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.

South Whidbey Tilth Civility Statement: All are pledged to show respectful behavior toward all people and living things while on the South Whidbey Tilth Campus. While involved with Tilth, an apolitical organization, all shall be accountable for his/her/they actions and strive to be fair and courteous, especially when confronted with disagreements or disrespect. All shall participate in creating an atmosphere of kindness, where people of all cultures and backgrounds feel safe and supported.

In The News ...

Stock up on goods and goodies October 2, 9 and 16. Fall market hours are now 11 a.m.to 2 p.m. The last market is a customer appreciation event with treats and a pumpkin harvest.

Warm Hearts for Warm Hearths is a humanitarian fundraiser to buy stoves to ship to Ukrainie. Check out the special event at the market in October. Donations may be sent directly to Hope for Ukraine

Now open in the Cob Playhouse in the market meadow at Tilth. Come check out the books!

Come Saturday, September 24, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 25, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to 2812 Thompson Road, Langley. Settled on over 11 acres, South Whidbey Tilth invites you to tour the community gardens, stroll the woodland trail, investigate the seed library, enjoy lunch of pizza and more by OSM Eats, shop at the farm stand or Sunday Farmers’ Market, earn $2 in Local Bux in the children’s scavenger hunt, play around the sandbox or children’s playhouse, watch the pumpkins grow, learn about soil building with worms or compost and more. Download a pamphlet about this tour and a directory of Whidbey farm stands.

Tilth's roadside farm stand currently has farm fresh eggs raised at Tilth by Haven Illustrated. The Tilth-grown apple harvest is coming in. The farm stand 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.

Please join us to plant a pollinator hedgerow to provide habitat and beauty at Tilth. We’re meeting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 8 at the Tilth entrance to plant the shrubs and saplings. Please bring gardening gloves, a shovel if you have one available, and some enthusiasm as we install our latest eco-friendly feature at Tilth.

Old School Market (OSM) Eats is open again after a major kitchen remodel. They are open Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 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 next regular meeting is Tuesday, October 18 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

South Whidbey Tilth Fall 2022 Newsletter

Contents