Lawns to Lettuce News and Highlights

July is nearly over. We hope your water bill was kind and your gardens are growing wonderfully.

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Harvest season is now upon us. Dedicated volunteers have been hard at work gleaning produce from farms and farmers' markets. The 2018 season has already brought in over 2,000 pounds of food to be distributed to Snohomish County food banks. Our hope is that by year's end we can see that number grow to 20,000. Every year, 30-40 percent of the food that is produced is destined for the landfill. Project Harvest’s mission is to increase access to this fresh, nutritious produce so that no belly goes hungry at night.

Almost 90 individuals have taken the pledge to plant (and harvest) a row for their local food banks. Your harvest can be donated to most local food banks or to the Volunteers of America distribution center. Need help locating your food bank? Wonder what day you should harvest? Use our new food bank mapping tool to find donation hours and current needs for each of your local area food banks. By our combined powers, we can build a sustainable, community-based food system.

Read more about our community harvest in the most recent issue of the Nexus.

Remember, It is not too late to join our Plant a Row Campaign! Plant a Row still has seed packets to give out for your fall harvest crops.

Consider the Bees! Allowing some of your plants to flower is one way you can provide food for native bees during the full growing season. The Xerces Society is an excellent resource for all things pollinator. https://xerces.org/

Check Daily. During peak harvest season, check your garden daily. Most edibles have a narrow window to harvest and can ripen much faster than expected. Leaving town? Why not invite a neighbor to check your garden and enjoy the rewards in your absence?

Bury Your Scraps. Some vegetable scraps can be added directly to the garden as compost. Make sure to bury them at least 8 in. under the soil. Browse the Composting Food and Yard Waste at Home booklet for more tips and tricks.

As many of our gardens are now exploding with life, this would be a good time to reflect on all the hard work your edible landscape is doing for our soils, our pollinators, and for the conservation of natural resources. Monoculture lawns reduce biological diversity and often create an impervious surface to water infiltration. This increases stormwater runoff and chemical pollution to local water bodies. Removing a lawn allows systems to return to their natural process of cleansing and holding water before the slow return to lakes and streams. Local wildlife and soil biota benefit immensely when a variety of flowering and edible plants are added to the landscape. This variety provides food, shelter and mating opportunities for many native species. Regardless of whether you are just in the process of converting your lawn or have 20 year's experience, we want to celebrate you and the work you are doing as stewards of your land.

Project Harvest is still seeking volunteers for the 2018 season! We have a wide array of volunteering options, but we are especially in need of assistance during gleans at local farms and farmers' markets.

If you or someone you know is interested in lending a helping hand, please feel free to reach out for more information to either:
Katrina at projectharvestsnoco@gmail.com or,
Jill at jfarrant@snohomishcd.org.

Did you know that lawns are America's largest irrigated crop?

American lawns cover a span of more than 40,000 square miles, making lawns the nation's largest irrigated crop.

Stay tuned for more information! Join us for a HUGE gleaning (aka harvesting the extras) event and 5k on Friday, September 7 from 5 to 8 pm. Be sure to follow our Facebook page for more information.

Stay in the Loop

Be sure to bookmark Snohomish Conservation District's calendar to stay on top of our great events and workshops.

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