The Ching Garden Opens to the Public on Saturday, October 3, 2026
Thursday, September 17, 2026
The garden is a work in progress. When completed, it will be a food forest and giving garden, a place to explore, taste, learn, and share. There the story of the Ching family and their legacy of generosity and sharing their garden’s bounty will be told. It will also be a garden of serenity, and hope, with quiet places for reflection.
The goal from the outset was to complete the lower two-thirds of the garden first. Since March, more than 250 donated heirlooms and cultivars have been planted alongside or underneath the surviving Ching Garden trees and shrubs, with more being added every week. Recently awarded grant funding will allow us to complete the plantings in the lower-level beds.
The hügelkultur troughs installed in late July have already produced their first crop of pak choi, mizuna, and komatsuna, delivered to Shoreline Share Pantry. The troughs have been resown with winter greens. The large giving garden area contains several varieties of squash and pumpkins to be donated to local food banks.
In the lower garden you'll find guilds of fruiting trees, berries, northwest natives, and pollinator plants along with plants indigenous to Asia. The new plantings are still far too small to yield fruits to share. With respectful treatment by visitors and careful tending by volunteers, there will be some fruits to share next year.
Explorers will see areas that are fenced off for safety and construction. Staying on the wood-chipped paths will be crucial to the survival of the new plantings. For now, the garden is a place for able-bodied garden enthusiasts and nature lovers to visit.
Construction of permanent ADA accessible paths, a new permanent driveway, patio, and parking area are much further down the road. The upper garden where the house once stood, patio and pond areas, and permanent signage honoring the Ching family story of generosity will be completed in future phases as grant funding and donations become available.
In the meantime, come, see, celebrate, and imagine the possibilities!
The goal from the outset was to complete the lower two-thirds of the garden first. Since March, more than 250 donated heirlooms and cultivars have been planted alongside or underneath the surviving Ching Garden trees and shrubs, with more being added every week. Recently awarded grant funding will allow us to complete the plantings in the lower-level beds.
The hügelkultur troughs installed in late July have already produced their first crop of pak choi, mizuna, and komatsuna, delivered to Shoreline Share Pantry. The troughs have been resown with winter greens. The large giving garden area contains several varieties of squash and pumpkins to be donated to local food banks.
In the lower garden you'll find guilds of fruiting trees, berries, northwest natives, and pollinator plants along with plants indigenous to Asia. The new plantings are still far too small to yield fruits to share. With respectful treatment by visitors and careful tending by volunteers, there will be some fruits to share next year.
Explorers will see areas that are fenced off for safety and construction. Staying on the wood-chipped paths will be crucial to the survival of the new plantings. For now, the garden is a place for able-bodied garden enthusiasts and nature lovers to visit.
Construction of permanent ADA accessible paths, a new permanent driveway, patio, and parking area are much further down the road. The upper garden where the house once stood, patio and pond areas, and permanent signage honoring the Ching family story of generosity will be completed in future phases as grant funding and donations become available.
In the meantime, come, see, celebrate, and imagine the possibilities!
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment