| 2008
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Logging our progress . . . |
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NEXT MEETING(S):
April 26
9:00 a.m. - Meet at the farm for more planting.
April 19
Earth Day presentation at Riverfront Park.
April 12
First seeds are in! 25 people came out to help with our initial planting.
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How can I become a part of Solid Rock Farm?
Send $100 or $300 to:
Solid Rock Farm
PO Box 74
Chelan, WA 98816
$100 - cooperative partner
Entitles co-op member to contribute to the farm cooperative by planting, weeding, harvesting, etc.
Entitles co-op member to share in the harvest of organic produce.
$300 - financial partner
Entitles financial partner to participate based on larger contribution to the financial needs of the co-op.
Entitles financial partner to share in the harvest of organic produce
Make checks payable to "Lake Chelan Local" |
Solid Rock Farm's progress in 2008:
June 2008
This Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. please come out to Solid Rock if you’re able to. We have four flats of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant to put in the ground, along with squash and melon seeds. The farm gets greener each week as the weather warms and the plants start to accelerate their growth.
SATURDAY MEETING (June 14, 2008)
Here’s the news.
Watering: John and Marianne are fine with continuing our watering duties for now. The rest of us will take care of what the sprinklers don’t reach: the squash out beyond the raspberries, the blueberry plants, and the willow trees. Thank you John and Marianne
Where we met: Sitting around the donated picnic table, in the shade of the donated tool shed: Thanks again to Bret LaMar for materials, and a big thanks to Gene for creating the shed. Plywood and tarpaper are on the roof. It’s coming along great.
Task Board: Once the shed is done, we’d like to post a Dry-Erase board that lists what needs doing on the farm so anyone can come out at anytime, get specific tasks done, and check them off as complete.
Scott and Ruth and Deborah: Way to go with the planting of the big square! John would like to connect with Scott some time soon and figure out watering and what needs doing for this area of the farm. John also added two new sprinklers to this square area.
Finances:
The farm water bill is paid for this year ($800). The tax bill of $600 has not yet been paid, We have $1400 in the bank right now, $800 after taxes Some folks who bought seeds this spring are donating them to the farm. We may need more funds later this summer, and it’s suggested that those of us who are able, considering an additional $100 membership payment to support the farm.
For those who are signed up and not yet participating in the growing of the vegetables and berries, please come and join in on Wednesday evenings (5 to 8) and Satrudays (8 to noon). You’ll love the company and the feeling of growing your own food.
How do we organize?
Solid Rock Farm is currently a checkbook, committed people, and six acres of land. Creative ideas for organizing our community are welcome. 501C3 status seems too long and complex. We’re gathering information.
A Wenatchee Resource:
These folks want to come and see Solid Rock, and perhaps we’d like to visit these folks. (www.communityfarmconnection.org) Scott and Ruth also have a standing invitation to come and visit their kitchen garden in Wenatchee.
May 2008
RASPERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES:
Mike and Kerry Travers have raspberry and strawberries we can thin from their garden. Anne and I checked them out yesterday. I'll go dig them out early this Saturday morning so we can plant them at our Saturday workday. Here's what we need to make this happen.
Someone to figure out where to plant the raspberries and strawberries at the farm. (Maybe 100 raspberries)
- Tilling the soil if needed.
- One or two people to help me dig out the plants this Saturday (7 a.m. on Boyd Road)
- A pickup or van we can transport the plants with.
SOLID ROCK INTERNET NETWORK:
Three weeks ago at a conference I discovered how easily we can create a free "social network." So I made one for Solid Rock. Everyone who joins this can add news and pictures. This might be an excellent way to share watering schedules, harvest announcements, work days, etc.
I invite you to visit www.solidrockfarm.ning.com. You have to get this address perfect. (remember .ning.com) to see the site. Check out the pictures, they're super easy to upload.
In the upper right hand you can sign up to be a member. Please do so. If you have any questions or problems using this site, please let me know, I'll be happy to help you get comfortable with this tool. I'm hoping it will be useful for our communication.
April 12
First Spring planting at the farm!
First seeds are in! 25 people came out to help with our initial planting.
Our water will be turned on soon.
Seeds have arrived.
A new Farm Bill was passed in the legislature.
An April 12th planting date is suggested.
March 26, 2008
Work Party at Solid Rock Farm,
Wednesday, 2 to 6 p.m.
March 20, 2008
At Solid Rock Farm
Marcy, Vicky, and Virginia met at the Farm.
