Urban Homestead Displays Thrift & Ingenuity at NW Flower and Garden Show
Check out our display garden and retail booth at the NW Flower & Garden Show, Feb. 3-7.
Seattle Tilth is partnering with the design/build landscaping firm NW Bloom to present an innovative display garden for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Feb. 3-7. We also have a retail booth close to the garden, offering supplies and information to help visitors get an early start to the gardening season.
Our garden, “A Family’s Little Farm in the City,” demonstrates how a Pacific NW family can use innovative methods to live sustainably on a small urban plot . Showcasing recycled materials and techniques that work in harmony with natural systems, the garden maximizes both function and beauty. We want to inspire people to grow organic food and compost in small spaces, use native plants, and harvest rainwater.
Designed by Jessi Bloom and her 8 year old son, this urban homestead illustrates how a family can work together and enjoy the earth's bounty together, practice principles of permaculture, tend to animals and edibles and learn to become environmental stewards.
Bloom has had great previous success at the show, winning the Gold Medal in '06 and the Silver Medal and Pacific Horticulture Award in '07. Seattle Tilth is also no stranger to the show, having created display gardens with the design/build firm Exteriorscapes for three years '03-'05. Recognition for our gardens included winning the People’s Choice, Pacific Horticulture Magazine Award, Exhibitors' Award and Silver awards for the show garden in '05, Gold Medal in '04 and the Bronze Medal and People's Choice Award in '03. These gardens were the first to show greenwalls, greenroofs and water catchment.
Our retail booth (#118) features a variety of demonstrations for attendees to see up close. Visitors will see edibles growing in large pots and containers, an heirloom vegetable seedling demonstration and an active worm bin, where worms are busy composting food waste.
Seattle Tilth garden experts will be joined by well known garden writers Mary Wingate, Willi Galloway and Bill Thorness, who will be available to answer questions and talk about their favorite resources for maritime northwest gardens. See the full schedule of Tilth activities and celebrities at the Garden Show.
We’ll be selling items for urban vegetable gardening, including:
- seed kits
- worm bin kits and worms
- the Maritime Northwest Garden Guide
- books about gardening, raising chickens and keeping worms
- favorite garden supplies and tools
- tee shirts, aprons, hats and more!
Seattle Tilth in involved in other areas of the show. “Creepin’ Critters,” a garden education themed show for kids with puppets and songs will be on the Sprout Stage Sat. and Sun. at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tilth educators will be giving a talk about favorite tools and supplies called, “The Best Garden Helpers” at the DIY stage on Friday at 7 p.m. and giving a demonstration about “Composting Food Waste,” at the DYI stage at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6.
Special thanks and acknowledgment goes to NW Bloom for their fantastic garden design and the diligent work of their talented crew, and to Coast Cabins for their huge contribution of the sustainable cabin. Many thanks also goes out to these wonderful sponsors: Second Use, ReStore, Wetlands and Woodlands, Marenakos, Champion Metal of Washington, Raintree Nursery, The Production Network, Fremont Arts Council, AW Pottery, Earth Wise, and Tile for Less Seattle.
Find out more about the NW Flower & Garden Show or get directions to the show.
