Down To Earth Community Gardens

06/01/2026

, and join me in paving the road to hell. 😂

With the goodest of good intentions, I started all the seeds this spring. I've grown my own starts for several years, and it's been awesome. I give dozens to Terry to plant and share. And yet... I just couldn't get motivated this year.

Forgive me, Mother (Nature), for I have sinned. I let them all die. Like, dead, from neglect, because I couldn't summon the will to water. My plastic greenhouse annoyed me. I was fixated on my flower gardens. I just couldn't get motivated. I had no f***s to give...

Why do I say this, out loud and in public? BECAUSE IT'S OKAY. Lest you think we here at DTECG are super human perfect gardeners, you need to really, really rethink that. 😂 We fail. We get distracted. We have lives and occurrences and ADHD and all sorts of mean, nasty, ugly things. According to my mother's earliest comments in my baby book, I have a fierce temper and I'm extremely stubborn. I can confirm this has not changed in many, many decades. It's why so many projects start with the words "and I was pi**ed." So, often we fail. But we STILL GARDEN.

Failure and irritation are the perfect time to do something different. This morning I went to the Crack House (McDaniels) and bought starts. Cucumber, melons, squash, herbs, peppers - all the things I started earlier and let die. If you planted s**t and it died, get more starts. If you forgot to water seeds and they never sprouted? Buy more, plant more. If life happened and you had no f***s to give, it's not too late. Start over!!

We all have things that don't work. Life happens. It's ok. Just keep going. There's always another opportunity to garden.

On the other hand, my flower gardens are fu***ng spectacular this year and deserved all the love, transplanting and compost after several years of neglect. 😂

~Barb

06/01/2026

# June Garden Checklist: Planting Rainbows & Growing Community 🌈🌱

June is a month of abundance, observation, and adaptation. The garden is bursting with color, pollinators are working overtime, and we're all trying to outsmart whatever surprise weather Western Washington decides to grace us with.

🌈 **Plant Rainbows for Pollinators**

Pride Month is the perfect reminder that diversity makes everything stronger—including gardens.

Plant flowers in every color you can find. Place them throughout the landscape instead of concentrating them in one corner. Pollinators are far more likely to visit your vegetables when flowers are woven throughout the garden.

Some of my favorites you might notice on a visit:
💜 Lilac, Iris, Pansies, Violas, fox glove, clematis
💙 Borage, Brunnera, cone flower, CA lilac, artichoke
💚 Herbs, leafy greens, root veggies allowed to flower
💗 Snapdragons, sweet peas, dahlias
💛 Calendula, brassicas
❤️ Crocosmia Lucifer, Salvia
🧡 Nasturtium, cosmos, Crocosmia
🤍 Sweet Alyssum, lilac, dogwood, alliums

Every bloom is an invitation.

🔥 **Fire Safety Matters**

As summer approaches, now is the time to:
• Remove dead vegetation
• Trim plants away from structures
• Keep roofs and gutters clear
• Avoid highly flammable landscaping near homes
• Water deeply and wisely. Once per week, before 9am. For one hour during the dry season.

With snowpack sitting at roughly 42% of normal in many areas, every drop counts this year. If you've converted over to the pvc method for watering wisely, Well Done!

Water soil, not sidewalks.
Water deeply, not daily.
Mulch everything you can.

🐌 **Garden Pests Are Arriving**

Expect:
• Aphids - spray off with hose or prune off heavy infestations
• Slugs - Sluggo, scissors, oatmeal, beer traps, add to compost
• Snails - Sluggo, add to compost
• Deer - Motion sensors, human activity, dog hair on perimeter
• Rabbits and other rodents - Add onion to water in a spray bottle, spray around plants. Small amounts of blue cheese where activity is noticed.

Before reaching for chemicals, ask yourself:

Who is eating what?

A few holes in leaves usually means your garden is functioning exactly as nature intended.

🌿 **What's in Season for Foragers?**

Depending on your location:
• Salmonberry
• Thimbleberry
• Early blackberries
• Nettle
• Chickweed
• Plantain
• Fireweed shoots
• Rose petals
• Spruce tips in cooler elevations

Always forage responsibly and leave plenty for wildlife and future generations.

