Calendar


May
18
Sat
2024
Pollinators – Learn to Attract Them and Help them Thrive @ The Gardens at Lake Merritt
May 18 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Tora Rocha, co-founder of Pollinator Posse and formerly Parks Supervisor for the City of Oakland, will lead a tour of the various pollinator habitats at the Gardens of Lake Merritt and help us learn how to keep a healthy ecosystem thriving in our own gardens. 

The Pollinator Garden is located next to the Bonsai Garden, just northwest by a few steps. On Google Maps, it’s labeled “Bee Hotel Garden.”

There is a fee for parking.

This event is hosted by the Master Gardeners of Alameda County.

Seed starting and planting for pollinators

May
23
Thu
2024
Alameda Food Bank Tour & Volunteer Work Project @ Alameda Food Bank
May 23 @ 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Alameda Food Bank Tour & Volunteer Work Project @ Alameda Food Bank | Alameda | California | United States

Join us for a tour and work party with our partner, the Alameda Food Bank!

Since 2011, to feed our neighbors and reduce food waste, Alameda Backyard Growers has encouraged local fruit tree owners to request that our volunteers pick their excess fruit. In those 13 years, ABG volunteers have gleaned and delivered more than 66,000 pounds of fresh fruit to the Alameda Food Bank. This ongoing, mutual collaboration between these two not-for-profits remains strong to this day. Together, we still reduce food insecurity and food waste. If you’ve never had the chance to visit the Alameda Food Bank or volunteer for them, here is your chance to do just that.

We will learn how the AFB operates, who is eligible to receive food there, how to volunteer, etc. We’ll do miscellaneous chores including cleaning shelves, restocking food, sorting food, etc.

Wear warm, comfortable clothes and closed-toed shoes.

Restrooms, drinking water, camaraderie are available.

Space is limited to 20, so sign up here!

After this work project event, you are welcome to remain at Alameda Point to socialize with your fellow volunteers at the nearby Firebrand Bread, Almanac Beer Co., etc. on West Tower Avenue.

Jun
29
Sat
2024
Irrigation Basics @ The Gardens at Lake Merritt
Jun 29 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

From the  UC Master Gardener Program of Alameda County:

Learn how to water your vegetable garden, landscape plantings and containers using gardener-friendly drip irrigation. Master Gardener David Blood will walk you through the how-tos and answer your questions.  FREE; no registration required.  The garden is located in the Gardens of Lake Merritt, at Lakeside Park, 666 Bellevue Avenue in Oakland. Enter at Gate 4, across from the Boathouse. There is a fee for parking.

Master Gardener Irrigation Workshop

Tour of Ploughshares Nursery & Tomato Plant Care @ Ploughshares Nursery
Jun 29 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

ABG’s June Program is a FREE Tour of Ploughshares and a presentation by its manager, Jordan Taylor, on How to Care For Your Tomato Plants.  This informative session will be held Saturday, June 29 from 1:00–3:00 pm. Learn lots more about how to grow tomatoes and pick up your current plant supply needs while there. 

Born and raised in New York City, Jordan Taylor never imagined a world covered in dirt, happy insects, and happier plants. Since 2019, Jordan has spent countless hours of hands-on research and trial error to become an avid gardener and an advocate for food sovereignty. Beginning as a novice on the nursery sales floor, Jordan is a true testament to how falling in love with gardening can propel a person into a more fruitful life.

During our tomato workshop we will cover tomato nutrient needs, favorable conditions, common pests, and helpful tips to get the most out of your tomato harvest.

To join us, register now!

Ploughshares Nursery

Ploughshares Nursery

Jul
27
Sat
2024
Getting Started with Native Plant Propagation @ The Gardens at Lake Merritt
Jul 27 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Getting Started with Native Plant Propagation @ The Gardens at Lake Merritt | Oakland | California | United States

This talk, which will be given by Master Gardener Laura Cornett, will cover propagating with seeds as well as vegetative propagation via cuttings and division. Preparation of propagules will be covered as well as after care for seedlings. Cornett has been an Alameda County Master Gardener since 2020. She is also part-time faculty as the Curriculum Coordinator and Laboratory Technician in the Horticulture Department at Las Positas College in Livermore. She is involved in the Native Plant Resource Team which is a division of the “Bringing Back the Natives Tour.” Her yard has been on this Tour three times, including this year.

No registration is required. The Master Gardeners’ Trials Garden is located in the Gardens of Lake Merritt, at Lakeside Park, 666 Bellevue Avenue in Oakland. Enter at Gate 4 across from the Boathouse. There is a fee for parking.

Oct
26
Sat
2024
Propagating Native Plants @ Gate 4, Trials Garden, Gardens at Lake Merritt
Oct 26 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

FREE Talk on Propagating Native Plants

Saturday , October 26, 2024 – 11AM – 12:30PM
Presented by Alameda County Master Gardeners

Thank you to Laura Cornett for her hands-on workshop on California Native Plant Propagation: Seeds, Cuttings and Division. Participants had the opportunity to process cuttings, plant seeds and plant some rhizomes.

This talk focused on different propagation methods for California native plants.  In addition to the lecture, there will be a hands- on portion where attendees will be able to sow their own seeds, prepare and stick cuttings and pot up some native plant rhizomes.

Presenter Laura Cornett is an Alameda County Master Gardener and part-time faculty in Horticulture at Las Positas College in Livermore.

Laura Cornell Native Plant Propagation