Seattle Tilth’s Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour set for Saturday

Picture 11

This Saturday locals will have the chance to visit Seattle’s “Top 25” urban farms during the 13th Annual Seattle Tilth Chicken Coop and Urban Farming Tour. The tour is self guided and will take place from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For the very first time in the tour’s history the event will be juried. Seattle Tilth has put together a panel of local experts to select the best 25 sites, representing all parts of the city. This year’s judges include Seattle Tilth educators, Jessi Bloom from NW Bloom, Rachel Duthler from Danny Woo Community Garden, Jake Harris from Stone Soup Gardens, Charmaine Slaven from Seattle Farm Co-op, and Kevin Scott-Vanderberg from Portage Bay Grange.

Tour enthusiasts can use the site map to follow neighborhood routes (outlined in NE, NW, Central, SE and West Seattle) or they can choose their own adventure. Five sites outside of Seattle are also included in the self-guided tour in Bothell, Duvall, Issaquah, Burien and Renton. The tour will feature some sites right here in Ballard!

Picture 10

The tour will feature many varieties of chickens and chicken coops, as well as ducks, quail, geese, rabbits, mini dairy goats, honey bees, mason bees and even cows, a pig and a horse. The site names are not only unique in unto themselves, but have fantastic names such as “The Eggplant,” “Blue Moose Farm,” “City Art Farm,” “Redo Ranch” and “41 Legs Urban Farm.”

“Most urban farms are on average-sized urban lots and demonstrate an inspiring display of sustainable design, creativity and thrift. Interesting features on the tour this year include a cordwood “Chicken Castle,” a rooftop goat deck, wine bottle garden beds, a compost fence, greenroofs, a solar powered cistern, vertical and container gardens, fanciful garden art, an urban farm at a preschool, watering systems collected from rainwater, and many clever uses of recycled materials,” write tour organizers.

You never know, after attending the tour you may be inspired to create your very own urban farm like Stacy Brewer of Seattle Seedling. “I went on the tour as a visitor four years ago and it’s because of that experience that I got the nerve to finally get started with chickens. Seeing it in action was priceless,” writes Brewer.

Special awards selected by Seattle Tilth staff will be announced this week including Righteous Recycler, Community Star, Sustainable Oasis, Garden to the Max and Frugal Urban Farmer. During the event, tour-goers will choose the “People’s Choice” award.

Tickets for the tour are $12 for adults and $5 for kids (kids under 3 attend for free). Discounts are available for groups, Seattle Tilth members and bicyclists.

To find out more and to purchase tickets online click here.

Photos courtesy of Seattle Tilth. 

Leave a Reply