🌽 **June Planting**

Still time for:
• Corn
• Beans
• Squash
• Cucumbers
• More lettuce
• Carrots
• Beets
• Turnips
• Radishes
• Herbs

Successive planting means continuous harvests.

Plant something every week.

📅 **Upcoming Community Events**

🌻 Sorticulture
Saturday, June 6th at Noon
Growing For You & Your Neighbor

Banya
2814 Colby Ave
Everett, WA

Between Hewitt and California on the south side of Hewitt.

Learn more:
https://www.visiteverett.com/1514/Gardening-Classes

🌻 Kokanee Elementary Harvest Celebration
June 9th

🌻 Somerset Village Community Garden Tour & Summer Planting
June 12th 3pm

CLASSES in JUNE

🌻 Planting for Summer & Fall Down To Earth Community Gardens
3516 81st Dr. NE, Marysville WA 98270
June 13th Noon to 2pm

🔥 Fire Safety Landscaping Class Granite Falls Library
June 17th 6:00 PM

🌸 **What's Happening In My Garden?**

The giant peonies are fluffier than ever.

The California Lilac is at peak bloom and vibrating from the sheer number of bees.

The hummingbird babies are back and once again competing to see who can get closest to the Garden Monster (me) before I notice them buzzing beside my ear.

Blueberries are loaded again this year, including a rescue plant that arrived with only a handful of leaves. It has recovered beautifully. I don't expect fruit this year and that's perfectly fine.

The peach tree didn't make it. A heavy fruit load broke too many branches and it couldn't recover. I'll replace it next spring.

Salvia Hot Lips, coneflowers, alyssum, snapdragons, begonias, pansies, violas, catmint, lilacs, and dozens of others are covered in bees from sunrise until sunset.

The additional solar lighting has made the garden just as enjoyable at night as it is during the day. My official goal is to become the Griswold Garden with all the solar fairy lights and added whimsy.

The rescued pavers have finally found homes and the garden now feels almost orderly.

Almost.

Joel especially enjoys the view from his office while working from home. He's officially the water boy for the 2026 summer season as I point from the reclining chair on the patio all the places that need attention paid.

🌱 **Harvest Report**

I've been harvesting strawberries for a week already and today is only May 31st.

Current harvests include:
🍓 Strawberries
🥬 Arugula
🧅 Green onions
🌿 Rhubarb
🥬 Celery
🥕 Carrots
🥔 Early potatoes
🌱 Turnips
🥬 Kohlrabi
🌶 Radish
🥬 Butter lettuce
🫘 Fava beans
🌿 Oregano
🌿 Parsley
🌿 Salvia
🌸 Chive blossoms
🌸 Borage flowers
🌸 Pansies
🌸 Violas

🌦 **The Junesies Are Real**

Corn, beans, and squash are emerging nicely from direct sowing.

But summer has not fully arrived.

Cold nights are still happening and the Junesies are no joke.

I'm protecting many of my summer crops with old windows. There are lots of great examples throughout the page if you need ideas for protecting tender plants. Only cover the Summer crops you want to keep to survive the cold evenings of Western Washington.

💚 **A Small Personal Ask**

Unfortunately, I've done significant damage to my knee and we're currently determining whether surgery will be necessary. Only 30 years ago did I narrowly avoid it, time has caught up and this gardener is not cool with the aches and breaks.

I'm looking for a little help finishing some of the harder (for me) garden tasks:

• Preparing one remaining fence-line planting area (light work)
• Breaking up soil clumps from weeds already removed (light work)
• Planting additional corn for our Halloween Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch (light work). Planting tomato, pepper and squash starts. (light work)
• Direct sowing beans, squash, leafy greens, herbs, and root vegetables (light work)

The garden is mostly ready. I simply need a few helping hands to finish what my knee currently refuses to negotiate on.

🎨 **What's Next?**

Lots of recovery.

Lots of creative projects.

