08.14.24

Around The Farm

The State of The Hive
By Amaya Saunders, UW Farm Beekeeping Intern, Majoring in Linguistics, College of Arts and Sciences
As we edge towards the end of summer, the bees have wrapped up their busiest pollinating season, meaning it’s time for honey! Weighing hives is an important part of beekeeping – it helps estimate the activity of the hive without disturbing the bees. 

Meet our August Staff Feature – Ron Schmaltz! Ron is the horticulturalist in charge of one of the Washington Park Arboretum’s signature collections: Rhododendron Glen. Ron spent almost 30 years as an IT software developer before pivoting to horticulture. After returning to school at the Edmonds College, Ron started as an intern at the Arboretum in 2017 and, before too long, was working as an official gardener and caring for the 4 acres that make up the Glen. 

08.07.24

Around The Farm

The Importance of Food Safety on Farms
By Kristin Choe, UW Farm Intern, majoring in Food Systems, Nutrition, School of Public Health
My name is Kristin and I am a General Farm intern with a food security focus for the summer quarter. I am focusing on food safety and security, which is related to my major. Although this is my first season on the campus farm, I have gained so much knowledge about food safety and security that I cannot wait to share with you! 

Scientific Name: Camellia sasanqua
Common Name: sasanqua camellia; the Japanese name for all camellias is tsubaki,“tree with shining leaves,” while the Japanese name for Camellia sasanqua is sazanka, “plum-flowered tea.”
Family: Theaceae
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Native Range: Lowland forests of southern Japan
Culture/Habit: Organically rich, evenly moist, well-drained soils in shade to sun. Small trees to 16 feet tall or vining shrubs growing wider than tall, often depending on sun exposure. 

07.31.24

Around The Farm

The Children’s Garden
By Leyna Doty, Program on the Environment: Environmental Studies, Children’s Garden Intern

After the COVID pandemic shut down the farm to visitors, the Children’s Garden sat vacant, except for a few straggly plants and once-accurate painted rock labels. This season, the Children’s Garden has been an ongoing project to bring back a welcoming space to kids who visit for day camps, field trips, and a sunny stroll from the neighboring Union Bay Natural Area.  The children’s garden sits towards the northwest corner of the farm, behind the high tunnel. 

07.24.24

Around The Farm

Agroecology in Action on the UW Farm
By Phoebe Clifton, Program on the Environment: Environmental Studies, Vermicompost Intern
Ever since its creation in 2004, the UW Farm has committed to strengthening people’s connection to both food and the environment, recognizing that the two are deeply intertwined. Agroecology is the practice of using local ecosystems to shape agricultural practices, rather than imposing unsustainable growing practices that will eventually degrade the land and harm nearby communities. 

07.17.24

Around The Farm

Sweet Farm Sestina
By Abigail Ipjian, English: Creative Writing & Environmental Studies Minor, Education Intern
Some days I wake up missing the joy
I try so hard to lead my life with. The sunshine
spills in my window, yet stepping into it is more work
than I feel capable of. By now I have learned
that with time, my spirit will grow
so I can rise and remember my role on this earth. 

Scientific name: Fagus sylvatica
Common Name: Common beech, European beech
Family: Fagaceae (Oak family)
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Locations in the Washington Park Arboretum: Oak Collection area, directly east from the Graham Visitor Center
Fagus sylvatica, 3 specimens 595-44-A &B & 907-50-A: grids 42-1E, 43-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Aspleniifolia’ 1142-49-A: grid 41-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Dawyck’ 490-57-A: grid 40-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Riversii’ 682-67-A: grid 44-B
F.sylvatica ‘Rohanii’ 382-50-A: grid 42-1E
F.sylvatica ‘Spaethiana’ 654-54-A: grid 42-1E
F.sylvatica f. 

07.10.24

Around The Farm

The CSA: 7 Reasons Why
By Alex Ball, Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health, School of Public Health, Dani Elenga Intern; CSA Assistant Manager
 
A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a model in which consumers pay a lump sum at the beginning of a farm’s growing season, and then receive a weekly share of whatever produce that farm grows. 

07.03.24

Around The Farm

UW Farm Opens Aquaculture Plot to Support Indigenous Food Sovereignty on Campus
By Kove Janeski, Farm Staff, UW Alumni, Master of Landscape Architecture Program, Spring ’24
As an extension of the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House’s Native Garden, an aquaculture plot has taken shape at the UW Farm’s site at the Center for Urban Horticulture. The clay-lined waterbody will grow wapato (Sagittaria latifolia), a plant that is native to most of the Americas.