Chicken Coup & Urban Farm Tour

For a couple decades now, Seattle Tilth has hosted some version of a City Chicken Coup Tour, allowing folks a glimpse into the gardens & coups of their city neighbors. I'm not sure how many years my mom took her mother on the tour, but it was always eagerly anticipated. My Grandma Donnie was a rural girl, raised on a large farm in the countryside of North Carolina. With her marriage & move to the northwest, she became an urban farmer, growing a plethora of food on a large lot in Lake Forest Park & almost always keeping a small flock of chickens. My sister & I went along the eventful year that one of the tour hosts advertised needing a home for her flock of Banties (Grandma's favorite) -- Grandma elected to go there first & had herself a new flock of Bantam chickens within ten minutes of our arrival.

We continued the tour tradition this July & my mom, Boo, Blake & I spent a wonderful day visiting urban farms in North Seattle. Not only do you see some beautifully innovative coups, but you also get to see gardens & yards! People's ideas & creativity are truly amazing! We saw honeybees, treehouses, living roofs, water saving systems, an ingenious under-the-deck chicken run, ponds, inviting patios, yard art including a pressure washed Seattle skyline, solar panels, a pig, & imaginative kids' play areas. We ate delicious raspberries & blueberries off the bush, introduced Blakey to lemonade (couldn't get enough) & learned about hugelkultur. 

A fantastic, inspiring day.