The Edible School Yard

By Afia Menke ND, MA

If you were to drive or walk south on 3rd Ave NW from N 195th St, you would pass one of Shoreline's hidden gems - the Edible School Yard (ESY)

Located in the Hillwood Neighborhood, these beautiful, raised garden beds are the result of Einstein Middle School “Pride” students, Einstein science teachers Marcia Garrett and Mary Thurber, and the greater Shoreline community. Art students made the quaint signs identifying the veggies which are just peeping through the rich soil, composted with a gift of Zoo Doo from The Woodland Park Zoo.

Our community has jumped in to support this project. Three Hillwood neighbors, Dan Thielman, Wayne Erikson and Nick Hanson, took a full Saturday and built a gorgeous three bin composting system. 

Eagle Scout candidate Brian Vessey and BSA Troop 325 are preparing the ground for a green house. Heath Landscaping will be donating and delivering the gravel and sand for the paving stones. Mr. Heath and his son are members of Shoreline BSA Troop 325.

 

The greenhouse raising will occur on Embrace Shoreline Schools Day, May 15, to music provided by the Einstein jazz band and chili, corn bread and lemonade prepared by neighbors.

The City of Shoreline awarded the ESY an Environmental Mini-Grant. Local hardware store branches of Lowes and Home Depot have gifted materials. Sky Nursery supplied a gardener to help with planning. Calvin Presbyterian church members are volunteers. ESY has good energy and the number of organizations, educational institutions and people supporting the ESY just keeps growing.

If you would like to support the ESY, come on down to our Embrace Einstein Green House Raising on May 15. I hope you can join us, because ESY is one of the gems of Hillwood.

Photos by Afia Menke, ND, MA