Photo-history of Mirrormont Pea Patch

Photo-History

2009

In June 2009, the MCA was awarded a grant for $10,000 from King County Partnerships and Grants, which was a matching grant designed to save the county money by depending upon volunteer labor to accomplish the project. But work on the garden began in April 2009 to clear the land, thanks to the kindness of Mirrormont Country Club, who owns the land.

During weekly work parties in 2009, through good weather and bad, we cleared blackberries, removed debris from the site, pulled stumps, leveled and rototilled the ground, installed a French drain, and harvested a lot of rocks. While the thorny blackberries fought back, we emerged scratched but victorious.

First Work Parties: Clearing Himalayan blackberries and alders

Project Team: Linda Shepherd (Project Manager) Diane & Kevin Mashek, Terry Garrido, Sue Kenfield, Yvette Cardozo, Maryfrances Lignana, Meg Wade, Betsy Dahlstrom, Heidi & Larry & Alex & Christian Paradis, Bryan Stempson, Liz Bromley, Brit Brigs, Carol & John Vekich, Gerard Jancoski, Larry & Lynn Powalisz

Maryfrances Lignana and Sue Kenfield—April 11, 2009

Linda Shepherd

Alex Paradis digs out a humongous blackberry root

Christian Paradis pulls out another big root

Larry Paradis chain sawing alders—April 26, 2009

Larry & Lynn Powalisz, Carol Vekich

Grant Signing!

T.J. Davis with King County Community Partnerships and Grants and Martha Pinsky, acting President of the Mirrormont Community Association—June 15, 2009

Pulling Out Stumps

Terry Meyer pulling out stumps and leveling the ground—June 27, 2009

Installing French Drain

Project Team: Meg Wade (Project Manager), Chas Wade, Linda Shepherd, Terry Meyer

Terry Meyer & Chas Wade covering French drain that empties into the ditch along Mirrormont Drive—July 24, 2009.

Rototilling & Harvesting Rocks

Terry Meyer rototilling: August 15, 2009

Liz Bromley, Yvette Cardozo, Larry Powalisz, Linda Shepherd, & Betsy Dahlstrom harvesting rocks.

Sheet-mulching to Suppress Blackberries & Provide Paths

Project Team: Linda Shepherd (Project Manager), Terry Garrido, Kevin & Diane Mashek, Betsy Dahlstrom, Yvette Cardozo, Liz Bromley, Bryan Stempson, Lisa & Ray Roberts, Jim & Maggie Warren, Carol Vekich, Maryfrances Lignana, Sue Kenfield, René Kristof

Kevin Mashek dumping six inches of wood chips over cardboard, which keeps out the light—September 12, 2009

Carol Vekich & Terry Garrido

2010

During this period, we added an access road to the back gate, built 24 raised beds, installed deer and rodent fencing, filled our plots with Cedar Grove Vegetable Garden Mix generously donated by Cedar Grove, installed a drip irrigation system, and held a plant sale to raise money for a shed.

Adding a Back Access Road to the Park

Project Team: Meg Wade, Linda Shepherd, Ben Pinsky, Terry Meyer

Suggested by Bryan Stempson, executed by Terry Meyer—February 28, 2010

Completed access road with our first delivery of 13 cubic yards of Cedar Grove Compost Vegetable Garden Mix (March 22, 2010)

Building Raised Beds

Project Team: Betsy Dahlstrom with Kevin Mashek (Project Managers); Diane & Alec Mashek, Liz Bromley, Carol Vekich, Yvette Cardozo, Chrissie Dahlstrom, Linda Shepherd

Liz Bromley, Betsy & Chrissie Dahlstrom building raised beds in Yvette Cardozo’s “barn” with lumber from Issaquah Cedar & Lumber

Kevin & Diane Mashek, Yvette Cardozo: sawing and loading raised bed frames

Betsy Dahlstrom, Linda Shepherd, Yvette Cardozo, Liz Bromley, Kevin Mashek celebrate completion of 24 raised beds.

Linda Shepherd filling raised bed with Cedar Grove’s Veggie Mix—March 24, 2010

Deer Fence & Rodent Barrier Installation

Trench for rodent barrier, and staked out plots for back rows—March 6, 2010

Trench-digging Team: Sam, Adam & Ben Pinsky—March 6, 2010

Fence Installation Team: Joe Lapping (Project Manager), Chas & Meg Wade, Linda Shepherd, Betsy Dahlstrom—March 10, 2010

Installing Drip Irrigation System—April 10, 2010

PLANTING! and Plot Styles

Linda Shepherd with homemade sign

Diane Mashek’s garden dedicated to the Issaquah Food Bank uses “square-foot gardening”—May 3, 2010

Betsy Dahlstrom framed her raised bed with rocks that had been harvested during rototilling. Vertical structures extend her gardening space and Scarecrow protects her plot—May 14, 2010

Yvette Cardozo’s bed with potato towers and protected tomatoes

ScaryGirls at the Junior Gardener’s plot, which Meg Wade oversees—July 26, 2010

Linda Shepherd’s plot uses “keyholes”, a permaculture design strategy

Led by Med Wade, Junior Gardeners prepare to plant sunflowers at a picnic table donated by Heidi & Larry Paradis—May 12, 2010. Robin Spicer donated our big cedar picnic table.

First Pea Patch Plant Sale to raise money toward a tool shed

Project Manager: Maryfrances Lignana

Diane Mashek sells tomatoes she and her husband started in their greenhouse—May 14, 2010

Shed Raising

Project Team: Joe Kristoff (Project Manager); Ross Kristoff, Helen Radliff, Gerard Jancoski, Chris Homanics

Ross Kristoff & Gerard Jancoski help lay out the components, which arrived on an 8×10-ft pallet weighing 1173 pounds—July 18, 2010

Ross Kristoff, Chris Homanics & Joe Kristoff—July 20. 2010.

Ross Kristoff, Joe Kristoff & Helen Radliff celebrate at the end of the third day of assembly—July 21, 2010

Compost Bins

Project Team: Chris Homanics (Compost Chief), Linda Shepherd, Rick Quandt

With his expertise in farming and permaculture, Chris Homanics built two compost bins with pallets—July 21, 2010. The bottom layer is rocks, covered by layers of dirt, ground oyster shells, straw & leaves (brown), and green garden waste (green), followed by alternate layers of green and brown. Rick Quandt added another two bins.

Community Herb Garden

Project Manager: Linda Shepherd

Planning: Linda Shepherd in consultation with Meg Wade—May 7, 2010

Community Herb Garden entrance to the Pea Patch after building rock walls, sheet-mulching, adding dirt, and planting—July 26, 2010

Herbs thriving—August 21, 2010

Bountiful Produce

Barb Faber’s plot during the salad days of summer

Harvest basket of kale, Violet Podded Stringless Beans, basil, and SunGold tomatoes

Photo taken from same spot as the first posted photo in 2009, clearing blackberries

First Annual Pea Patch Plot Pickin’ Potluck Party

Summer potluck at Maryfrances Lignana’s home: Carol & John Vekich, Carol Homanics, Yvette Cardozo, Cindy Wood & her granddaughter, Lynn Powalicz, Mitra Mohandessi

Bryan Beatty’s Drone Photo, August 2018

#Gardening