South Whidbey Tilth

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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.

In The News ...

Join landscape designer and Tilth member Jennifer Carlson as she demonstrates sustainable landscape design elements for your small-scale farm or homestead. The class is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 30 in the Tilth Community Gardens, 2812 Thompson Road, Langley.

The first outdoor class in this series will meet at Jennifer's market garden plot at Tilth to discuss and fill new compost fences. Compost fences receive woody material that takes too long to decompose in a standard compost pile. The woody material breaks down into a compost dust and gently feeds the plants on either side of the fence. Besides being decorative, a compost fence can provide a wind break, shade, privacy screening and a quiet, insulated backdrop. What used to be considered woody debris to be disposed of is now a resource to be gathered for your fence! Jennifer will discuss requirements for locating and constructing a fence, and the dos and don'ts. The class fee is by donation, to register contact the education committee.

Tilth's roadside farm stand is starting to fill up with fruits and vegetables. It is located at the driveway entrance at Thompson Road. Just pull up, select what you wish. Put your payment in the envelope and slip the envelope into the pump house mail slot near by. You may pay by credit card too. See the plastic bag near apples and fill out your information. We'll process it and send you a receipt.Got produce you want to sell? Contact Prescott or FRed.

It was dedicated on Wednesday, June 9 by the University of Washington's Design-Build students and instructors who were in attendance for the Ribbon Cutting.

No Pizza for two weeks. Old School Market Farm is taking a two week break. Come back November 6 for OSM Eats take-out: pizza, soups, salads, muffins, cookies and more every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the pavilion at South Whidbey Tilth. Café Mam coffee by the cup is also served. Find them on Facebook. You can also call or text 360-935-0622.

Lunch and Dinner fare can be had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. by Trap Landry of the South End Kitchen. Find his menu on his website and place an order, 425-238-0762.

Look for the signs on SR 525 and Thompson Road (2812 Thompson Road, Langley 98260). Please wear a mask and maintain a distance.

Grow, save and give back your garden seeds. Download the guidelines on the Garden page.

There are still opportunities to spend time outdoors and help Tilth! There is much outdoor work to be done around the campus at this time of year, and we welcome you to come work independently or in small, informal groups, if you are feeling well and would like to get out of the house and spend time in a peaceful setting. Please contact the land steward, Ida, for a list of tasks that can be completed independently on the beautiful Tilth campus.

The 2021 members of the governing council of trustees are President Gary Ingram, Secretary Janet Richards, Finance chair Edward Hueneke Vice President Anza Muenchow; Membership, Community Relations and Development chair Prescott; Education committee chair Don Krafft and Market committee chair is Anza Muenchow. The council had a special planning meeting on December 3, see notes. The next regular meeting is Tuesday, November 16 and conducted virtually using the Zoom application. Members are welcome to connect and participate in either meeting. Questions? Contact the President or Secretary for information or leave a message at 360-321-0757.

Find us on ...and like us! Please look for both South Whidbey Tilth and South Whidbey Tilth Farmers' Market.

South Whidbey Tilth depends on its volunteers. Please download a volunteer form as a pdf file. Keep track of your time all year. Mail to South Whidbey Tilth or email to the Treasurer.

Our Organization

Enjoy the Sustainability Campus

The South Whidbey Tilth 11-acre Sustainability Campus is at 2812 Thompson Road, Langley, WA 98260 and 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, seed library, farm stand, community garden and orchard, forest trail and understory recovery project, the highway vegetation management model, and bluebird nesting boxes established by Coupeville fifth-graders. Dog walkers, please use the poop bags in the recycling area by the restrooms. Use the trash can there.

Organizations wishing to hold an event or social gathering may contact the Community Relations Committee for a Campus Space Use application.

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.

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.

Recently the Berry Center in Kentucky posted a video of Wendell Berry's July 1, 1974 speech in Spokane. Wendell's insights are as powerful today as they were forty years ago. The full transcript of his speech is available on the Tilth Producers website.

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.

All the Tilth organizations celebrated the 40th anniversary at the Tilth Producers Conference in November 2014. Mary Berry, Wendell’s daughter, was a keynote speaker.

See our chapters at:

Oregon Tilth www.tilth.org

Tilth Alliance www.tilthalliance.org

Sno-Valley Tilth www.snovalleytilth.org

Vashon Island Growers Association www.vigavashon.org

Online newsletters

Summer 2021 South Whidbey Tilth Newsletter

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