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Mike checking Seedlings
Our Sprouts program is one of our largest supportive programs at SGGN. Mike is doing great job at Herons Nest Greenhouse checking on the seedlings 🌱 Thank you to all the hardworking volunteers that come in everyday to the Ballard, Beacon Hill and Herons Nest Greenhouse to grow and give.
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Grow-a-Row
Home gardener or community gardener. Please consider growing a row for food sharing. Mark it, harvest, share to your nearest food pantry, soup kitchen or foodbank. Check out “Donation by Location” on our website for more information on where to bring fresh produce in your Seattle neighborhood.
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Mid-Beacon Hill Sprouts Pilot
We’re nearing completion of the pilot project at Mid-Beacon Farm Greenhouse. Thank you Heather Weiner for taking on the Sprouts project in a winning first year. There is much to celebrate in a big step forward to providing healthy food for our communities.
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Spring is in the Air- Or is that Zoo Doo?
Tired Garden Beds? do you need a little zip for the zoochini, pep for the peas , or oomph for the okra- Zoo Doo is availabe now from Woodlawn Park Zoo. Zoo Doo is straw, woodchips, wood shavings and manure from non-primate herbivores. The compost is ready for immediate application on all edible and non-edible plants Set up an appointment.…
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Donors Bring it Home
Our 2023 seed money campaign was grandslam. We exceeded our goal by a considerable amount and recieved an extra grant from seedmoney! We owe this to success to the overwhelming response from our wonderful donors . We raised over $6000 dollars which will go towards fully funding our three Sprouts locations as well as doubling our small grants budgets- A…
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Bounty Beyond Belief
A big thanks to all the retailers and wholesalers who generously donated to our 2023 seed drive, Our giving gardens will be delighted at the treasure trove of seed we recieved. Cuor di Bue Albenga Tomato, Vorgebirgstraubuen Cucumber. and Kurininishiki Kabocha Squash are just some of eclectic bounty of this years seed drive which will be distributed to gardeners at…
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A Small Grant can Make a Big Difference
It’s a new application season for SGGN Small Grants. Would Rabbit fencing, compost delivery, or a super insuated storage box help you increase food production and distribution in your giving garden.. SGGN’s small grants are available for these types of giving garden projects projects. Check out our easy application (add link to grant application page here.)
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Donate to SGGN by December 15th!
We have a Fundraising campaign happening! Please help us reach our goal! https://donate.seedmoney.org/9407/seattle-giving-garden-network-2023 Reaching this goal will allow us to continue to provide over 20,000 plants to give giving gardeners a strong start to the growing season–improving the chances of a reliable harvest. We offer a bountiful assortment of free seed packets annually at our Giving Gardeners Gathering and have…
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Support Ballard Sprouts!
The Ballard Sprouts project provides a headstart to the Seattle Giving Gardeners by starting seeds in a greenhouse in mid-February. We transplant and tend the plants and then in April donate the plants to the Seattle Giving Gardeners. These gardeners will grow and harvest the food then donate the produce to the Seattle Food Banks or food needy people. These giving gardens are…
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50th Anniversary Celebration
Join us at Magnuson Park P-Patch September 9, 2023, 3-6pm We will be celebrating the P-Patch Program’s 50th Anniversary on Saturday September 9 from 3-6 PM at Magnuson Park P-Patch! The event is free and open to all. Come enjoy snacks, live music, and children’s garden activities, to celebrate this vibrant legacy and flourishing community. Officially started in 1973, the…
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SGGN Awards Small Grants to Giving Gardens
For the second year, SGGN awarded small grants to individual Giving Gardens who requested funds for a specific purpose. Grants are capped at $300 per year, per Giving Garden. We are delighted to announce the recipients of our 2023 SGGN Small Grant Programs. Thank you gardeners for all the work you do. Below is a summary of the grant recipients:…
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The 2023 Seattle Giving Gardener’s Handbook is here!
Big thanks to all the volunteers who worked so hard to coordinate, organize, compile these resources, and write this document for all to enjoy. To view the new handbook online: https://www.sggn.org/giving-garden-handbook/ Or click here to go straight to the Google doc!
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Heron’s Nest starts growing at home
Thank you Brandy for submitting these fabulous photos! We love to see what the community is growing! Garden sign my daughter made announcing our new arrivals. New plant starts from the Heron’s Nest tucked into an existing home garden bed.
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Ballard Sprouts March 2023 News
Ballard Sprouts started planting seeds on Valentines day, 20 trays of 220 seeds each. During the very cold spell we kept the trays on the heating mats. Now we have planted another 20 trays and are just beginning to transplant the first seedlings into pots, 5 per pot.We will continue seeding, transplanting, fertilizing and caring for these plants until mid April…
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We Reached our Goal!
