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How does the School Garden Online Plant Sale work

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**This post has been updated as of 5/12/20 to reflect changes to pick up schedule on Fridays, and how long ordering will be available for the week.**

You might be thinking to yourself – how does an online Plant Sale work? – and we definitely understand your curiosity about that! 

Please read all the way through before visiting the shop and placing a plant order

We’re excited to offer plant sales online this year, and hope this new format might allow more folks to take home our lovingly-grown plants than ever before.

We’ll operate a no-contact pick up process over the course of several weeks, which is really different from the one-day in-person Plant Sale from previous years! 

The online Plant Sale kicked off 5/6/20. **Each week the “shop” will open Wed 5 pm – Thurs 11:59 pm, or it will close when we’ve received 80 orders for the week (whichever comes first).** Different plants will become available as they are ready and healthy enough to sell – here is the list of all the plants we will have at some point during the course of the online Plant Sale:

2020 LCSG Online Plant Sale Availability

2020 LCSG Online Plant Sale Pricing

We will not be doing any in-person/on-site orders; please do all of your ordering online through the website. We will be unable to make any changes to your order during pick up – if there are changes you need made to your order prior to pick up, please text/call 360-200-8918. Changes to your order may result in your pick up time/date being rescheduled. 

We realize not everyone is able to pay via credit card or other online routes, so if you have no other option than cash or check please reach out to us before placing your order so we can make the necessary arrangements.

EBT/SNAP
We are also able to take EBT as payment for edible plants. Since we will be doing a majority of the orders online with credit card and no-contact pick up, we will need to make special arrangements for any transactions that involve EBT. Instead of ordering online, please contact us if this option is something you’re interested in. We want to make this work, and though it may not be particularly graceful yet, we will do our best to figure it out.

We ask and encourage everyone to use their best judgment and limit the numbers of plants they order so more of our community members are able to participate in growing their own food.  

This whole process may take a little more cooperation and patience than usual from our staff as well as our community to keep everyone safe and healthy, not only as we work out the hiccups in our new system but as we maintain physical distancing to the best of our abilities. With that in mind…

ORDER FULFILLMENT & PICK UP
Orders will be filled and ready for no-contact pick up at The Northlake Garden, 2210 Olympia Way, Longview, WA 98632 on Friday afternoons, based on the first letter of your last name.

**Times listed below may have changed since the first week of the sale – please take a second look:

  • Last Name A – F: 1:00 – 1:45
  • Last Name G – L: 1:45 – 2:30
  • **Last Name M – R: 2:30 – 3:00
  • **Last Name S – Z: 3:00 – 3:30

If the specified time/window does not work for you, please contact us at 360-200-8918 to make other arrangements

  • When you arrive at your designated time on Friday, please pull up to the curb closest to the Northlake Garden (along Olympia Way), facing Ocean Beach Hwy and remain in your vehicle. 
  • Have your order number and last name ready to provide to a School Garden Team Member, or **better yet (if it is possible for you) already have it clearly displayed in your passenger side window when you arrive**. If you are unable to make it to your scheduled pick up time please contact us at the phone number above as soon as possible. 
  • We have a limited number of boxes (cardboard or otherwise) available, so if you’d like a container for your plants please plan to bring your own. 
  • We will maintain 6-foot physical distancing for the safety of our staff and customers and we ask that you wait until we set your order next to your vehicle prior to getting out and loading it. 
  • If you need some assistance with loading your order, please let us know!

Please stay home if you are sick or have been in contact with anyone who is sick. Ask someone who you haven’t been in close contact with to pick up your order, or get in touch with us for no-contact delivery: email info@lcschoolgardens.org or call/text 360-200-8918

Ways that we’ll be staying safe:

  • Our staff will wash their hands regularly; we’ll have hand-washing stations set up to make this easy.
  • Staff will wear face masks and clean garden gloves to avoid the spread of germs when touching plant pots and trays.
  • Often-touched surfaces will be cleaned and sanitized frequently.
Bird’s Eye View Map & Brief Directions for Plant Sale Pick Up from Northlake Garden

COMMUNITY
In these challenging times, we know that many of us can’t afford to purchase plants. That’s just a reality for a lot more folks than usual, so please reach out if you are in need of plants and cannot pay for them at this time. We want to do what we can to make sure as many folks in our community as possible have access to food they can grow in the coming months.
Email info@lcschoolgardens.org or call/text 360-200-8918

Do you have an abundance of resources and can help cover some of the cost of plants for families or folks in need? Donate here and write in the description “Gift Plants” and we will continue to share plants with the community as long as we have them available.

