Organic gardening


Early Winter Resource Roundup

by Linda Carloni, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member The calendar is turned, and we’ve started turning the pages in our seed catalogs (or clicking online). January can be a busy month for the gardener. Two major tasks for food gardens are planning the spring and summer garden and selecting […]

ABG Project Tree

Alameda CSA Farm2Market

Behind the Organic Food Label

by Paige Benviniste September 20, 2022 The organic food label means more than the absence of pesticides and herbicides. When you buy organic, you’re buying food grown by farmers that are required to maintain and improve soil health. Soil health is not only important for the environment, it’s important for […]


Powdery Mildew

by Stefani Leto If you garden in the Bay Area, you are either familiar with powdery mildew, or you soon will be. The fungus is ubiquitous and there’s a spore variety for seemingly every plant. Powdery mildew is a catchall name for a group of airborne fungi that reproduce on […]

powdery mildew tomatillo

bermuda grass

My Love Hate Relationship with Bermuda Grass

by Margie Siegal Bermuda grass, whose Latin name is Cynodon dactylon, is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia and is found both world wide and all over my yard. The blades are a grey-green color and one to six inches long. The grass blades grow on erect […]


Growing Asparagus

by Linda Carloni, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member For me the very best reason to plant asparagus is because it’s delicious. It also grows well here by the Bay, thriving in cool, humid summers. Asparagus is a perennial plant, so you plant it one year and with luck it […]

growing asparagus

Cabbageworm butterflies on kale

Broccoli and Bok Choy in October

by Linda Carloni, ABG Board Member Many experts recommend that broccoli and bok choy (as well as other cruciferous vegetables) be planted in the inner East Bay in February/March or from July through September. But I plant mine from seedlings in October. Planting in October risks slow growth if the […]


Non-GMO, Heirloom, Open Pollinated, Organic and Biodynamic Seed

by Margie Siegal So there you are, poking through the seed racks at Ploughshares Nursery or Encinal Nursery, and trying to figure out what variety to buy, or scrolling around all the different seed companies on-line, reading through the descriptions and trying to figure out what variety to buy. Once […]

Choosing seeds

beneficial garden insect

Don’t Wash Away Beneficial Insects

Alameda Sun – Wednesday, August 11, 2021 by Alison Limoges, Board member of Alameda Backyard Growers and Master Gardener When I was growing up in New York state, my brothers and I spent more than a few summer hours picking hundreds of hungry, non-native beetles off of our few fruit […]


Tomato Maladies

by Linda Carloni, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member Your full-size tomatoes have started to ripen. Your cherry tomatoes may be ready to eat now. Nothing tastes like a tomato from the garden! But while tomatoes are one of the most popular foods to grow in your garden, they are […]

Tomatoes with blossom end rot

winter vegetables

Fall and Winter Gardening

by Margie Siegal Here it is, not even the Fourth of July. Isn’t it a mite early to be planning the fall and winter garden? Actually not. As the sun dips and the air chills, plants grow much more slowly. The trick to growing many vegetables for a winter harvest […]


The Intricate Dance of Aphids, Ladybugs and Ants

by Marla Koss, Alameda Backyard Growers Board member After gardening in the same backyard for years, I thought I’d seen everything I was ever going to see. I’ve had peanut plants come up in my garden thanks to a squirrel; I’ve been visited by the most beautiful bee – a […]

Gardens manage pests

Ceanothus with pollinators

Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem in Your Garden

Alameda Sun – Wednesday, June 9, 2021 by Birgitt Evans, Board member of Alameda Backyard Growers and Master Gardener It’s June now and the garden is planted and beginning to take off. Also taking off are those organisms people identify as “pests.” Contrary to most articles, this one is not […]


Root Crops

by Margie Siegal Root crops are not that exciting – no one I know ever gushes about heirloom rutabagas – but they have a lot going for them. While vine ripe tomatoes are only around for two to three months out of the year, in our climate, you can grow […]

growing root vegetables

planting cover crops

Cover Crops for Beginners

by Linda Carloni, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Cover cropping may sound like an advanced practice, but it can be pretty simple and it’s really good for your soil and for the environment. Cover cropping for food gardeners is planting a non-food crop, generally legumes and cereals, and allowing […]


Don’t Waste Leaves This Fall

Alameda Sun, Thursday, October 8, 2020 by Alison Limoges, ABG Board member and Master Gardener It’s officially autumn now and while some people persist in blowing away the falling leaves, it’s so much healthier to use, not remove, them. In addition to the annoying and unhealthy noise, dust, and air […]

Fall composting with leaves

New Victory Gardens

Beginner’s Guide to Planting Victory Gardens

Alameda Sun, Thursday, April 9, 2020 by Birgitt Evans In March 2010, Alameda Backyard Growers (ABG) held its first meeting. Formed in response to the financial crisis in 2008, we created educational programming and set up Project Pick to help our community grow and donate food. Exactly 10 years later, […]


Film Showing – Evolution of Organic

Kick-off a Year of Sustainable Gardening! Join Alameda Backyard Growers at 7PM on January 11, 2018 at Rhythmix Cultural Works for a screening of filmmaker Mark Kitchell’s new film: Evolution of Organic. This is the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of […]

Evolution of Organic Film

Farm Tour

Farm Tour and Volunteer Work Party

Yes, there is a farm in Alameda! Join us to learn about the farm and its CSA and lend a hand on a project improving the farm’s productivity. We’ll tour the farm for an hour, learning what it produces, how you can purchase its products, and its place at Alameda […]


IPM Principles and Practices for Pests of the Fall Garden

with Dr. Andrew Sutherland, UC Cooperative Extension Monday, September 8, 2014 (6:30 – 7:30 PM), Rhythmix Cultural Works This interactive presentation will provide an overview of the central tenets of integrated pest management (IPM) as illustrated by several IPM programs for specific pests of Bay Area urban garden systems. Speaker: Dr. […]


Improving Soil Quality

Saturday, September 13, 20142:00 – 3:00pm FREE event open to the public presented by Rob Bennaton Alameda Main Library Here is a link to Rob Bennaton’s talk on Improving your Soil Quality. Here is a PDF on Soil Fertility Management for Organic Crops (PDF).