Garden by The Sea, a Community Garden:
Ocean Shores is lucky to have a wonderful resource for all gardeners: The Garden by The Sea (GBTS,) a thriving non-profit, community garden located behind the Galilean Retreat Center at: 824 Ocean Shoes Blvd. It was started 11 years ago by Sushila and Robert Ravard. The idea was to promote community relationships through growing fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other plants, and to spread gardening information and expertise through various activities.
Today the Garden works in tandem with Ocean Shores’ Food Bank, providing fresh produce throughout the growing season; offers 40+ raised beds enclosed by deer fencing for rent to gardeners; maintains four Washington State University Master Gardener Demonstration beds; and has a full calendar of events highlighting the art, science and fun of growing plants in the difficult climate of Ocean Shores. Whew!
The Garden is kept running throughout the entire year by its six dedicated board members:
Sushila Ravard, founder and past President. Sushila is a 9-year Master Gardener veteran, whose knowledge, enthusiasm, and sheer energy not only gave the Garden its stellar start (with the support and help of husband, Robert) but has kept it going and growing, until it is today a vibrant part of the Ocean Shores Community. Sushila and her husband were both graduates of the United Way: Project LEAD—Leadership, Effectiveness and Diversity— a nonprofit board training program in Seattle, before embarking on planning the organizational structure, transition, and management of the community garden. You can hear her on KOSW radio (93.1 fm) every 2nd Thursday of the month from 9:15-10:00am
Karen Young, current President, became a Master Gardener in 2012, to learn more about gardening, especially how to succeed here on the coast. She has been gardening for 35 years, previously in the Renton and Federal Way area. She has special interests in adding texture to home gardens using native, deer resistant plants, and extending the growing season of veggies, flowers and herbs.
Bridget Timme, current Secretary, and North Beach Master Gardener since 2012, is a chief inspiration of the Garden’s activities and presentations. She loves living in Ocean Shores and being a GBTS board member. She is a great resource on the variety of flowers, herbs, and vegetables that can be grown here. That is if you can get to them before the deer do! You will often see her at our various Plant Clinics with ready answers for your plant problems and questions.
Dauna Koval, after dividing her time between King County and Ocean Shores, has finally permanently moved here. In trying to add some color to the perpetual maritime grayness, she has turned her attention to perennial, pollinator flowers seeking those that are truly deer resistant. She tends the WSU Demo beds at GBTS and a test bed of possible deer resistant varieties at her home.
Jacqueline Austin has been gardening since childhood “at her grandmother’s knee.” Her gardening expertise has been honed by her travels, from California to Alaska, and Florida to Rhode Island, even including a number of out of country visits. Since settling here in Ocean Shores, she has experimented with ornamental grasses and succulents in the cool coastal, marine climate. Recently she planted a fescue mix for dry areas to discourage the return of the dreaded sand-mat. Keep your fingers crossed!
Kim Martin, the newest board member, kindly opened her personal garden to this past summer’s Master Gardener Garden Tour, where it was featured as a year-round garden that welcomed pollinator insects as well as our coastal birds. She has gardened in such diverse places as Alaska and the Great Lakes as well as Washington.
You will often see these dedicated gardeners pulling weeds, watering during our dry summer, preparing the garden for the wet, windy winter or at the various activities sponsored by GBTS. They are always ready to attempt to answer questions, (especially from their specific interests) make suggestions for your GBTS plot or home garden, or just to swap plant or keeping-the-deer-away (or not) stories.
Do come by and visit the Garden and get some ideas about how to put your vegetable and flower gardens to bed for the winter. Be sure to check out our Deer Resistant plant and Colorful Pollinator Flower lists.
Consider renting one of our plots, check our calendar for informational events (including what to try to defeat the hungry deer,) and look for our Plant Clinics at ACE to have your plant questions answered.
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Questions or comments about this article, GBTS or gardening in general can be directed to Dauna at dauna@gardenbytheseaoceanshores.org
This article was originally printed in The Ocean Observer, October 2019.