Thanks to our many generous donors, we surpassed our $5000 fundraisinggoal during our November fundraising campaign. Our donors pushed usover the top with strong early support and gainied us two challenge grantsfrom Seedmoney, which brought our total fundraising to $5600. Onehundred percent of these dollars goes towards supporting giving gardenersthrough our Sprouts and Small Grants programs. Our very sincerest thanks…
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Annual Seed Distribution Gathering!
The Seattle Giving Garden Network invites all giving gardeners to its annual Seed Distribution Gathering. We have hundreds of seed packets that include vegetables, herbs and flowers to be collected for planting in giving gardens around the city. When? Saturday, February 11, 2023 10:30 am Where? Montlake Community Center, 1618 East Calhoun Street, Seattle 98112 There will be a short program of speakers at…
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Winter Newsletter
Winter Newsletter — Check it out! The latest Giving Garden newsletter can be read here.
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December Appreciation
At SGGN we decided to make December a month of appreciation. Gardeners that grow to give do it from the heart. The hours of devotion to growing for others. You giving gardeners do an incredible job. Keep it up! Are you interested in in growing to give? Please email us for more information on how to get involved. info@sggn.org
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Seedmoney Donation Campaign Starts Nov 15th!
Our month long Seedmoney Donation Campaign starts Nov 15th. Your donation, whatever the amount, will fund programs that provide free vegetable starts, seeds and small grants to giving gardeners around our city. Last year these gardeners grew 42,000 pounds of fresh organic produce for local food banks and community feeding programs. Donate here: https://donate.seedmoney.org/7769/seattle-giving-garden-network-2022 to keep this work moving forward! Don’t delay! Our…
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Giving Garden lead
Pictures of the UpGarden Giving Garden
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Sprouts 2022
Kit and Phoebe working away growing sprouts for giving gardeners who grow for donation.
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Molbaks donation
Our volunteers Peggy and Tasia have been working hard at securing seed donations for February’s seed event. Our volunteer Rob had picked these up from Molbaks . Thank you Molbak’s for the donation.
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SGGN’s Summer Meet-up
Seattle Giving Garden Network volunteers got together to talk plans for 2022/2023
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Welcome!
New Volunteers are always welcome. Help us in our mission to provide fresh food to people who need it most.
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King County has cover crop giveaway
King County announced they have clover/pea cover crop seeds available to community p patches. Here’s a link to more information and an application: https://kingcd.org/2022/07/19/kcd-community-agriculture-cover-crop-giveaway/
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Some great growing
We are having a great season in the giving garden. This is in large part to the grant we received this spring from SGGN which we used to purchase moodoo for our existing plots and to revitalize a plot long underutilized. Some ups and downs. Bunnies nibbled our pole beans but we replanted and put up fencing, we had some…
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Thank you local companies for your generous seed donations!
We are so grateful to our many seed retailers and seed companies for their generous seed donations. Their contributions provide seeds to our local giving gardeners, and food banks. This year we also partnered with Northwest Harvest to distribute donated seeds across the state. Please support these wonderful businesses and seed companies that help make this happen! Email us at…
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One of the first harvests of the year!
Here are some photos from the giving gardens at Linden Orchard P-Patch
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Harvesting SGGN’s Ballard Sprouts
Beautiful Collards, Kale, leafy greens and pak choy about to get their first big harvest. Thank you Ballard Sprouts.
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Gardener Updates
Hello giving gardeners! Welcome to our new website! There’s a new look, but much is the same. A big change is the option for giving gardeners to submit a post on our site! To submit a post, visit https://www.sggn.org/garden-updates (or the link below in the footer at the very bottom of this site). Let us know what you’re growing, upcoming…
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Sprouts Growing Tomatoes
On April 28th the Sprouts volunteers transplanted 1000 tomato plants and placed them in the hoop houses. We put netting around them to keep the rabbits out. For the last three weeks the weather has been so cold that we have mostly kept the hoop houses covered. Now, as the weather turns warmer, we can uncover the hoop houses to…
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Small Grants Available 2022
Unexpected expenses can take the joy out of a giving garden project. If your giving garden needs help with unanticipated expenses such as broken or missing tools, willing volunteers who need a better style of glove, a rotting side-panel in the raised bed, broken hoses, or a yard or two of compost, you can apply for reimbursement from Seattle’s Giving…
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Giving Gardens really are productive–
It’s important to tell the city what your GG has Donated. 2020’s harvest exceeded 20 tons of fresh, organic, local produce given to food banks and mission kitchen programs in Seattle. We know even more was grown and given because we provided seeds and starts to programs which do not participate in reporting to the city, including gardens supported directly…
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How Did Our 2021 Spring Greens Grow?
They grew very well indeed. (Thanks Delridge GG and Hillman City GG for sharing some harvest pictures.)
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October 16th, 2021 SGGN zoom at 10am.
SGGN Fall zoom meeting. If you want to attend, send an email to info@sggn.org to be included.
