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Feral Bee Garden, Vancouver, WA (2026)

09/03/2026

Don’t miss your chance to share your thoughts on local climate action with the City of Vancouver! Join us for a community discussion about the Climate Action Framework Update, tonight @ 6pm at the Marshall Center (1009 McLoughlin Blvd). 🌍 💚

Please RSVP here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5233616

09/01/2026

Join us for a chance to share your thoughts on local climate action with the City of Vancouver! Our second community discussion about the Climate Action Framework Update is this Thursday, Sept 3rd, 6:00-7:30 pm at the Marshall Center. Register at bit.ly/sept3climateaction.

What is the Climate Action Framework Update?
Created in 2022, the framework is intended to support a just and equitable transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2040.

Priorities for our framework update include:
-Tracking progress, building on what has worked, and creating new targets
-Updates to reflect the latest climate science, policies, and technologies
-Reconnecting with residents (YOU!) to ensure that future investments continue to reflect community priorities

Who should attend the community discussions?
All Vancouver residents are encouraged to attend to share their thoughts and help prioritize future investments.

Join us Sept 3rd to discuss:
-The Climate Action Framework Update
-How businesses and residents should be supported to participate in climate action
-Climate action funding

This is a free, all ages event. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided at no cost.

Can’t make this event?
Our next will be Thu, Sept 24th at the Clark County Family YMCA (11324 NE 51st Cir).
Details and RSVP link for our Sept 24th discussion coming soon!

08/21/2026

Join me for a story in five photos. Here is my newly planted lettuce withering in the heat of another unexpectedly hot day. Imagine my horror when I wandered out to find all of my newly planted babes lopped over and dying in the afternoon sun.

Last night I worked until almost dark getting half of my beds planted with fall seedlings and seeds. I splurged and bought three 6-cells of seedlings this weekend: broccoli and cauliflower because I didn’t plan ahead; and lettuce because I am impatient and wanted to treat myself. I covered the brassica beds with mesh so my new babes would safe from cabbage moths and bunnies.

This morning I headed out to lead a glean. We gleaned an abundance of pears, apples, and plums. The Italian plum tree was so loaded that me and one of our regular volunteers stayed 45 minutes late to finish it up. Afterword, I had to drop off equipment and about 45 pounds of compost before heading home. I was hot, tired, gross, and pretty sure I am now dating that plum tree.

I also took all the B fruit home because volunteers didn’t want it. So after showering and eating lunch, I had to process a box of slimy, bruised fruit.

It wasn’t until after all of this that I realized what was happening in the garden. So during the heat of the day, after showering from the morning’s glean, I had to head out to try to save my babies. I put up shade cloth and gave the freshly planted beds a mid-day deep water.

I’m pretty sure the broccoli and cauliflower seedlings will be fine. While some of my lettuce babes perked back up a bit, I think some are just too far gone. It’s not a huge deal as I can always direct sow some seeds, but it does feel like wasted money and effort.

08/19/2026

Some photos of kitchen counter over the past week. It’s that time of year when I am just trying to keep up with everything coming out of the garden. My tomato plants are popping off so I’ve been busy harvesting and processing for freezing. I’m also still working on processing zucchini, squash, and cucumbers. In the past couple of days I’ve made cucumber relish, plum jam, and pepper jelly.

I have a bumper crop of costoluto tomatoes and double yield cucumbers which volunteered in my native plant beds from some home compost that I used for planting in the spring. I also have a few volunteer pumpkins and a couple other volunteer heirloom tomato plants. I’ll definitely be seed saving from these plants for next year!

I decided to clear all but my tomato plant bed in the back because of pests. I got everything pulled last night and the beds refreshed and deep watered earlier today. This evening I’ll be doing a last minute fall planting in those beds.

The resiliency garden beds out front are still going strong so I’m going to leave them be. I may interplant some peas and bush beans, if I have enough seed left. Powdery mildew is just starting to creep in up there but I think I can still get another month or more out of those plantings. Plus I’m really hoping I’ll finally get a decent eggplant! 🍆

08/17/2026

Squash bug update! The duct tape method is a winner. I haven’t been hunting as much as I should but I am definitely finding less and less eggs and bugs as evidenced by the amount of tape used during my hunt. In the photo, the hunts are ordered from left to right. You can see the first tape ball from 8/3 (the date of my last post) was HUGE. For my last hunt on Saturday, I only used two small loops of tape. I definitely still have a couple adults still hiding out and producing eggs but I am finding significantly less eggs and nymphs which is a good sign. Shoutout and immense thanks to Emily for talking me into trying the duct tape! 🙏

I’m considering pulling all my zucchini summer squash plants as powdery mildew season starts creeping in. They are still blooming, though. Since I lost half of my plants early on, I’d love to get some more produce for the freezer. I may do a little milk treatment and give them another week or two.

All that said, I’ve decided—a little late—too do a fall garden and try to eke out some more food production before winter. I plan to plant some

08/04/2026

Gardening through climate crisis requires radical optimism and safety precautions. The winds have shifted and here in Southwest Washington wildfire smoke from across the Pacific Northwest is creeping in, creating a foggy atmosphere and eery orange glow as the smoke blots out the sun. We are also experiencing a heatwave the next few days which will require extra attention to our garden irrigation so we don’t lose our precious crops to the heat. While none of this normal, we must persist. To that end, protected by a KN95, this morning I deep watered all of my beds and did a little squash bug hunting.

