by Holly Johnson
Dafna Gozani discovered Alameda Backyard Growers Seed Libraries three years ago. She noticed that the seeds had been hand-picked for the Island City’s micro-climate. “The information on the seed packets and on the ABG website is better than anything else I’ve seen,” she says.
Dafna noticed the ABG parade brigade this year as the July 4 parade was getting started. She was excited to share her photos and her successes. “I’ve done well with all the squashes, and this year I finally succeeded with butter lettuce,” she said, adding that she landed on the best combination of container and location after trial and error.
Dafna’s photos show her 2024 garden. “Honestly I wasn’t feeling optimistic when we first got our seedlings into the ground this year since it was so cold,” she noted, but added that “things seem to be finally taking off! I even got a pumpkin going strong.”
Dafna hopes that someday the libraries can be used to share seeds. She would love to share marigold seeds, for example, because they are such great companion plants for food crops.
ABG would love to gather more stories about your successes and challenges growing vegetables from seed. Please submit your stories and photos to abg.grow.food@gmail.com.
