Students from across South Seattle have come together to build a greenhouse for New Holly Rockery Community Garden, and the first walls are framed & raised! It’s been such a joy making sawdust in this beautiful fall weather, especially because we get to do so in service of our dear friends at Black Star Farmers and the vibrant community of New Holly. This beautiful urban farm provides space for neighbors to cultivate crops for table and market, and also serves as a space for Black Star Farmers to grow produce that feeds communities throughout the city.

We’ve been able to use about 90% reclaimed materials for this build thanks to a generous grant from Seattle Public Utilities, including some beautiful old-growth fir sourced from the folks at the new Salvage Lumber Warehouse in SoDo. Youth are getting some great lessons about redirecting “waste” back into new construction, and also facing the challenges of working with particular materials (who doesn’t love pre-drilling their toenailed studs?).

We are so grateful for our amazing mentor crew including carpenters Rochelle Mullenberg, Gareth Fairchok, and Lucy Martin, and we couldn’t be doing it without our lead builder Ash Delfaro of Triple Bottom Line Construction. With their help, youth have been cruising through the build as they grow their skill and confidence with framing layout, circular & miter saws, and nail guns. Watching the camaraderie grow as we raised these walls together is what it’s all about.