It’s important to remember that while the AQI may only indicate “unhealthy for sensitive individuals”—no amount of wildfire smoke is healthy for your precious lungs. The smoke flooding our area is not only coming from trees and other natural fodder, it contains many toxins from the synthetic materials burned in residential wildfires like the Spokane Complex Fires. If you are headed outside today, please consider masking up and limit your time outside. If you have extra masks, carry some with you to hand to neighbors. (Two of my favorite neighbors and resiliency garden neighbors were handed KN95s in addition to pounds of cucumber and squash this morning.)

Also, just a reminder that although Local Community Fridges & Pantry closes to most donations during heatwaves, you can still drop bottled water and KN95s. Having access to on-demand potable water and shelter from the smoke is a privilege that not all of our neighbors share. If you are able, please consider donating to your nearest VFF location. We take care of us. 🫶

08/03/2026

I am living a squash bug nightmare, y’all! I have never dealt with these little villains before. I am about ready to burn down the entire garden! In their defense, I did plant multiple beds of squash this year AND delayed in taking them as seriously as I should have.

Here is what I have learned so far:

1. Duct tape is the hero of this story. I was cutting out egg patches and smooshing live bugs I could find and catch by hand. That is completely ineffective. Use the duct tape method for eggs and live bugs.

2. Adult and young adult squash bugs love to hang out at the base of the plant. You have to really get in there to get them. If you have eggs, you have adults. They are the egg factory. Find the parents and eliminate them.

3. Eggs can be found under leaves and on stems. They especially like leaves near the ground and in hard to reach places. Inspect every leaf!

4. Duct tape loops are great for egg and nymph removal on leaves and stems. Tape strips are better for near the base of the plant and the ground.

5. Gently lift your plants and inspect the underside. I found an entire colony under one of my plants. This angle also lets you do a quick scan under smaller leaves that are harder to inspect from above.

I am a pretty laid back gardener that tends to let natural predators take care of pests. Killing insects is not something I take lightly or like to do. However, these creeps have taken out 1.5 beds of squash and it is my responsibility to control this overpopulation before it spreads to neighbors.

Have you dealt with squash bugs before? Drop your experiences and tips in the comments so we can learn from each other. ⬇️

07/24/2026

It may not look like much, but every little bit counts. After a bout of illness early this week, I was able to get back to it on Thursday. Unfortunately, I neglected to capture any photos of the 150 lbs of plums we gleaned from a single tree in Forest Ridge or all of the produce we harvested from SW WA Victory Garden this morning—all of which was donated to the Mercado. I did, however, manage to snap a quick photo of this single picker of figs from a neighbor’s yard that I collected in my second glean of the day on Thursday.

These figs came from a neighbor’s yard that is basically a gorgeous food forest and native garden. To the untrained eye, the yard looks professionally landscaped and absolutely gorgeous. Look a little closer and you will quickly realize it is overflowing with an abundance of fruit trees, berry bushes, and other edibles with natives interplanted. It is radical optimism and food sovereignty disguised as landscaping—and it is a beautiful example of not only what can be accomplished but how all homeowners should be transitioning at least portions of their ornamental lawn, IMHO. This neighbor is very busy with civic engagement in the local Lions Club and needs regular help gleaning and dropping the small harvests at Local Community Fridges & Pantry. I’ll be adding them to my weekly rounds to add to my garden and glean drop-offs at the Hazel Dell Free Fridge.

It doesn’t take a lot to have a very real, positive impact. Plant a little extra in your garden. Talk to your neighbors—especially those who are unable to care for or harvest their fruit trees anymore—about donating their surplus abundance. And as always, you are always welcome to join us at an Urban Abundance glean—and even take home some for yourself and others.

Checkout our upcoming gleans and register to volunteer at urbanabundance.duplie.com—link in bio. 💚

Have a fruit tree or berry bushes and want to share abundance? Head over to urbanabundance.org/register-a-tree to register. 🍐🍎🫐

07/18/2026

All ready for the big blueberry glean in Brush Prairie tomorrow! If you are coming tomorrow and have cardboard boxes and/or berry clamshells to spare, please bring them. Also, don’t forget to pack some water and sunscreen.

Fun fact: Blueberry picking is a blast with dozens of friends. AND you can take home blueberries for yourself, loved ones, neighbors, colleagues, free fridges, etc. What are you waiting for? Come glean with us!

You can still register at urbanabundance.duplie.com—link in bio. Can’t make it tomorrow? Browse the calendar of upcoming gleans and subscribe to get updates in your email inbox.

07/17/2026

This is what praxis looks like: over 25 lbs of fresh produce dropped at Hazel Dell this afternoon! Today’s garden and glean drop included 16 lbs of produce from my resiliency garden, ~10 lbs from SW WA Victory Garden, and ~2 lbs of plums from gleaning. Garden goodies included lots of zucchini, some cucumbers, squash, pepper, kale, collard greens, salad greens, basil, cilantro, and epazote. As a reminder, our free fridges are open 24/7 except in extreme weather—be sure to check social media for updates.

Ready to show up and do some immediately impactful work? Sign up for a garden shift or glean at urbanabundance.duplie.com—link in bio. Tomorrow’s blueberries in Brush Prairie is going to be blast. There are also gleans almost every day next week and, of course, we are at the SW WA Victory Garden every Friday. See ya there!

Feral Bee Garden

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