Lake Washington Technical College changed its name this summer to Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

This change will be affecting the horticulture programs online presence.  The Horticulture Department now has a new website, blog, job board and Facebook page.  These changes were done to keep inline with the new college name as well as to streamline operations.  The website, blog and job board are now all in one convenient site.  Easy for the user and easier for us to maintain.

Please check out our new look, we’d love your feedback.

Website

Blog

Facebook

Job Board

We have two full-time instructors and two support staff.  Each instructor is well-versed in their subject matter and is dedicated to the educational welfare of the students.  Students follow the same classmates and instructor throughout the program.  We take pride in the fact that we utilize a multitude of professionals from within in the industry to give additional educational experiences to our students through guest lectures, field trips and work experiences.  Many of our students not only go on to work in the industry but are highly respected members in their field.

Our facilities include two operating greenhouses, classrooms, an edible garden, rain garden, rain catchment system and study arboretum.  Our students have lots of hands on opportunities to learn from both on and off campus.  We conduct two student run plant sales a year in which the students not only grow their own crops but research and merchandise them.

Classes for fall quarter are Plant Identification, Botany, Propagation, Tools and Equipment and Fall Horticulture Lab consisting of hands-on technical experiences.

For more information visit… http://www.lwtech.edu/Academics/Programs_of_Study/Environmental_Horticulture.html

Please forward this on if you know someone that may be interested in our program.  We’d love to see full classrooms in the fall.

Rain gardens soak up gallons of polluted runoff from rooftops, driveways and other hard surfaces protecting our waterways from pollution.  They are not only attractive landscape features that prevent flooding and water run off but they can be enticing habitats for birds and butterflies.

To find out more about the 12,000 Rain Garden Campaign and see recent photos of our rain garden visit http://raingarden.wsu.edu

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Growing vegetables at the school serves many purposes.  It’s not only grown and cared for by the students but it provides food for the greater community.  Locally grown and harvested food is a way in which we can not only support the community but partake in the locally grown food movement and be a positive influence on the environment.

Seattle Tilth volunteers gain work experience in nonprofit organization, education, garden and farm stewardship, volunteer coordination and more. They have fun meeting contribute greatly to Seattle Tilth depends on the work of volunteers and interns to make our programs happen.

Volunteer and Internship Opportunities at the Pickering Barn in Issaquah

• Garden Steward Interns
• Garden Volunteers

  Join a crew to learn about organic gardening with hands-on experience helping build and maintain our community learning garden at the PickeringBarn.

• Drain Buttoning Brigades in Issaquah

  Take part in a citywide community service project to protect our waterways by labeling storm drains.

Internship Opportunities

Interns hold pivotal roles at Seattle Tilth contributing their time and skills while receiving valuable work experience in a successful non-profit.

Garden Internships

• Garden Steward Interns
• Agriculture Educator Intern for the Farm Incubator Program
• Farm Steward Internship at Rainier Beach Farm and Wetlands

Environmental Internships

• Watershed Education Intern
• MC/SB Program Intern

Marketing Internships

• Marketing Intern
• Rainier Valley Eats! Social Media Intern

Administrative Internships

• Children’s Garden Administrative Intern – in North Seattle
• Seattle Youth Garden Works Administrative Intern
• Adult Education Administrative Intern

Volunteer Opportunities

We depend on our volunteers to make Seattle Tilth’s work happen!  We have
lots of opportunities all over the greater Seattle area, whether you want to be
involved once a week, once a month, or every few days.  Become a crucial
part of our work and volunteer for our children’sprograms, maintain a Community Learning Garden in Wallingford, RainierBeach, Mt.Baker, or Issaquah, support one of our many communityevents, or help strengthen the organization by volunteeringin our office.  We also have drop-in workparties happening to support our sites, including some new programs! 

Volunteer/ Intern Orientations

The best way to get involved in Seattle Tilth’s volunteer and intern program is by filing out a Volunteer/ Intern Application and then attending a Volunteer
Orientation. Next up:

• June 14, 6-7 p.m. in Wallingford
• June 28, 6-7 p.m. in Southeast Seattle

See the full list of volunteer opportunities for drop-in work parties, more information on becoming a garden volunteer and more.

For more information on any of these opportunities, or if you have any questions, please get in touch!

Thanks,

Chris Iberle

Events & Volunteer Manager
Seattle Tilth
4649 Sunnyside Ave N., Suite 100
Seattle, WA  98103
(206) 633-0451 ext. 119
chrisiberle@seattletilth.org
www.seattletilth.org

Seattle Tilth inspires and educates people to grow their own food
organically, conserve natural resources and support local food systems in order
to cultivate a healthy urban environment and community.

Ruth generously shared her personal knowledge and experience of transforming “blah” expanses of space into interesting and harmonius gardens by briefly lecturing on basic design principles, partaking in an open question and answer period with the class and individually reviewing students’ concept and preliminary landscape design plans.   She coached them in paying particular attention to function, the importance of paths, assessing views and taking cues from the site and house.  She also assisted many students with plant selections introducing new ideas for plant combinations.  The students were both inspired and appreciative.  Thank you Ruth.

This week the students will continue to work towards completing their master plans that will include a detailed plan of both plant and hardscape material.

The tired Mother of Thyme

Check back with us and see…did we make the right decision?

National Leaders to Focus on Emerging Legislation, Product Alternatives

SEATTLE — Amidst an avalanche of disturbing scientific data and proposals of sweeping legislative reform, North America’s leaders in the lawn and garden alternative pesticide industry will gather in Seattle, June 4, for the first Northwest Lawn & Garden Pesticide Summit.

Presented by the Rodale Institute, the Coalition of Organic Landscape Professionals and The SafeLawns Foundation, the day-long event will bring together concerned citizens, lawn and land care companies, elected officials, medical professionals and the media. Among the topics of discussion will be the Childs Safe Playing Fields Act that has been enacted or proposed in five Eastern states, as well as Colony Collapse Disorder in bees and emerging information about chemical weed killers and the least toxic alternatives.

“The goal of the summit is to create awareness of the health hazards and environmental degradation associated with pesticides, and to strategize ways to reduce their use, including changes in policy and legislation,” said Howard Harrison, member of the Coalition of Organic Landscape Professionals. “Our message: Take action to reduce the cosmetic use of pesticides in our environment — especially where children are most at risk.”

Among the scheduled presentations at the University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Ave NE, Seattle, will be a keynote from Paul Tukey, the founder of The SafeLawns Foundation, a leading national voice in the organic lawn care movement. Others expected to present are the founders of emerging natural pesticide manufacturers, EcoSMART Technologies and Natural Industries.

CONTACT: If you have questions or if you would like to participate in planning the event please contact Nancy Morrison at (206) 362-8947 or weedsrus1@gmail.com. The event will be geared for residents of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, yet anyone will be welcomed.

Here is a list of some of our favorite food blogs:

• Smitten Kitchen
• 101 cookbooks
• Diggin Food
• Food Network

 What are some of your favorite food blogs or recipe sites?

And if you aren’t familiar with Stara mix begonias, we have some fabulous 4 inch pots of them for only $3.39.  They are sisters to the popular Dragon Wing begonia growing to the same height and being strong performers making them a wonderful addition to your sun or shade garden.