I've been thoroughly enjoying engraving goose and duck eggs and recently started experimenting with turkey eggs for even more intricate designs. If I get lucky and obtain some ostrich eggs, I'll be able to go even further on the design with the bigger size!

The direct-sown seeds are getting quick daily watering during sunny weather to keep them from drying out. It takes surprisingly little water and only a few minutes.

Today five neighborhood kids stopped by. One brave soul picked a peony bloom to taste and take home quickly followed by another 4.

Apparently, if you live in my neighborhood, flowers are now on the menu for the kiddos.

Honestly, I love their curiosity.

🌻 Visitors are always welcome.

Come tour the garden.

Learn something new.

Fine-tune something old.

See what works in the real world when growing food for free without chemicals.

And if you visit, don't be surprised if a hummingbird buzzes your head, a child hands you a flower to taste, or a bee politely reminds you that this garden belongs to them too.

Happy Pride Month from all of us at Down To Earth Community Gardens. 🌈

05/25/2026

Update 4:15pm all items have found forever homes. Pick up arrangements are made.
Hey all my garden friends. I have some free resources available to make some vertical growing space. Available for pick up only.

12 Pvc 1/2" 10' lengths

10 pvc 1" 10' lengths

12 6' & 8' metal t-stakes

Assorted 3x3 & 4x4 posts over 5' in length

10 gauge aluminum fencing

Available now until gone. Pickup location is 3516 81st Dr NE Marysville WA 98270

05/24/2026

The May garden is packed with tiny life sprouting and buzzing everywhere.

Notice what you don’t see.

Tomatoes.
Peppers.
Squash.
Tomatillos.
Cucumbers.
Eggplant.
Okra.
Zucchini.
Pumpkins.

Not in my garden.

It’s been pretty cold. Too cold for summer transplants.

Any squash, tomatoes, peppers, etc. needing to get OUT OF YOUR HOUSE right now are probably not going to meet expectations.

Not even close.

I know waiting for "warm enough" weather is hard.

I know the plants take up too much space.

I know hauling them inside and outside every day is annoying.

And yet… that’s the job. And it’s temporary.

If you already planted them because TRUST ME, I know you did…
heavy sigh

For my sanity and your self-confidence, follow this handy wisdom:

You know how dentists say:

“Only floss the teeth you want to keep.”

Same concept applies to gardening.

“Only cover the plants you want to keep.”

I love old windows for making little A-frames and lean-tos.

A thick layer of straw mulch works great.

Old milk jugs are excellent protection too.

Cut off the bottom, remove the lid, and you’ve got a tiny temporary greenhouse for one plant.

Just remove it when it’s sunny.

Tomato cages are banned here at Down To Earth Community Gardens (IYKYK… or search “impalement on a tomato cage” for the full meal deal).

However, for those who do not identify as a walking human pinball machine through life, you can toss a pillowcase over a tomato cage to protect summer starts.

There are a million ways to cover the plants you want to keep.

Just do it.
Please.
For me.

~ Terry

Enjoy the garden tour and the projects I still need to tackle.

05/24/2026

Time to do the nasty...

Welcome to a special Memorial Day weekend edition. We have a nasty job ahead. (Not sure what you thought, I'm talking pruning, but no shame here.)

PRUNE YOUR WATER SPROUTS. This is especially true if you have fruit trees, Italian plum/damson in particular. Not only are they going to crowd sunlight, prevent air flow and be useless, they attract the bane of my existence: fu***ng aphids. 😡🤬🤬🤬

Aphids will suck the life out of your trees and can, in fact, weaken them to the point they are susceptible to disease and die. They like the tender young growth, and will infest a tree to the point of literally carpeting leaves and branches.

I've sprayed with a hose - doesn't make a dent. It does, however, fling the aphids onto other things.

I've used insecticidal soap - kills everything it touches, but you're not going to reach it all anyway. It also leaves the carpet of aphids bodies, blackened and ugly, on the shriveled leaves. Mocking you...

