Diggin' Shoreline

July 20-21 11-2

Midvale Gardens Work Party

(N 192nd St and the Interurban Trail)

Come help spread wood chips atop cardboard this weekend (11-2 each day - stay longer if you wish). This year we have been making the most of previous process using goats. Local neighbors have begun laying out cardboard (bring yours as well) and spreading woodchips donated by Shoreline Parks. See you there!

Howdy Shoreline neighbors. The Midvale Gardens site is in the process of another transformation. During COVID we began using goats (Earthcraft Services) and five years later much of the overgrowth has been tamed. Now (with support from the City Parks department) we are spreading woodchips over what was once brambles and weeds.

We are planning a work party weekend July 20-21 and will be encouraging community participation. For more info contact the Midvale Gardens Facebook page.

This is the fifth year that our neighborhood has rallied to clean up a very neglected Seattle City Light parcel in north Shoreline (N 192nd St and the Interurban Trail). In 2019 we relied on volunteers to show up with their own clippers and gloves and attack the wall of invasive weeds that dominated the site. COVID made us rethink this approach and thanks to Ed Portnow and the Earthcraft Services goatherd we have been grazing hungry goats for the last four summers. The herd cost $500 a day. Donations big and small are welcome. This summer's goal is $1,500.

Those of us who live near this site can attest to the success of these magnificent goats. By opening up this SCL parcel to observation we have eliminated the squatter camps that once were hidden in the urban jungle that covered this property. Another big perk is that we no longer have drug needles scattered about the soil. Bikers and joggers can see approaching traffic on N 192nd. And these kid-friendly and dog-tolerant goats love the attention they generate.

This successful community improvement project is made possible by the sponsorship of 'Diggin' Shoreline' - a non-profit organization that encourages the creation of community gardens. Their 501c3 status means all donations are tax-deductible.

We have left the photos and thoughts from last summer as well to give you an idea of what the Earthcraft Services goats have been up to.

PS: Thanks to all our donors.