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. South Whidbey Tilth Association is an educational association, the purpose of which is to support and promote biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture. Our commitment is to advocate, study and teach agricultural practices consistent with stewardship of the natural world. We promote and demonstrate principles and practices of sustainable agriculture, as well as cultivate a variety of opportunities for local market gardeners and farmers.

In The News ...

Suddenly Spring has begun with a flurry of activity. In March, T&T Construction installed a French drain to control flooding on the road, Tom Vincent taught a compost class at Tilth for the WSU Whidbey Island Garden Workshop, Gary Ingram taught his annual pruning class, Anza Muenchow taught a class about cool season crops and the Community Garden Contracts went out.

April is full of Island-wide activities to Care for Our Common Home, the theme for 2022 Earth and Ocean Month. Tilth is offering a work party in the Garry Oak Meadow on April 7, plus classes. Dan Vorhis of Muscle and Arm Farm teaches fruit tree grafting on April 9. Much more is going on, check out the calendar page and the main site for island-wide activities.

Plans are developing for the Farmers' Market's opening day on Sunday May 1. Vendors, both returning and new, can find the 2022 Tilth Farmers Market Policy and Agreement on the Market page. We especially want more farmers with good produce.

Tilth's roadside farm stand currently has farm fresh eggs raised at Tilth by Haven Illustrated and Fred's Farmacy. Soon it will start to fill up with flowers, 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.

Old School Market (OSM) Eats is open again after a major kitchen remodel. They are open Friday thorugh Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. With fresh hot food, pizzas, treats and beverages. They have frozen pizza to take home. Find them on Facebook. You can also call or text 360-935-0622.

The regular business meeting is Tuesday, April 19 at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Members are welcome to connect and participate. Questions? Contact the President or Secretary for information or leave a message at 360-321-0757.

The 2022 members of the governing council of trustees are President Gary Ingram, Secretary Daria Martel, Finance chair Edward Hueneke, Vice President Paula Richards, Membership, Community Relations and Development chair Prescott, Education committee chair Jennifer Carlson, Landstewardship chair, Don Krafft and Market committee chair, Pam Nodus .

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

Spring 2022 South Whidbey Tilth Newsletter

Contents