The Manette Edible Gardens Tour is one of my favorite garden tours of the year, mostly because of its local, homegrown feel. Manette community members come together to organize this annual event, opening their gardens and landscapes for the public to experience first-hand. For a donation of $5, one has access to the most welcoming gardeners who freely share the knowledge they’ve accumulated over the years.
Last August, I took my niece and nephew with me so they could see food being grown and available in one’s own back yard. By the time we left Manette, they had handfuls of garden booty! (Turns out, gardeners are incredibly generous people.) The tour is a great experience for children, and this year’s tour included activities such as face painting and a scavenger hunt.
Colby accompanied me this year. While we didn’t see all of the twelve gardens on offer, we received a wealth of great composting tips at Nano Farm.
compost at Nano Farm
Coffee grinds layered on top of your pile will hide smells, hopefully keeping animals away. Don’t add receipts to your compost; something in them kills the worms. Also, place a bucket of water next to your bin to wet your carbon before putting it in the pile. This is a great way to keep things moist.
We were very impressed by Nano Farm which belongs to homeowners Eugene and Deborah. Upon walking up to their home, we were greeted by a spread of their garden bounty, which included canned and pickled items.
Nano Farm features sustainable watering systems, a chicken coop, fruit trees, bees and more.
Managing this garden is more than a part-time job and Eugene, a great steward of his land, is up to the task in every way. He was, after all, part of a grassroots coalition that helped to “legalize chickens” in Bremerton. Using simple yet incredibly effective technology, he captures water from his garage to water his garden. Being retired, he also has the time to keep bees.
Beekeeping at Nano Farm
It was a great afternoon. We appreciate seeing folks doing what they love and doing it well. Cheers to the good people of Manette and everyone involved with the Manette Edible Gardens Tour!
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Thanks for reading our blog. Northwest Construction & Landscape, LLC is a Kitsap County landscaping company that offers landscaping, decorative concrete and lawn maintenance services to homes and businesses across Kitsap and Pierce counties.