part block party, and entirely free. Come away with new ideas, a few cuttings, and the conviction that you, too, can grow dinner in the Pacific Northwest.
HOW TO TAKE PART
Plan your route, then ramble
Go at your own pace — bike, walk, or drive between gardens any time during tour hours.
1
Grab the map
Download the map or pick one up at the kickoff table. Every garden is pinned with its hours and highlights.
2
Visit the gardens
Stroll through each backyard, meet the gardeners, and ask anything — they love to share what works.
3
Take ideas home
Jot down what inspired you, snag a few seeds or cuttings on offer, and start planning your own plot.
ON THE TOUR
What you’ll see
Every garden is different — together they show just how much one Ballard backyard can do.
Edibles
- Veggie beds
- Fruit trees
- Berry patches
- Herb spirals
- Sledgehammer
- Level
Critters
- Backyard chickens
- Beehives
- Pollinator beds
- Worm bins
- Jack hammer
- Pressure washer
Systems
- Rain catchment
- Drip irrigation
- Composting
- Greenhouses
- Bike repair stand
- Moisture meter
Ideas
- Small-space tricks
- Espalier & trellises
- Season extension
- Native plantings
- Tool demos
AROUND THE TOUR
Backyards worth the bike ride
WHY IT MATTERS
“You walk into a neighbor’s backyard, see what’s possible on a city lot, and suddenly your own little plot looks full of potential.”
A longtime tour-goer — On why the tour fills a garden with ideas
IN GOOD COMPANY
Partners & supporters
The Edible Garden Tour is free to the whole neighborhood thanks to the gardeners who open their gates and the sponsors who pitch in.
OPEN YOUR GATE
Host a garden or guide a route
The tour runs on neighbors who share — host your own garden, volunteer at the kickoff table, or help plan next year’s map.