The Garden Program is a new program being developed by the CTSI Siletz Tribal Community Health Clinic to steward a 38-acre property into a diversified organic practicing farm that provides healthy food options and cultural opportunities for Tribal members. The program seeks to improve the health of our community and Siletz Tribal members by providing access to clean organic produce, outdoor recreation, and culturally congruent activities in a safe space.
The Garden Program is directly under the Clinic’s administrative lead and reports to the Health Director. This program works closely with Community Health and many other departments, including the Diabetes Program and Natural Resources.
Volunteers Needed!
We are currently seeking volunteers to help us at the Garden Program! We need some extra assistance with gardening, landscaping, habitat restoration, planting, harvesting, event support, education, brush removal, and more! If you would like to support our efforts in restoring our relationship to the land and serving the community, please reach out!
Please read this flyer and contact Zeph Mullins for additional information, questions, and to get started in the volunteer process!
JamesM@ctsi.nsn.us
September 2022
The Farm Property
In 2020, CTSI purchased the property near the city of Siletz with the goal of serving some of the health needs in the community. The hope is to accomplish that by utilizing this land to grow our own foods and medicines and to restore our relationship to the land, animals, and plants.
Several improvements and construction have already been made to the property, including installing a new well and beginning a rainwater collection and storage system that will serve as our irrigation. There are plans to construct a large greenhouse structure and a 5-acre fenced in main garden, along with additional improvements and features.
The stewardship of the land is guided by a Garden Committee, the needs of our community, Traditional Ecological Knowledge pathways, and a variety of internal and external partnerships. Half of the landscape is designated wetlands with wetland meadows, shrub/tree wetlands, and a seasonal creek that is being stewarded to host and enhance habitat for native plants and animals with a focus on Beaver habitat. The front half of the landscape has been historically cleared and grazed into open pasture which is being stewarded to fulfill the Garden Program’s needs. The program has installed a rainwater catchment system that will serve vegetable and plant production, a 5-acre garden with an exclusion fence to deter grazing animals such as Elk and Deer, a greenhouse nursery for plant and vegetable production, various facility and access renovations for programming activities, and are creating a Garden Master Plan that will continue to guide the future activities in the landscape.
CTSI Garden Overview
Click image to enlarge
CTSI Garden Details
Click image to enlarge
Property Features
- Facility parking
- Greenhouses
- Vegetable Garden
- Water Tanks and a Rainwater Collection System
- Wash Station
- Tree and Shrub Guild
- Pavilions
- Walking Paths
Growing Plans
In addition to growing fruits and vegetables for community use, native species that are used in traditional materials will be planted.
Staff
Stay Up to Date on Events!
We will continue to post project updates and future event opportunities on this page, our Facebook, in Siletz News and in our Siletz Community Health Clinic monthly newsletter.
Gallery
Click through the gallery to see our progress!
Garden Progress
March 2022 – Progress on the Garden: Using black plastic tarps to solarize and kill the grass. These are left on for about a month to three months depending on the season and can be planted into almost immediately after moving. This allows us to plant without tillage or heavy machines in smaller spaces.
Tree Saplings
March 2022 – tree saplings for the tree and shrub guild: These grafted trees were purchased from Agrarian Sharing Network’s (ASN) Spring Propagation Fair. See their 2023 schedule here https://agrariansharing.net/ The fruit trees consisted of over 30 apple, plum, and pear trees that were grown in pots for a full season before being planted in December.
Garden Post
The first post set for the smaller front garden back in May 2022. Jonathan Duarte helped tremendously in creating the deer exclusion fence for the front garden that will be dedicated to growing flowers and serve as pollinator habitat. You can see the fence and garden from Logsden Rd when you pass by the farm. Keep an eye open for beautiful sunflowers and zinnias each year!
Willow Harvest
Processing wild-harvested willow for basketry materials. The Garden Program will be growing and tending a wide variety of willows for basketry materials, restoration projects, and cultural activities. The program is planting new willow species this Winter and within two to three years the plants should be mature enough to begin harvesting annually.
Front Garden Progress
Progress on the front garden early Spring 2022. Looking down to Logsden Rd and the Siletz River from the front garden, this will be part of the flower garden and pollinator habitat in the Spring of 2023. Notice the grass has been killed from the use of the black plastic tarps. We use these to solarize the grass and then plant directly into the ground.
