SabinGardens.org

You may have seen a bright orange construction wrap around the perimeter of the Native Garden recently.  It is the first step visible step in a processes which will include amending the soil, improving walkways, swale redesign and new plantings.  These enhancements are paid for through a grant from the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, spearheaded by Sabin/ACCESS parent Heather Kent. The wrap will come down in the late fall, and the educational component of the grant will begin. Sabin students will then get into studying watersheds and native habitats in a big way, with field trips and right here at home in the enhanced Native Garden.

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Sabin Gardens will be part of a tour of common spaces in the Sabin Community, sponsored by the Sabin Community Association on Saturday, May 8 from 10am-noon.  Here is the information from the SCA Newsletter:

Want to know about the common spaces we share in our neighborhood, so we can take better care of them? Want to know where boundaries are and rules concerning public property such as parks, planting strips and rights of way? Then join us at Sabin Hydropark, NE Skidmore at 19^th Ave., on May 8 from 10am-noon. We’ll get a general orientation and talk about the facilities at the Hydropark, such as the play area and Community Garden, walk down 19^th Ave. to Mason St. and the Sabin Community Orchard, cross the street to Sabin School and Sabin Gardens, head over to 15^th to point out the triangle at Prescott, walk down 15^th to Klickitat, stroll down the Klickitat Mall to Irving Park, and end at the Green Streets project on Fremont. From there, we can check out Ariadne Garden, a non-profit land trust project, just north of Fremont on 11^th, before an optional lunch at Whole Foods. For more information, contact Jeff Strang at 503-752-9494 or jeffstrang@comcast.net.

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Sabin Gardns will be having a work party on February 20, from 9:30am until 2:00pm to get the Edible Garden ready for spring planting and build additional vegetable planting beds. Please join us for as much time as you choose–even an hour of your help makes a big difference.

Sabin School, ACCESS Academy and Sabin SUN Community School all use the edible gardens to learn more about nutrition, garden basics and to gain an appreciation for the origins of food. Learning about growth in the garden helps children recognize and appreciate growth in themselves.

Contact Isabel, Garden Educator at isabel@sabingardens.org.

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Welcome back to another wonderfull year in the garden! Join us on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11 from 9am until noon for a work party to help get the garden ready for fall classes.  Come and meet other neighbors, parents and our new Garden Educator, Isabel LaCourse.

What a difference a year makes.  So many people have contributed their time, talent and helping hands to sustain the Native Garden and transform what was a level patch of grass and weeds into the Edible Garden.  (To see what the Edible Garden looked like when it was established a little more than a year ago, click here.)  But we need to keep digging, weeding, watering and caring for the gardens so that they can continue to be a wonderful resource for the children at Sabin School, ACCESS Academy and in the Sabin neighborhood.

Hope to see you there.

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What did we do during our spring break?  We built a fence!  More than a fence, actually, a new border consisting of a split-rail fence, rocks and logs that will help protect the Native Garden.  A grant from the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District paid for the materials, then parents and neighbors got together on  Saturday, March 21 and other times throughout the week to do the installation.  The Edible Garden got a fence, too, thanks to funds from the Sabin PTA.  Special thanks go to Gilbert Shibley for bringing in nearly two tons of logs and boulders.  Old Town Pizza and Starbucks on Fremont donated food and refreshments for the work party.  Kids painted pots and filled them with donated strawberry starts for sale at the upcoming PTA Auction.  In the coming weeks the Native Garden fence will get the final four segments installed.  In the meantime, have a look at the photos on our Gallery page and don’t hesitate to ask questions at webmaster@sabingardens.org.

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The Native Garden now has permanent paths, thanks to purchase of 75 stepping stone pavers by the Sabin PTA.  A big “Thank you!” goes to Ken Rumbaugh and the ACCESS Academy classes of Ms. Clarke and Ms. Egan for braving the wet weather and installing over 1200 lbs of pavers to make these new paths.  The next step for ensuring the success of the Native Garden will be to create fencing that directs foot traffic to the stepping-stone paths.

(The stepping stone shown in the photo is one of several dozen decorated by Sabin students several years ago.  These were mixed in with the new pavers.)

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It has been determined in the past few PTA meetings that the formation of a Sabin Garden Committee is needed. The Garden Committee will discuss and make decisions regarding allocation of resources, funding for projects and materials, garden maintenance, curriculum development surrounding the garden, long term goals and vision for Sabin Gardens, the distribution of food grown in Sabin Edible Gardens, and other issues. The Garden Committee will report back to the PTA as needed.

If you’re interested in being a part of the Garden Committee, contact Madelyn Mickelberry: madelyn@sabingardens.org

Our first meeting will be coming up soon!

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Parents, students and neighbors all helped to get the Sabin grounds and gardens ready for the school year at the PTA/SOLV Spuce-Up Day on August 23rd.  Significant for the Native Garden are new benches that circle some of the mature trees nearby.  At left, two ACCESS Academy students pull some prize oak tree starts from the Native Garden.

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Meley and Kionna take time to smell the flowers.

Now you, too, can take time to smell the flowers.  Visit our Gallery page, where you’ll find some lovely shots taken by Sabin Sun camp counselors during the first week in garden class.

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Sabin Gardens needs to have cedar chips spread around the pathways and on the outside of the berm. This will suppress weeds, maintain moisture for raised beds, and keep the garden with a beautiful and maintained appearance. More chips are being ordered this week. Now all we need are volunteers to spend a few hours spreading these chips! Extra wheelbarrows will be helpful.

Interested volunteers can send me an email with availability to madelyn@pdx.edu. The PTA spruce-up day on August 23rd could be a good time to work on this. Let me know if you can help on the 23rd. Another time can be coordinated if needed, also.

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