Growing Plants for the Pollinators
Many thanks to the Ashland Food Co-op for funding this project through the 2021 AFC Gives Community Grants Program, to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank for providing the space, and​ thank you to Biomass One Landscaping Materials and Wood Debris Drop-Off for a sweet discount on the soil.
With extra special thanks to the hardworking team who came out and made it happen - Carolyn Singh, Daniel Jokelson, Cynthia Michaels, Eddie Janisch, Deb Vroman, Alex Myers, Christine Freidel, and Kristina Lefever, led by our excellent teacher, Kyle Poling.
​
Assuming success, the plants, and later their seeds, will be shared with the community through plant sales and also garden contributions for our From Fire to Flowers program.
It was a super fun project and we all learned a lot!
We will keep you posted on the progress!
​
How to get more plants for the pollinators? Plant more seeds!
And we are doing just that! In 4 hours 9 people transformed an empty space into a productive growing area for 10 pollinator plant species! After making the beautifully lined out beds, we seeded in 7 species of native seeds, all excellent plants for our native pollinators - the Oregon Sunshine, Coyote Mint, and 3 species of Penstemon are all from our Main Street Garden in Phoenix. The Blue Gilia is compliments of the Rogue Native Plant Partnership (RNPP) - many thanks! - and Kyle provided the Bolanders sunflower seed. A week or so later, Clarkia from Kyle and Tarweed from our Garden were seeded in. The last species, Sticky Monkeyflower, will be transplanted in as seedlings growing in trays at The Pollination Place.
Kyle and the gang
November 28, 2021
Click the photo to enter the album
To complete the Pollinator Seed Bed at AEFB, 4 superwomen showed up at the woodpile of Hunter Tree Care LLC (thank you!), loaded a pickup truck and enough containers to fill 3 other vehicles, and made it back over to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank in just over an hour! And then with the help of 3 more super-powered people, we off-loaded and placed chips in between the pathways of the seed beds we built 2 months ago (see our post on 11/30/21 with that photo album), and still had enough chips to sheet mulch around the seed beds! Amazing!
​
It was fun and productive day! Many thanks to Carolyn Singh, Cynthia Michaels, Daniel Jokelson, Terry Trantham, Laura Jessup, Sharon Bryson, and Kristina Lefever (not shown) for making it happen!
It's finished - except for irrigation
January 23, 2022
Click the photo to enter the album
We'll keep you posted on the progress of the seeds and plants that grow out in this seeding project.
March 25, 2022
Click the photo to enter the album
Follow us on our seed journey, and find out about the next generation of these plants as we collect and plant the seeds to grow more pollinator plants.
​
Want to learn about native and pollinator plants, help collect seeds to grow and share, and more.....
oh, right, and weed?!
Sign up to Bee Involved!