South Whidbey Tilth

Among people everywhere there is increasing concern about the quality and safety of our food as well as concern about harm to the environment from ill-conceived agricultural activity. Tilth's mission is to promote environmentally sound and sustainable agriculture. We are devoted to learning about and promoting ways in which to raise food, ornamentals, other farm crops and farm animals without damage to the environment. Our group, South Whidbey Tilth, is part of the Washington Tilth Association, which is composed of several regional chapters.

Puget Sound Starts Here

Puget Sound is in Trouble! By encouraging local, organic agriculture and making green choices in our daily lives we can create a Puget Sound that continues to be one of the most fertile places on earth. Find out what what you can do and get started. Learn more here and on the Puget Sound Starts Here web site.

Water Conservation in Your Garden

Join us for a glass and a class by Anza Muenchow at the Roaming Radish on Wednesday, March 5 to learn about soil building, compost, and irrigation related to water conservation in agriculture. This program is about preserving water quality that runs into Puget Sound. South Whidbey Tilth, a member of Whidbey ECO Network is promoting the theme “Whidbey Waters Are in Your Hands” with a pub talk.

In The News ...

Farmers' Market Vendopr Orientation March 6

Calling all farmers, artists, crafters and concessionaires. Join us at 6:30 p.m. in Freeland to learn about the 2014 market season starting May 4, see the Market page for details.

Water and Rest Room Use this Winter

The main waterline which serves the restroom and pavilion is on again as of February 15.

Gardening Classes Begin

See class information on the Garden page.

Vounteer hours

South Whidbey Tilth depends on its volunteers. Please download a volunteer form as a pdf file. Keep track of your time all year. Hours for 2013 are due by May 1, 2014. Mail to South Whidbey Tilth or email to Treasurer Edward Hueneke.

Our Organization

Enjoy the Sustainability Campus

The South Whidbey Tilth 11-acre Sustainability Campus provides a unique, leisurely ambience and focus for learning. The campus is open for walking, and you can view our ongoing projects: demonstration field crops, community garden and orchard, forest trail and understory recovery project, native plant salvage beds operated by Native Plant Stewards, the highway vegetation management model, and bluebird nesting boxes established by Coupeville fifth-graders. Dog walkers, please usethe poop bags behind the restroom where the directional signs are. Use the trash can there.

Volunteer Opportunities

South Whidbey Tilth has opportunities for you to help with classes, farmers' market, community gardens, facilities maintenance and improvements and forest restoration projects. Work parties are often held on Saturdays 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. See recent newsletters below for more information.

Tilth History

On August 27, 1977, more than 70 people gathered at Pragtree Farm near Arlington, WA, to develop strategies for the sustainable agriculture movement in the Pacific Northwest. Known as the "Regional Planning Meeting," the gathering established the framework for the Tilth Association.

The meeting at Pragtree Farm laid the foundation for organizing local Tilth chapters. The next spring the first chapters were formed in Seattle and in Southwest Washington, followed by Willamette Valley Tilth and Rogue Tilth in Oregon. By the summer of 1982 there were 15 Tilth chapters in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, with an estimated combined membership of 2,000. At the Regional Planning Meeting three years later Anthony Judge's ideas were incorporated into Tilth's strategy of organizing autonomous local chapters empowered to respond to the needs of their communities. Over the past three decades the Tilth movement has ebbed and flowed, with the central organization dissolving into statewide organizations in Oregon and Washington, and local chapters forming and fading away. Because of its decentralized, ecological strategy, however, Tilth has continued to adapt, survive, and thrive. Today Tilth is experiencing a resurgence parallel to the growth of the organic food and farming nationwide. The complete story by one of the founders, Mark Musick is on the Washington Tilth website select History.

See our chapters at:

Oregon Tilth www.tilth.org

Seattle Tilth www.seattletilth.org

Sno-Valley Tilth www.snovalleytilth.org

Spokane Tilth www.spokanetilth.com

Tilth Producers of Washington www.tilthproducers.org

Vashon Island Growers Association www.vigavashon.org

Online newsletters

The current newsletter issue is February/March 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

A Full Council Is Elected…….1

Garden Classes Begin………1