Camas Seed Planting
Camas seeds being planted: The Garden Program was gifted Camas seeds from the Eugene/Amazon Creek area. Camas was stored in cold moist soil over the Winter and then spread into trays to sprout and grow for a full season before being planted into raised beds. The Garden Program is working to restore historical Camas that grew on the landscape at the Garden site and are seeking additional sources of seeds and bulbs to be stewarded.
Water Collection Tank
One of the water collection tanks used to fill up in the Winter/Spring months so that the shallow water well does not become overburdened in the Summer. Helping to conserve water for our neighbors and the garden.
Garden Progress
Garden progress in June 2022 shows the rows in the front garden taking shape and the elk and deer exclusion fence installed. This 8 foot fence was constructed with poly rope electric fence and can easily repaired and is extremely effective against critters that want to eat in the garden too.
Beaver Dam Analogs
There are 20 acres of wetlands, including Beaver Dam Analogs, on the property. These are built by had by removing dead limbs and overgrown areas that are then installed into the seasonal creek. The intention is to encourage prolific wetland functions in the landscape and to help Beavers move back into the area creating habitat and shelter for other wetland species.
Foundation Pad Water Prep
Thomas Knight preparing a foundation pad for one of our water collection tanks. The water collection tanks act as a reserve for when the dry season comes.
North-Side Overview
Overview of the north side of the property: There have been many changes to the landscape to prepare for the Garden Program to grow amazing food, medicine, and materials for Tribal members. We are glad to have some of the first photos to show the various stages of progress in the landscape.
Compost Collection
Americorp Vistas and Garden Manager Zeph Mullins collecting donated compost resource from a local wild stallion and burrow rehabilitation farm.
Mugwort Gathering
Mugwort grown and gathered on the property. We hang in bundles to dry then gift the plant to be used in medicines, smudges, teas, and other preparations. Our Community Health Department uses a variety of herbs grown by the Garden Program for medicines, tinctures, and other gifts.
Garden Growth
July 2022: Here is a patch of our “Seascape” Strawberries growing with Oregano, Sage, and Mint. The Garden Program will be growing a few types of ever-bearing and June-bearing strawberries in the years to come. Keep an eye out during berry season for harvest gatherings at the garden. Fresh strawberries and blackberries from the Garden Program will be distributed throughout the community and used in other Health-related events.
Seed Starts
August 2022 –Starting seeds to be grow in the garden: Onions, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Swiss Chard, Beets, Turnips, and many others. Notice the flowers in the front garden starting to bloom around July. We use a method of starting seeds in soil blocks that uses less plastic and requires no additional pots to store the plants. The light and air prunes roots that grow and when plated there is less transplant shock allowing plants to grow more vigorously in the field.
Beginning of the Rainwater System
September 2022 – Beginning work on the rainwater catchment system. This is 40,000 gallons of potential rainwater storage that will be filled from rainwater that hits the roof on the housing structure at the property. We will then use the water for irrigating crops and watering plants in the Summer months when there is no available water.
Raised Beds
September 2022 – Raised garden beds being used to grow a variety of vegetables such as bunching onions, Camas, beets, turnips, cabbage, and broccoli. The Garden Program is using raised beds to grow out many different herbs and perennial plants from seed to make sure we have enough plants to provide ourselves and the community with plant starts.
Potato Harvest
October 2022 – Thomas Knight harvesting potatoes that were distributed directly to families at the Siletz Tribal Health Clinic. We were able to grow potatoes without any supplemental irrigation, saving water resources and contributing to the nutrient density of the food we are able to distribute. All the food from the Garden Program is distributed through a variety of community-based efforts with our Community Health Program and other administrative partnerships.
Fall Crops
October 2022 – Fall planted Cabbage, Broccoli, Kale, Turnips, Sunchokes, and other crops that will thrive overwinter and be harvested as needed through the Winter and into the Spring. Overwinter crops are often grown in the Pacific Northwest to take advantage of our mild Winters and exceptional amount of rainfall.
Barn Gutters
October 2022 – Working on installing gutters on to the barn at the Garden property. Rainwater will then be diverted and collected into a series of holding tanks that will serve as the irrigation and water system for the property.
Greenhouse Posts
November 2022 – Setting the posts that will serve as the foundation for the Garden Program’s greenhouse structure. The greenhouse will be the center of plant nursery production for the property as well as community efforts to distribute and share gardening resources.