The sun is shining, mosquitoes are buzzing, and blossoms are bursting open everywhere we look; it could just as easily be June in Seattle, but the calendar still tells us it’s winter no matter how incongruous that may seem. Students at the Fiddleheads Forest School are taking full advantage of the seasonal changes. The warm weather has meant that we are continuing to discover lots of mushrooms and fungus in and around the forest grove classroom. 

By John Wott, Director Emeritus
In those divisive times of the late 1960’s and 1970’s, many new ideas began to form regarding how to live on, properly use, and safeguard the resources on our earth. This included groups from the “flower children” to academics. Learned horticulturists, botanists, and academics in the Northwest created a plan which called for the creation of a new academic unit at the University of Washington to be called the Center for Urban Horticulture. 

We had amazing year in 2014, connecting with hundreds of students and community members through events, food, and farming. We’ve compiled a detailed summary of 2014 on Farm in our 2014 Annual Report. 

Name: Sophie Solomon
Graduating in June, 2017
Major: Community, Environment, and Planning (intended)

What has been your involvement with the Farm? 
I started volunteering at the Farm as a Service Learner my first quarter of my freshman year. From there, I continued volunteering on the Farm and went on to be the Fundraising Coordinator. Now I’m the Manager of the ASUW Student Food Cooperative, a close partner of the UW Farm. 

1)  Camellia japonica      ‘Nina Avery’

Due to this year’s mild winter thus far, many plants here have begun flowering much earlier than normal, and Camellias are certainly no exception. Many specimens can be seen in bloom along Arboretum Drive near Rhododendron Glen.

2)  Camellia x williamsii      ‘Mary Christian’

Soon after C. saluenensis began to flower it was crossed with C. japonica, notably by J. 

Name: Elizabeth Muntean
Graduating in June, 2015
Major: Evolution and Conservation Biology
Minor: Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management

What has been your involvement with the Farm?
I was a volunteer at the UW Farm for 2 years and am currently a coordinator at the CUH site.
How has the Farm impacted your experience at UW?
Being involved at the farm has allowed me to grow into the person that I wanted to become, surrounded by a wonderful support group that brings sunshine in the gloomiest of days! 

Internship Title: UW Farm Intern (3 positions)

The goals of the UW Urban Farm are multiple:

Provide students with practical urban farming experience, from plan to production to table;
Link directly to academic programs in the study of food, including but not limited to: coursework, independent research, and capstone and culminating experiences;
Create a model of sustainable urban production at the UW;
Provide reliable, predictable, and quality produce for UW Housing & Food Services, CSA members, and other customers;
Provide produce for other uses including but not limited to events, fund-raisers, and gleaning;

Internship Description:
During the course of the 2015 growing season, student farm interns will learn and practice practical aspects of sustainable urban agriculture including: greenhouse work, transplanting, direct seeding, irrigation, pest/disease and weed control, harvesting, washing and marketing. 

Read below for more information, or visit our crowdfunding page at https://uw.useed.net/projects/120/home

 Help us Grow The UW Farm!
We’ve just launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise $9000 to grow the Farm and add much needed infrastructure to make us an even better resource for students and the community.
We are looking to build:

a new cob oven1 and shelter for gatherings,
reusable and portable hoop houses2,
and a new, conveniently located wash station. 

The UW Farm has launched a USEED crowdfunding campaign with the goal of raising $9,000 to build a new cob oven and structure, a new wash station, and reusable and portable hoop houses.

Donald Culross Peattie in the Washington Park Arboretum
Staff horticulturist, Ryan Garrison recently listened to an audio version of Donald Culross Peattie’s book, “A Natural History of North American Trees.” He very much enjoyed its mix of science and literary art, and would like to share a few gems about trees in the collection with you.
1)  Carya ovata – Shellbark or Scalybark Hickory
“To everyone with a feeling for things American, and for American history, the Shagbark seems like a symbol of the pioneer age, with its hard sinewy limbs and rude, shaggy coat, like the pioneer himself in fringed deerskin hunting shirt.