I have sooooo many fu***ng ladybugs (literally) who have laid countless eggs. Predatory wasps. Birds. My garden is alive with the sound of mu - uh, good predators. They don't make a dent.

There is no fruit on water sprouts, and even cutting the new growth at the end of fruit bearing branches doesn't reduce your yield. It will, however, make your regular pruning easier later by getting sprouts when they're smaller, and it could save a life. The tree, the neighbor, the mailman, whoever I see next... 😇

In the comments I've dropped a couple pictures of water sprouts, but do enjoy the video of my personal infestation. Now if you don't mind (or if you do, I don't give a s**t right now) I'm going to take a shower. I have aphids in my hair. 🤢🤮

~Barb

05/22/2026

When something is legally right but unethical and unjust I don't stay quiet.

My HOA wanted control over community and tried to make me smaller. Tried to mandate No giving away the garden harvest. Or plants.

I became a nonprofit.

I've replicated the process 1,139 times and counting. Not just near home but all over the world.

Then I changed the law.

F**k em all.

Feed healthy food to hungry people. Eliminate food deserts. Enable food sovereignty.

Being a decent human is not that hard..

~Terry Bockovich, Founder Down To Earth Community Gardens

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

“Rescued Flagstone Outdoor Classroom Path”

I said yes without a well thought out plan but that's usually where the magic happens.

A local landscaper donated leftover flagstone that would otherwise have gone to waste, and Down To Earth is turning it into permanent garden infrastructure — paths, teaching spaces, fire-safe borders, and outdoor classroom features for school and community gardens.

This is exactly how community gardens happen:

One generous neighbor, one truckload of beautiful rocks my husband will want to divorce me over since they are too big for me to move, and one nonprofit saying yes before having a fully formed plan.

Wish me luck on staying happily married!

Anyone want to help me unload some heavy flagstone? ;)

~Terry

Special shout out to our awesome neighbor Ryland! All of this could have been destined for the landfill.

Instead Ryland helped us build something better.

05/19/2026

Fire safety landscaping is not about removing beauty. It’s about removing fuel ladders.

We can still have:
Pollinators
Privacy
Evergreen structure
Flowers
Native plants
Beautiful front yards

But we need to stop planting and maintaining landscapes that act like kindling against houses, fences, decks, and shared property lines.

In Western Washington, wildfire risk is no longer just an “east side” issue.

We now have hotter summers, longer dry periods, more smoke events, more stressed plants, and more insurance scrutiny.

The goal is not fear — the goal is prevention.

Homes often ignite from:

Windblown embers

Dry leaves in gutters

Bark mulch against siding

Flammable shrubs touching the house

Arborvitae/juniper/cedar hedges acting as fuel

Fire moving from fence → shrub → deck → house

That means homeowners have a lot of control.

Zone 1: 0–5 feet from the house — the no-kindling zone

This is the most important zone.

Within 5 feet of the home, garage, shed, deck, porch, or fence attached to the house:

No arborvitae

No juniper

No cedar bark mulch

No dry ornamental grasses

No dead leaves piled up

No firewood stacks

No resinous/oily shrubs touching siding

Keep plants low, green, watered, and separated

Use gravel, stone, pavers, or bare mineral soil where possible

Washington DNR specifically recommends removing flammable mulches and resin/oil/wax-heavy plants like arborvitae and juniper, and using gravel or crushed stone instead near the home.

Five feet of boring can save the whole house.

Zone 2: 5–30 feet — lean, clean, and green

This is where we can absolutely have a garden — just not a continuous fuel buffet.

Goals:
Break up plantings

Keep plants irrigated and healthy

Prune dead material

Limb up trees

Separate shrubs from siding, fences, and each other

Avoid dense evergreen walls

Keep grass mowed

Keep pathways and patios as fire breaks

Washington DNR and Firewise-style guidance use defensible space principles to reduce fuel around homes and improve the odds of a structure surviving wildfire.

We’re not anti-plant. We’re anti-continuous-fuel-path.

Zone 3: 30–100 feet / shared HOA spaces — community responsibility

In an HOA, one property’s fuel becomes everyone’s risk.

