Thanks to the efforts of our volunteers, the Solstice P-Patch paths look fresh and manicured! After three work parties, this phase of the path maintenance project is complete, and we're looking ahead to the next phase.
A Coordinated Effort
This effort required careful coordination and relied on volunteer muscle power. Before the first work party, the leadership team requested that gardeners make a concerted effort to get the paths surrounding their individual plot weeded, so that we could focus on the more difficult and common-area weeding during the first work party. It was also necessary to get the remaining garden dirt pile moved so that the wood chips could be delivered. Then, our second work party brought our volunteers together to distribute the wood chips, beginning with the areas furthest from the wood chip pile. While the leadership team hoped that we would have enough wood chips to complete the project that day and worked carefully with Burien Bark to identify the correct amount of chips, by the end of the work party it was clear that we needed one more event to complete the project. Fortunately, Valerie stepped up to lead our most recent work party, which was held the weekend of July 23rd.
Each of these work parties showcased some of the best aspects of the Solstice P-Patch community. Volunteers quickly jumped in to do their part for the good of the P-Patch, finding ways to help with the guidance of the work party leaders. The first two work parties included a lunch organized by the leadership team — a lovely opportunity to connect and rest. Some of our volunteers stepped up to bring homemade goodies to the final work party, which was held earlier in the day. We appreciate everything that our members did to help us get this project done. Some of our younger volunteers even wanted to help so badly they came when their parents could not! Without the help of so many individuals this project would have taken much longer, and it certainly wouldn't have been as much fun!
What's next?
The leadership team is now preparing for the next phase of path maintenance, which will include dealing with the troublesome area by the native plants (at the northwest side of the patch, nearest the tennis courts). We will also coordinate with the Seattle Parks Department to get ADA-compliant gravel delivered so that we can get the paths by the Giving Garden and up the hill through the path in better shape.
We’re requesting that gardeners bring cardboard for sheet mulching the path by the native plants over by the bunker, or if you have a lot, you can leave flattened cardboard on the pile that is on that path. And, if you have a lead on free wood chips, please let Tim Peterson know. More details to come - for individuals with zero to few volunteer hours completed, this will be a great opportunity to meet your requirements.