Photo of young boy and man tending a bed.

Bonnie Turner took a chance on us in 1996 and let us use her backyard to start a youth garden project. When Bonnie passed away, her family graciously sold us the 2 acre parcel that is now the GRuB Farm. With great community and foundation support we just completed our Capital Campaign to purchase our farm and will have a new farmhouse soon! Thanks for helping us to create this beautiful space. More history...

Join Us!

The success of our youth programs depend on you. Here are some ways you can become a GRuB supporter:

The Cultivator CSA

Join a group of 10 fabulous Cultivators who will receive a weekly box of veggies and flowers, meet the youth who grow your food, and get to know the inner workings of the Cultivating Youth Program.

The Bouquet Ambassador CSA

Is your business ready to take the plunge? Youth-made bouquets delivered to your door for 7 weeks, stories from the farm, and other great opportunities!

Volunteer! And play in the soil

Wednesdays from 3-6pm

March – October

Feel free to pop by and get your hands dirty! Ready to be a super volunteer? We can arrange special days/times. Community service volunteers welcome. Youth under 14 please come with an adult.

Spring Sunday Volunteer Drop-ins

Certain Sundays from 1-4 pm

April 20th, April 27th, May 4th, May 11th, May 18th, May 25th, and June 1st

As you know, Spring is a very busy time at the GRuB Farm! Starting April 20th, the Farm will be open on Sundays for volunteers to help out with various Spring tasks. You can just stop by if you're in the neighborhood; no sign-up necessary. Please join us!

The Latest Farm News

Greetings from the GRuB Farm!

We've long shed our winter hibernation and are busy bees again. The classic NW spring weather has us bouncing between projects as that beautiful sunshine competes with the cold rains. The greenhouse is filling up, the cover crop protecting our soil is lush and vibrant, and the fabulous youth crew, farm staff, and invaluable volunteers are working hard to prepare us for the season. Spring is that time when everything is happening – KGP builds, volunteer work days, the youth crew finishing their last few months before graduation, recruitment for the new youth crew, K-12 classes participating in the Education program, our new farmhouse construction, and last but not least, work on the GRuB farm! Whew! No wonder these months pass so quickly.

Photo of GRuB youth putting their hands into a circle

BIGGER STUFF

A small (15-22hp) landscaping/garden tractor with rototiller, front loader, and mower attachments. The Kubota B or BX series tractors are fabulous! (Diesel engine to use biodiesel fuel).
Heavy-duty dependable weed/brush-trimmer (also called "weed-wacker")
We have an old Troy-built rototiller and a new 8hp engine. We need someone who can either sponsor the repairs or tackle a fun/challenging repair job themselves.
Adopt our farm equipment; gas costs @ approx. $25/month March-October
Circular Saw ("Skillsaw")
Good quality wheelbarrows (ours are all broken!)
Laptop computer (ability to run Windows XP or higher)
Farm Vehicle (small truck with canopy or station wagon - in good, running condition with reasonable maintenance history)
Hard plastic pond at 4-8ft. Diameter
We have a few large beautiful old apple and cherry trees that need pruning to bring them back into production. The wish: Someone who can skillfully and safely make it happen.
We need someone to remove and properly dispose of a large pile of tires located on our leased side of the farm - any ideas?
and...Donate a Dump Run!

SMALLER STUFF

Hula Hoes (also known as stirrup hoes)
Digging/Spading Forks
Hard tine rakes (not leaf rakes)
Straw bales (moldy ones are okay) for our chickens and compost
Indoor cleaning products (eco-friendly) pump hand soap, sponges, etc.
Art supplies
Big colored markers
Gutters (for rain catchment on our outbuildings)
Bee-keeping equipment and clothing. Bee boxes in good condition.
Ground oyster shells for our chickens
A sturdy bike pump (preferably with an adapter for both presta and schrader valves)

To donate Farm-related goods, please send a message to Justin through our contact form or call the Farm at (360) 753-2665.

To donate Farmhouse stuff and office supplies, please send a message to the office through our contact form or call the office at (360) 753-5522.

Thank you!

The Land

Stewarding this land for more than 60 years, Bonnie Turner was an avid gardener who opened her space to our work in 1996. She watched our program grow and her legacy continued after her passing thanks to the generosity of her granddaughter, Linda Newcomb, who offered GRuB the first opportunity to purchase the land.

These past eleven years, GRuB has operated its drop-out prevention, mentoring, and nutrition programs for low-income youth here at The GRuB Farm (formerly the Sister Holly Garden). This land is central to our mission of bringing good food to all people and is accessible to the community.

The GRuB Farm provides the soil, plants, trees, water, and microbes essential to the learning experiences we offer to youth. As stewards of this land we have expanded the rigor on the farm through increased food production and marketing including growing more food for emergency food distribution. We also have the capacity to employ more youth in our programs. As the rigor in the fields increases so does the self-esteem and pride that youth earn from a hard day’s work.