gardening

Vermiculture is our market demo this week. (That’s worm cultivation for the uninitiated. See above for a handy info poster.) Jim Wood of Marlé Worm Growers will show you how to set up a bin for worm cultivation, how to “harvest” the worm castings and how to use them in your home garden. Worms are the best friends your soil can have!

Now in its third week, KERNEL’s free kids activity looks at composting. This will tie in with the vermiculture demo, and our younger participants will be able to get their hands dirty by making super soil with the help of their wriggly friends. And not only is the KERNEL activity free, kids get some Fresh Bucks for spending at the market once they’ve completed it.

Spokane Hope Christian Reformed Church, which shares the church building with Knox Presbyterian, will have freshly cooked authentic Korean food for takeout or eating at the market. They call it the best Korean food in town, and their many devotees would agree.

For music, we’ve got Matthew Hughes. He’s playing at the market for the first time.

R.P. Guerrero, our organic fruit vendor, had early peaches and nectarines last week, so we’re anticipating a nice-sized fruit harvest this week. Awesome Possum is going to be bringing some new up-cycled creations to the market too.

Here are all the folks who are joining us today:

• Alpine Bakery – A full range of baked goods, including gluten-free
• Awesome Possum – Handmade all-natural lotion bars and lip balms
• Chattaroy Cheese Co. – Farmstead goat cheese
• Country Buddies – Jams, salsas and more
• Courtney’s Crafts for Costa Rica – Handmade jewelry, scrapbooks and more
• The Farm Yard – Neighborhood-grown veggies, herbs and more
• The Father’s Table – Neighborhood-grown veggies, herbs and starts
• Food for All (aka Vinegar Flats) – Locally grown veggies and herbs
• KC Creations – Beaded lanyards, leashes, earrings, photos and custom cards
• Jenkins Java – Cold- and hot-brewed coffee plus sodas
• Mama Torrez Salsas – Authentic salsas, pico de gallo and chips
• Mary Beauregard – Plastic canvas needlepoint
• Morning Sun Bakery – Cinnamon rolls, muffins, cakes
• Orange Thyme – Natural balms, soaps, perfume oils, body butters and more
• Petunia’s Marketplace – Flavored honey, candies, gourmet pasta and more
• Riverfront Farm – Locally grown vegetables from Project Hope Spokane
• R.P. Guerrero Farms – Organic fruit (cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples)
• Rufino Zusimbo – Chair massage
• The Scone Ranger – Sweet and savory scones
• Simply Sweets – Confectionery including baklava and brittles
• SnowBerry Ridge – Raw honey
• Song Sparrow Farms – Locally grown vegetables
• Vladimir Kuzmenko – Fruits and vegetables from the Yakima area

Remember that you can get milk, eggs and meat at market! Jenkins Java sells gallons and half-gallons of milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. Petunia’s has meat from Ramstead Ranch as well as eggs.

By the way, each week we post the market as a Facebook event. If you’d like to show your support (or maybe just remind yourself to stop at the market on the way home), please click here and RSVP.

This week the market has a follow-up to the composting demo that launched the season back in June. Master Composter and Master Gardener Ryan Herring will be demonstrating the process for making both compost extract and compost tea, and he’ll explain uses of each in your home garden. Stop by anytime during the market to learn how easy it is to make rocket fuel for your plants!

We’re also into the second week of our KERNEL program for kids. This week’s activity deals with companion planting. Kids will get to take part in hands-on learning about how to pair certain plants (like tomatoes and basil) to deter garden pests or avoid competition for soil nutrients. Last week’s transplanting activity was so successful we ran out of zucchini starts! We’ve braced ourselves for lots of participants this time.

Our musician today is Hannah Siglin, another market favorite. She sings and plays beautifully.

As most of you know, this summer’s hot weather has sped up the harvest. Our fruit vendors have said that early plums and peaches could be with us this week. We should also be seeing some new potatoes and possibly even the very first locally harvested tomatoes. Plus all that comes in addition to the fruit and veg we’ve been seeing for a few weeks now, such as zucchini, squash, cucumbers, broccoli and turnips.

There are still a handful of dump passes worth $20 each for Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood residents. First come, first served.

• Alpine Bakery – A full range of baked goods, including gluten-free
• Awesome Possum – Handmade all-natural lotion bars and lip balms
• Chattaroy Cheese Co. – Farmstead goat cheese
• Country Buddies – Jams, salsas and more
• Courtney’s Crafts for Costa Rica – Handmade jewelry, scrapbooks and more
• The Farm Yard – Neighborhood-grown veggies, herbs and more
• The Father’s Table – Neighborhood-grown veggies, herbs and starts
• Food for All (aka Vinegar Flats) – Locally grown veggies and herbs
• KC Creations – Beaded lanyards, leashes, earrings, photos and custom cards
• Jenkins Java – Cold- and hot-brewed coffee plus sodas
• Mama Torrez Salsas – Authentic salsas, pico de gallo and chips
• Mary Beauregard – Plastic canvas needlepoint
• Morning Sun Bakery – Cinnamon rolls, muffins, cakes
• Orange Thyme – Natural balms, soaps, perfume oils, body butters and more
• Petunia’s Marketplace – Flavored honey, candies, gourmet pasta and more
• Riverfront Farm – Locally grown vegetables from Project Hope Spokane
• R.P. Guerrero Farms – Organic fruit (cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples)
• The Scone Ranger – Sweet and savory scones
• SnowBerry Ridge – Raw honey
• Song Sparrow Farms – Locally grown vegetables
• Vladimir Kuzmenko – Fruits and vegetables from the Yakima area

Jenkins Java will be selling gallons and half-gallons of milk from Spokane’s Family Farm. Petunia’s will have eggs as well as meat from Ramstead Ranch — and, better yet, Petunia’s will be joining us every week from now until the season’s end!