One of the best responses I’ve gotten after telling someone I’m a farmer is: “Are you okay?” And it is a fair question, though the answer changes based on what time of year it is. There’s the unbridled optimism of early spring, the growing suspense in April and May (what weather-related surprises will climate change bring us this year?), staring into the void in June, and then summer hits and the rest of the season is a downhill run. 

In 2023, the UW Farm experienced highs and lows, new accolades and challenges. We struggled with crop failures of melons, corn, and onions, while successfully cultivating quinoa and wheat for the very first time! Certified organic produce donated by the UW Farm in 2023 reached 2390.57 pounds, worth a retail value of $11,870.00.  The largest volume of donated produce was delivered to the campus UW Food Pantry. 

Rare Care volunteers are known for going on some pretty extreme adventures each year to search for rare plants, and the 2023 monitoring season was no exception. From paddling down rivers to trekking up mountains and cliffsides, it doesn’t seem like there’s much that can stop our volunteers, except maybe the occasional rattlesnake encounter!
Volunteers Carol Mack, John Stuart and two friends took their canoes 10 miles up the Pend Oreille River to search the shoreline for lesser-bladder milk vetch (Astragalus microcystis). 

In eight days, the well known UW Farm Harvest Dinner will be held at the UW Botanic Gardens Center for Urban Horticulture. An event that grew from humble beginnings in 2014, run by the farm manager and students, has expanded from a simple community meal to a farm-to-table annual fundraiser.

Love gardening, plants, trees, flowers or growing food?
Can’t pass up a bargain?
Then you won’t want to miss the 12th annual GARDEN LOVERS’ BOOK SALE of used books at the Center for Urban Horticulture.

The Arboretum Loop Trail is a jewel of the master plan approved in 2001.

Finding your way in the Arboretum just got a little easier!

What do evolution and the Emperor of Japan have to do with art about slime molds?

Thanks to dedicated volunteers, over 22,000 pressed plant specimens have been reviewed and documented.

Believe it or not, there are over 100 plant sales in the Pacific Northwest in April, including the FlorAbundance sale on April 25-26.