Shared concerns:
Greenbelts

Retention ponds

Common fences

Mailbox areas

Playground edges

Trail borders

Parking strips

Shared arborvitae hedges

Overgrown vacant lots

Dead branches and ladder fuels

This is where HOA policy matters. Individual homeowners can do everything right and still be vulnerable if the common areas are neglected.

Fire does not respect property lines, HOA boundaries, or whose turn it was to prune.

The arborvitae conversation

Arborvitae is popular because it is cheap, fast, evergreen, and creates privacy.

But it is also:
Dense

Resinous

Full of dead interior material

Often planted too close to houses/fences

Often planted in continuous hedges

Drought-stressed in summer

A ladder fuel when it catches

The issue is not “one plant is evil.”

The issue is placement, maintenance, and mass planting.

A single well-watered evergreen far from structures is one thing.

A 40-foot-long arborvitae hedge touching a fence, under eaves, beside a deck, or between two houses is a fire pathway.

Arborvitae is not privacy. It is privacy with a fuse when it’s planted in the wrong place.

Replace risk with resilience, not “rip everything out.”

Better privacy options

Mixed hedgerows instead of one-species walls

California Lilac is ideal for replacing arborvitae

Deciduous shrubs

Layered plantings

Trellises with annual vines

Espalier fruit

Native shrubs with spacing

Non-combustible fencing sections near homes

Metal cattle panel trellises

Stone/gravel breaks between plant groups

Look for plants that are:
Higher moisture

Lower resin/oil content

Deciduous or herbaceous

Easy to prune

Not full of dead interior thatch

Spaced with airflow

Kept healthy with compost and water

Plants to be cautious with near structures
Especially within 5 feet:

Arborvitae

Juniper

Cedar hedges

Leyland cypress

Resinous conifers

Dry ornamental grasses

Lavender/rosemary/sage right against siding if allowed to get woody and dry

Dead bamboo/cane clumps

Bark mulch

Some of these plants are wonderful in the right place. The right place is not pressed against the house and fences.

Phase 1: Clean
Remove dead branches, leaves, dry thatch, and gutter debris.

Phase 2: Separate
Prune plants away from siding, decks, fences, and each other.

Phase 3: Replace
Swap the highest-risk plants closest to structures first.

Phase 4: Redesign
Build resilient privacy with mixed plantings and hardscape breaks.

We don’t need perfection by Friday. We need a plan before August.

Insurance companies are increasingly looking at:

Roof debris

Tree overhang

Flammable vegetation near structures

Dense hedges

Defensible space

Access for emergency vehicles

Overall property risk

So this is not just environmental. It is financial.

Firewise landscaping protects homes, but it also protects insurability and property values.

The goal is not to make every yard look the same. The goal is to make sure one ember doesn’t become five houses.

What homeowners can do this weekend:

Clean gutters.

Move firewood away from the house.

Pull bark mulch back from siding.

Remove dead leaves from under decks and shrubs.

Prune plants 12–18 inches away from siding.

Cut out dead interior branches from shrubs.

Limb up trees where appropriate.

REMOVE OR Replace dead plants immediately.

Water deeply before heat waves.

Look at the first 5 feet around the house and ask: “Would this catch an ember?”

**We can have flowers, bees, food, privacy, and pretty yards. We just don’t need to wrap our houses in botanical gasoline to get there.

~Terry

05/13/2026

It's rainy and cold which means my adhd brain is running wild. New hobby unlocked. Attempt 1 ends in disaster. 4 goose eggs left...

Huge thanks to my friend and neighbor Kym Sandvig for her generosity of eggs to share. Not only did she share these eggs but she also donated 72 chicken eggs we can get to hungry families!

If you have extra eggs and need a place to donate, we can get around the fda food bank restrictions and get these to a table in need.

Drop off to 3516 81st Dr NE Marysville WA 98270.

If pick up is needed call or text Terry Bockovich 425.350.2658.

If you have extra turkey, emu, or ostrich eggs I'll turn them into something that resembles creativity.

~Terry