1) They gave Bonnie the $800 for water. She then talked with the Water District, who said it would be 1-2 weeks before water main inspections were done and the water turned on.
2) Bonnie said to not rush with the planting. Evidently there is cold air movement from the Columbia that blows straight over our land. She said to expect frost well into April, even after Chelan has had its last frost.
3) All the seeds have arrived except from Raintree. Ready and waiting!
4) We mapped out general areas for different crops. Scott couldn't come, but he'll be up on Friday. Marcy and Vicki will run these ideas past him then.
5) The garlic is up several inches, healthy and green. About 8 strawberry plants survived, and are putting out new leaves.
6) Marcy will talk to John about turning the soil over.
7) Good news! The WA state legislature passed a new Local Farms/Healthy Kids bill -"... the most comprehensive such program in the nation....
This will make it easier for schools to buy locally grown food by easing purchase restrictions for locally grown food.. This bill was supported by an very broad and diverse coalition.... This bill enacts a WA grown Fruits and Vegetables Program that will help get fresh foods into schools with high numbers of low-income students.... Low income families will be able to use food stamps at farmers markets, increase funding of the Farmers MArket Nutrtion Programs, and create pilot projects for food banks to purchase fresh food directly from Washington Farms." Hooray!
8) Should we try to plant on the 12th? (The 1st and 3rd weekends are the Democratic Caucuses)
9) Paul and Virginia are going to buy 10-20 blueberry bushes (Patriot=early, Northland=midseason, Jersey=late), for $$65.95/10 plants. They'll also get the pH of soil tested by Wilbur Ellis. (Blueberries need acidic soil).
March 8, 2008
Meeting at Palumbo's home.
Minutes coming . . .
February 23, 2008
Meeting at Virginia and Paul Palumbo's home
- Seeds are purchased
- King Corn will be showing at the Ruby Theater on April 4 - a fundraiser for Solid Rock Farm.
- We're gaining new members
- Wer'e talking about mulch and drip irrigation
- The weather is quickly warming!
January, 2008
Winter Planning Meeting - 1/12/08
Good Veggies. Good Community.
Good Opportunity. Good Future.
These were some of the interests that brought people to our Solid Rock Farm Meeting this past Saturday. Attending were Jeff, Marcie, Vicki, Virginia, Nedra, Sam, Gale, Scott, Ruth, Lars, and Anne. Thanks to Nedra for hosting.
WHAT WE DISCUSSED:
- Who we want to be in ten years: Still a great question to start with and to shape our conversation about what we do TODAY.
- What we want to plant: Virginia, Vicky and Marcie are meeting on Jan 16th for a first meeting about seeds and starts. Contact one of them to participate.
- How to improve the Lavendar and involve the schools. Jeff and Nedra are coordinating this project – how we’ll replant the Lavendar this spring and give it a heave mulch.
- What are options for blueberries? Virginian and Paul are pursuing this.
- Paying our bills: For those who want to participate, we need the $100 checks (To Lake Chelan Local) for water, taxes, seeds, irrigation, and the like. If there are additional opportunities and costs later in the season, we’ll invite those who are able to share.
- How to plant. We’re liking the idea of a community garden, and we’re open to conversation about smaller individual plots.
- What about our Spanish Speaking community? Gale has experience with the Spanish-speaking community through the Manson Red Apple. We’ll be exploring ways to broaden our availability to the entire Lake Chelan Area.
- Scott and Ruth Parsons – 30 years of experience with growing veggies and gourmet cooking and education and entrepenership. We welcome your experience and the ways in which Solid Rock can be a benefit and opportunity for all of us. We look forward to sharing this summer of growing. More later from Scott and Ruth, but part of their excitement is that the world seems to be catching on that what we’re doing is a benefit to the world, a way forward for the world, a path of practicality and hope.
- Workdays at Brownfield and Berman farms. They’ve been doing local farming for decades, and John and Joan, Jeff and Josette seem committed to Solid Rock being a place for local food awareness to grow and thrive for the benefit of all. Look for a workday opportunity at each of these farms this spring – an opportunity to offer a bit of help, receive a load of inspiration, and feel our way deeper into creating local food values for our area.
- Grants – Marcie talked about the possibility of grants to help us develop our capacity.
- Getting Word out – Lars will submit an article to the Daily Mirror for possible publication.
There was lots more from the meeting, but this will give you a bit to chew on.
TO DO:
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