NW Gardens: Winning gardens tread lightly on Earth

Earth-friendly gardening is a popular activity full of variety in the Puget Sound region, as evidenced by the three winning gardens in the recent Earth-friendly contest sponsored by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle Tilth.

First place

Carrie West has walked lightly on her property on Bainbridge Island. Over the years, West has incorporated native shrubs and other woody plants that, once established, need little supplemental water in the summer.


		Steve Shelton / Special to the P-I
	First place: The garden of Carrie West of Bainbridge Island flourishes with water-wise native shrubs.

The garden, about half an acre, was all lawn when West moved in 12 years ago. Out of that, she carved large beds, so the grass that's left is for walking on.

Most vegetable gardeners have the cabbage moth as a pest, but gardeners in the suburbs and country could name West's biggest pest in a heartbeat: deer. But West deals with her "pests" in the most effective way there is, by fencing off the ornamental garden.

Those gardeners who think they can't fence their land, or think that a fence would be too distracting, must not know about the almost-invisible deer fencing that's available. As we drove up to West's house, two deer were quietly munching grass just outside the gate, while inside we could enjoy the trees and shrubs that are off-limits to them.

Although she has included several fruit trees in the plan, food gardening is a low priority for West, who for several years helped organize the Taste of Washington Farms. "I'd rather support our local farmers," she says.


		Steve Shelton / Special to the P-I
	Her garden also employs a water feature.

She does grow winter vegetables, such as broccoli and greens, in part because they are hard to come by, and also because there are far fewer pests to deal with during the colder months.

Kikta Designs in Bremerton created the plan for the patio, water feature and fire pit. The trellis with hops and grapes creates a leafy bower over the patio, and the perfect spot to enjoy the pond and bog garden, much used by insects that prefer shallow water, such as yellow jackets and butterflies.

Keith Geller, a Seattle-based landscape architect, helped with the overall design of the garden and suggested good native plants.

Second place

In her suburban garden on the Sammamish plateau, Tia Jensen, mother of three, has a flourishing edibles plot and is gardening in an Earth-friendly manner on the rest of the large property.


		Steve Shelton / Special to the P-I
	Tia Jensen of Sammamish.

No opportunity to recycle is left untapped in Jensen's garden, even down to her daughter's blue jeans. Well past wearing, they make perfect trousers for a scarecrow; and Jensen found that the jean's big holes are perfect for growing strawberries. Traditional terra cotta strawberry pots dry out quickly, but denim holds the moisture better, and so an edible decoration was born.

Jensen's program of slug control could catch on: She pays her children -- and now neighboring children, who know a good thing when they see it -- a nickel a slug. The kids choose their picking stick from a basket and get to work.

The slugs get dumped into a milk jug, where they disintegrate into a slurry, which is then dumped onto the compost pile. Gross, but effective. Jensen says she paid out $15 last year -- slug control that is well worth the price.


		Steve Shelton / Special to the P-I
	Second place: Jensen gets her kids involved in her edibles plot. She pays them to hunt slugs, has them shred leaves by piling them under the swing set and reports that they're much more likely to eat vegetables they've helped grow.

Involving her children in the garden has all sorts of benefits. Jensen reports that they are much more likely to eat vegetables that they have helped grow than something that came out of a bag from the store.

And then there's her method of shredding autumn leaves for the compost pile. She piles up the leaves under the swing set, where the kids kick and stomp them into shreds. Better to use their energy than electricity. "All of my tools are people-powered," she wrote in her contest entry.

Jensen studies her land before launching into a new project, which leads to less work and a better garden. She's now contemplating the slope that runs down to a stream and is planning to use plants that are effective in filtering runoff.

Third place

High-production food gardening might not seem possible on a small city lot, but don't tell that to Jean Schanen and Glenn Huff of Bremerton. Their system of raised beds and rooftop gardens makes it possible to grow most of the fruits and vegetables they need.


		Steve Shelton / Special to the P-I
	Third place: Jean Schanen and Glenn Huff of Bremerton specialize in high-production organic food gardening.

And they do this with as little impact on the Earth as possible by using water retention, composting, organic fertilizers and adding necessary minerals to the soil. Their small flock of city chickens helps, too, by providing eggs and more compost.

Schanen and Huff have a series of rain barrels and soaker hoses, and they water at night, so they don't lose as much moisture to evaporation. Mulching with their own compost also helps retain moisture, as well as adding fertility and increasing soil tilth.

Huff, a retired engineer, built a series of stairs and runways that allowed the couple to extend their garden, first to the roof of the garage and then farther up to the roof of the carport. Huff uses scrap lumber and always has a stash of materials that can be put to use. He believes it's better to have material on hand and think about what you can build with it than to go out and buy every little thing that you think you might need for some future project.

Besides having a great view of the city, the rooftop gardens have fruit trees and crops such as cantaloupe and winter squash that need a long, hot growing season.


		Steve Shelton / Special to the P-I
	They use a system of raised beds and rooftop gardens that extend the season.

Organic gardening has been a way of life for the couple. Before their move to Bremerton two years ago, they owned a farm in Wisconsin, and before they lived in Alaska for a while, they owned and managed a citrus farm in Belize. It was there they learned the benefits of building good soil.

Watering techniques

General watering guidelines -- www.savingwater.org/outside_sprinklers_tips.htm

Soaker hoses -- www.savingwater.org (download the pdf)

Drip irrigation -- www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/04702.html, or www.irrigationtutorials.com/dripguide.htm

Rain barrels -- The city of Seattle offers rain barrels to its customers, as do many other municipalities. Seattle sells food-grade 50-gallon rain barrels (occasionally they have 60-gallon barrels). One rain barrel won't take your vegetable or annual garden through our dry summer months, so if you are considering this method of capturing rain to replace the use of city water, plan on a series of at least two or three or more. Rain barrels can be attached so they work as one system.

Five native shrubs

These native shrubs are attractive, provide food and cover for wildlife and, once established, do not need supplemental water.

Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) -- Tiny pink flowers are followed by fat white berries that hold on into winter. For sun to part shade.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) -- White flowers in spring and blueberrylike fruit that ripens in summer. For sun to half-day sun.

Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) -- Glossy leaves and delicious fruit are both produced in shade.

Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium and M. nervosa) -- Plant the former in sun; it grows up to 6 feet and has glossy leaves. M. nervosa grows in shade. Both have spikes of yellow flowers in spring.

Wax myrtle (Myrica californica) -- Large evergreen that produces berries close on the stem. Full sun.

City chickens

Seattle Tilth runs an ongoing program to educate city dwellers of the benefits of keeping a few chickens. Remember that chickens are counted as an animal in your household. Seattle allows three animals -- any mixture of dogs, cats, chickens or other small animals. For more information, including a chicken class schedule, go to: www.seattletilth.org.

Marty Wingate, a Seattle-based Master Gardener, has a master's degree in urban horticulture and is the author of two garden books. She can be contacted at: martywin@earthlink.net.

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