Things to Love About Skyway

When you drive up the hill from Renton to Skyway on Renton Ave. S., you pass by one of the region's finest, Minter's Earlington Greenhouse and Nursery, on the left. Many of us have filled our yards with their remarkable trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetable starts, and more.  Here's a history of the greenhouse, which has been there since 1938: http://www.mintersnursery.com/About.html

Take a walk around our neighborhoods, and you'll be amazed at the large, well-kept yards, which are an attraction that drew many of us to buy houses here.

This is a great place to grow fruits and vegetables.  In fact, many of us grow too much, so we enjoy trading or sharing our bounty with neighbors.  I recently toured an amazing vegetable plot, and asked the gardener what he did with so much produce.  He just smiled, and said, "I give it away".  He was growing grapes, figs, raspberries, corn, basil, zucchini, onions, garlic, brussels sprouts, tomatoes (seed came from Italy), peppers and more, and everything looked perfect.

We also have an abundance of birds, bees, dragonflies, hummingbirds, beneficial insects and ladybugs on the hill.  Along with that, we have some raccoons, and an occasional deer, which aren't so welcome to some, because they get into mischief with the gardens.

Our soil is a little rocky and heavy on clay, but we get around it by mulching with products that break it down, or we garden in containers and raised-beds.

I walked around the neighborhood, and took a few photos to show you what we grow on the hill: https://picasaweb.google.com/112886966534730341664/SkywayGardens?authkey=Gv1sRgCN-w4cKUgNbsjwE

If you don't have a garden and want some farm-fresh produce, come to Minter's Earlington Nursery on Saturdays from 10-2, when Mike Verdi from Whistling Train Farm sells fresh vegetables from a stand.  Take home some plants from the nursery, and then go up the hill to see our amazing views, and some of our lovely gardens.