GIVING CREDIT!
THANK YOU to our friends at Tilth Alliance in Seattle, WA for all their help with the process of getting our Plant Sale online, and the wording to share. We hope that their recent (annual) Edible Plant Sale was a huge success!

Looking forward to 2018 Spring Garden Programs!

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We can’t wait for Spring to arrive – to see new green growth emerging in the gardens, reconnect with students in their outdoor classrooms, and work alongside our amazing team of volunteers.

Our ​S​pring ​Garden Season is going to look ​a little different this year – it is split into two 5-week sessions, with a week-long break in between:

  • Session One: March 19 – April 27 (Spring Break also falls within this first session)​
  • Garden Break: April 30 – May 4
  • Session Two: May 7 – June 8

As you may already know, one day a week schools have After School Garden Clubs and/or School Day Garden Programs (during recess or scheduled class time).
In general, here’s the plan for the Spring Season:

  • After School Garden Clubs that are facilitated primarily by LCSG staff will take place during ONE of the 5-week sessions.
  • School Day Garden Programs will take place during BOTH 5​-​week sessions.

And yet one more way to say it: After School Garden Clubs are 5 weeks long, and School Day Garden Programs are 10 weeks long. There are some exceptions to this model, mostly involving schools where volunteer or teacher garden coordinators have stepped​ ​up and are facilitating garden programs without regular assistance from LCSG staff.

Take a look at the Spring Schedule below…

We are humbled and grateful for the ongoing support of this community. Our small staff is continually “building the plane as we are flying it”- ​always ​learning how to​ better ​distribute our time and resources more equitably in order to reach kids at all 18 School Gardens in Longview and Kelso. Your feedback and patience is appreciated and helpful as we make changes and try new things.

The School Gardens in this community are a result of many people saying, “yes!” to spaces for our kids to learn about real food, the natural world, and to practice being healthy, kind humans.

Please stay tuned for information specific to your students’ School Garden as the season approaches.

 

Special Evening Produce Sale this Wednesday from 5 to 7

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School Garden Produce Sales have been taking place Wednesdays from 10 to 1 in the Northlake Elementary School Garden all summer long, with students proudly selling the gorgeous produce they’ve grown and tended.

This Wednesday we’re breaking a bit with tradition and hosting a special Evening Produce Sale as a last hurrah before we begin Fall Garden Programs. There are still so many beautiful fruits and vegetables to be tasted and savored before the season ends.

We hope you’ll stop by for this special event.

School Garden Produce Sale: Special Evening Edition
Wednesday, Sept 6th, 5:00 to 7:00
Northlake School Garden
2210 Olympia Way

FREE Volunteer Training with School Gardens – Sept 8th & 9th, 2017

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The first Volunteer Training of the new school year is coming up very soon!
School Gardens staff members are looking forward to meeting new
friends, as well as welcoming back familiar ones.

Two identical sessions are offered:
– Friday, September 8th, 9:00 to noon –
OR
– Saturday, September 9th, 9:00 to noon –

Register by sending an email to ian@LCschoolgardens.org and
specifying which day you plan to attend.

Spring 2017 Garden programs begin March 6th, 2017

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Weekly Spring Garden programs begin on Monday, March 6th, 2017
– this means a lot of good things, including weekly volunteer opportunities!

If you haven’t volunteered with us before, please email our Volunteer Coordinator julia@lcschoolgardens.org and
we’ll get you plugged in with the garden or activity that’s right for you and your schedule.

Every hour you’re able to contribute as a volunteer – whether it’s on a weekly, monthly, or even an
annual basis – makes a difference in the lives of kids and families in our community.

FREE Volunteer Training with School Gardens – Feb 17 & Feb 18, 2017

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The first Volunteer Training of 2017 is coming up next month in February.
School Gardens staff members are looking forward to meeting new
friends, as well as welcoming back familiar ones.

Two identical sessions are offered:
– Friday, February 17th, 9:00 to noon –
OR
– Saturday, February 18th, 9:00 to noon –

Register by sending an email to ian@LCschoolgardens.org and
specifying which day you plan to attend.

Offering thanks for the Seeds!

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During 2016, School Gardens is proud to have helped students, families, volunteers, and other community members plant more than 130,000 square feet of space in 17 different gardens!

But here’s the thing: we couldn’t have planted anything, or grown beautiful and nourishing produce with (and for) our community without seeds.