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2021 Update – SGGN continuing its mission
SGGN’s committed Ballard Sprouts volunteers grew and distributed more than 22,000 vegetable starts to Giving Gardens, Food Bank clients and kitchen gardens. An experienced and passionate gardener is requesting seeds for distribution to the Giving Gardens and food banks in 2022. Giving Gardeners were reimbursed their expenses for tools and rabbit fences. Despite the best efforts of local rabbits, the…
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Master Gardeners Growing Groceries Classes Registering for Spring 2021
Here’s a link to the schedule of classes and registration and to resource information. They’re dividing the classes into three presentations: brassicas and other greens, peas & beans, & warmer weather crops like tomatos, eggplant and cukes.
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Thank you, Seattle
Our deepest gratitude for the support of our crowd-funding campaign in November. Thanks to you the Sprouts planting and distribution program continues, the seeds from donors will be distributed, and we can help the Giving Gardens with maintenance needs. Funds are used for seed-starting mix, seeds, transplanting soil, and heating mats; additional funds are used to support the food bank…
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In English & Español: el Programa — cultivo de hortalizas; vegetable gardening, natural yard care
¡El Programa de Control de Malas Hierbas Nocivas del Condado de King, en colaboración con Seattle Public Utilities, está ofreciendo un taller gratuito en español sobre el manejo natural del jardín, cultivo de hortalizas y el control de las malas hierbas. Este taller es perfecto para los profesionales del jardín y el paisaje, y también cualquier otra persona interesada en…
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Winter Veggies
Some of the Gardens want to extend the veggie growing season so that produce can be provided (nearly) year-around. We agreed to try growing a limited number of starts for those who’re going to brave the rains, slugs, and grey days. We’ve started collards, two kinds of chard, tatsoi, and Winter salad greens including lettuces. These WERE ready to go…
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Seattle Giving Gardeners: 2019’s Greens likely ready April 5-6
Assuming the weather continues with mild temperatures and sunny afternoons the greens — Asian greens of various types, a couple of kinds of lettuce, chard and kale will be ready to pick up at the Ballard location the weekend of April 5-6. Hope your beds will be as ready as the plants will be: they’ll need some protection from unexpected…
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Sprouts Plans 2019 — What and When
The first six trays of sprouts -- there will be many more
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Spring Gather
Despite the recent snow and ice: we gardeners know we need to begin planting. We shared wisdom and seeds on February 16. Thanks to donors: Swansons, Skye, Bellevue Nursery, City Peoples, Urban Earth Nursery, Magnolia Garden Center, Burpee, Renee’s Garden and Johnny’s Seeds.
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Seed Donations for 2019
Sometimes we just need to roll up our sleeves: and November 17 we’ll be sorting about 5000 donated veggie and herb seed packets for distribution this coming spring. The packets need to be organized and their flaps (which tend to come loose) taped or re-glued. Then they’ll be distributed to the Giving Gardens at the Spring Gather, to food banks…
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The Challenge of Fruiting bushes and Trees
Here’s an update from one of our local heritage orchards — gardening is about hope and the chance to do things better next year 🙂
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2021 Ballad Sprouts grew more than 22000 vegetable starts!
Many of these were Spring and summer greens; others were warm weather crops such as squash — and 2900 of these were tomatoes. So how did your Giving Garden Starts produce in 2021? We were tired and are happy. Already we’re thinking about 2022. Within the next several weeks you should see a survey sponsored by the City of Seattle…
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May 18-20 Tomatoes (and last plant distribution of the year)
Confirmed: we’ll distribute tomatoes May 18-20, 2018 at the Ballard greenhouse location. We planted the seeds and this year they ALL sprouted: so please come and get them for their new homes. Some summer lettuces also remain. There’ll be a few boxes to use to take them to your giving garden, but it’s best to bring your own. And this…
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Information about tomato sprouts (and other warm weather starts)
This distribution is TENTATIVELY scheduled mid to late May each year, if nighttime temperatures continue to be 50 degrees farenheit. We chose to plant a diverse variety this year: in part because our summer weather is uncertain. Here’s what they are: TOMATOES: in general, plant out when nighttime temperatures are reliably at or above 50 degrees F. Apply about ¼…
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Greens, beans, squash, cucumbers & onions for pick up May 4th, 5th & 6th.
SGGN’s Sprouts second distribution for 2018’s growing season will be greens, beans, squash, cucumbers & onions over May 4th, 5th & 6th at the backyard greenhouse location in Ballard. Tomatoes will be ready approximately mid-May (when night time temperatures are consistently close to 50 degrees.)
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Tomatoes are a challenge in the PNW — we’ll provide starts, you grow them
SGGN will have tomato starts ready for the giving gardens, kitchen gardens, and food banks approximately mid-May, 2018. Despite the cold April weather, we have lots of starts, and lots of varieties including slicers (beefsteak, Money Maker, Siletz) cherry tomatoes: (red and yellow) paste and pasta varieties (San Marzano varieties). For those who’d like some tutoring before taking on the…
