Daily Archives: November 30, 2022

School Gardens Bridge the Gap Between School and Community

Alameda Sun – Wednesday, November 23, 2022 by Kristen Smeal, Co-President of Alameda Backyard Growers During World War I, school gardens materialized as an effort to utilize idle land on urban and suburban school properties. Food was grown at schools for local community food security, to increase nutritional awareness, and […]

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Donated to the Alameda Food Bank

Total 2024 donations: 4000 lbs.

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Alameda Backyard Growers

5 days ago

The City will also be designing the Community Garden adjacent to the Aquatic Center at this meeting. It is important that we have as many voices for the community garden present at this meeting as possible. ... See MoreSee Less

Help Design Alameda’s New Aquatic Center

alamedapost.com

The City of Alameda is offering a series of community workshops to help shape the design of the new aquatic center to be built at Jean Sweeney Open Space Park. Comment at the in-person workshops or pa...

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Alameda Backyard Growers

2 weeks ago

Please come to the City Council Meeting on Tuesday May 7, 2024 at 7PM to show your support for a Community Garden at Jean Sweeney Open Space Park!

ABG has spent hundred of hours in collaboration with the City’s Recreation and Park Department over the past 10 years to design the community garden. It was put on hold for lack of funds. Last year, the City found the money for a new Aquatic Center and we are deeply grateful to ARPD Director Long for including the community garden in this project, but there is a possibility that the community garden will be put on hold AGAIN, because the Aquatic Center is over budget.

The City Council is planning to, as part of the "Consent Calendar", authorize the following:

“Item 5-D - Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with Blach Construction, Inc. for Phase I Design/Build Services for up to Four Years, in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $3,427,840, Including a 3% Contingency, for the Design and Permitting of the City Aquatic Center. [Requires four affirmative votes]”

The Community Garden build-out is included in this contract. It is important to have as many people as possible at the meeting to show that the Community Garden is important to many of us so that it is not cut from the project in the event of cost overruns.

Many of us at some point in our lives have experienced food insecurity or know someone who has. A community garden is one way to address this, right here in the center of town. More than 55% of Alamedans are renters and may not have space for their own garden. This would give them a place to grow their own food. And, similar to ABG’s current mission, any excess food at the garden can go to the Alameda Food Bank

City Council meetings are held in the City Council chamber on the third floor of City Hall on the corner of Santa Clara Ave. and Oak St. The consent calendar will probably be heard between 7:30 and 8PM if everything is running smoothly.

If you wish to speak, fill out a Speaker's Slip and mark Item 5-D on it along with your name. The item will then be pulled from the consent calendar for speakers. You will have two minutes to speak. It is not important that you say a lot. You can just get up and say that the Community Garden is important to you and you want to make sure that it is completed along with the Aquatic Center. ... See MoreSee Less

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It’s such a shame that the city leadership voted for the aquatic center in the only open-space park the city has provided to date, and in violation of Jean’s vision for the park. There are plenty of other options. I cannot imagine gardening between Webster street traffic and the noise of an aquatic center either. 😢

I can’t come to the meeting tonight. But, since I was part of the advisory group I wonder if there is some way to send in my input. I am disabled, very low income and a long time member of Bay/Eagle garden. I understand the value of a community garden for many reasons.

Care Sheets for Specific Fruit Trees

Blenheim Apricot Care Sheet
Citrus Care Sheet
Fig Tree Care Sheet
Fuji & Gala Apple Care Sheet
Purple-Leaf Plum Care Sheet
Santa Rosa Plum Care Sheet

Growing Community One Veggie at a Time

Growing Community One Veggie at a Time

Daily Archives: November 30, 2022

School Gardens Bridge the Gap Between School and Community