We are so thankful again this year to the farmers, growers, and companies
who provided us with the ability to grow our gardens during 2016. We count ourselves as tremendously fortunate to witness thousands of students experiencing the magic and wonder of seeds for the first time – and it is all because of the generosity of the people mentioned below.

It is with admiration for the beautiful and important work they do, and for their generous giving that we thank these folks:

Baker Creek Heirlooms

Botanical Interests

Bountiful Gardens

Greg’s Gardens

Irish Eyes Garden Seeds

Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Our American Roots

Peaceful Valley

Renee’s Garden

Seed Savers Exchange

Territorial Seed Company

Tsugawa Nursery

 

Now Hiring! School Garden Assistant/Cowlitz AmeriCorps Member

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Lower Columbia School Gardens invites kind, energetic candidates to apply to join our team as a 2016-2017 School Garden Assistant/Cowlitz AmeriCorps Member.  Please pass this along to anyone interested in making the world a better place by working with kids, volunteers, plants, and food in school gardens.
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The mission of Lower Columbia School Gardens (LCSG) is to build and sustain school gardens that cultivate the values of lifelong learning, sustainability, health and community in children and their families.  LCSG connects students and their families with real food and hands-on learning through dynamic garden and cooking programs.Position: School Garden Assistant (two identical positions are currently open)
Location: 17 school gardens in Longview and Kelso, with central operations at Northlake Elementary, 2210 Olympia Way in Longview
Hours: Hours vary with seasons but are generally 8:30 to 5:00.  This is a full time 11 month AmeriCorps position with minimum 1700 hours for the Sept 2016 – July 2017 term.
Compensation (through Cowlitz AmeriCorps Network):
  • $1,140 per month living allowance
  • $5,775 education award upon completion
  • Basic medical insurance (if eligible)
  • Childcare Benefits (if eligible)
Position Description: Garden Assistant/Cowlitz AmeriCorps Member 2016-2017
1.  Garden Assistant will lead groups of elementary and middle school students in a wide variety of garden activities.  Planting seeds, turning compost, propagation, watering, fertilizing, transplanting, harvesting, preparing soil, mulching, planting fruit trees and berry bushes, saving seeds, general garden maintenance.  Transport supplies to and from school site.
2. Teach garden related lessons tied to Common Core standards: examining worms and other garden creatures under microscopes, testing soil, identifying parts of plants, plant families, etc, as well as lessons on pollination, propagation, and natural history.  Transport supplies to and from school site.
3. Teach hands-on healthy cooking lessons to groups of students.  Garden Assistant will cook with students K-8 in outdoor kitchen (camp-type kitchen) environments as well as a few Home Ec classrooms where available.  Students will learn basic cooking skills and prepare dishes using ingredients fresh from the garden.  Examples: grilled vegetables, fresh salsa, roasted root vegetables, soup, lettuce wraps, salad, salad dressing, smoothies, pizza.  Garden Assistant will plan activities, set up tables and equipment, set up hand-washing station, procure ingredients, give hands-on instruction, clean up, wash dishes.
4.  Lead art and craft activities in the garden: drying flowers, painting garden signs, making bookmarks, grape vine wreaths, sewing, seed art.  Will plan activities, set up craft station, provide specific instruction to students, clean up.
5.  Garden Assistant will act as volunteer coordinator – recruiting, training, guiding, instructing, and maintaining contact through phone, email, and social media.
6.  Perform general garden maintenance tasks – water, weed, mulch, haul soil & debris, spread leaves and manure, turn compost, clean and organize garden sheds and greenhouses, build trellises.
7.  As a member of the Cowlitz AmeriCorps Team, participant will be required to attend trainings, participate in service projects, weekly meetings and other team activities.

Requirements:

  • U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, or lawful permanent resident alien of the U.S.
  • At least 17 years of age; there is no upper age limit.
  • Able to lift 40 pounds, perform physical work for multiple hours in variety of weather conditions.
  • High school diploma or equivalent.
  • Pass National Sex Offender Registry check, Washington State Background check, FBI background check.
  • It takes a unique person to dedicate nearly a year of their life to service. We appreciate those who bring a can-do attitude, a sense of humor, a zest for learning, and enthusiasm! Must be willing to work with a diverse team and be committed to the idea and practice of service as a way to improve yourself and the lives of others. Self-discipline and motivation are central to success.

To apply, or for more information about AmeriCorps:

  • Call (360) 577-5859
  • Stop by the Life Works building at 906 New York St. in Longview

Read full position description here.

Questions? Please call anytime: 360-431-6725, or reply to this email. Visit Lower Columbia School Gardens on our website and Facebook to get a better idea of the world-changing work we do.