The next FREE Plant Exchange is Saturday, March 25th from 11am to 4pm at 4500 Lincoln Ave. in Oakland. Join us for this fun free semi-annual event where gardeners, landscapers, urban farmers, and beginners come to exchange plants, tools, equipment and information about ways to make our urban environment more sustainable, aesthetic, and healthy. The event will feature a live band, food trucks, gardening demos, advice from The Alameda County Master Gardeners, raffle prizes, and more. This year’s events will have additional special activities planned as part of our 10 Year Anniversary!
Join Alameda Backyard Growers and the Alameda Free Library for a free screening of the Award Winning Documentary, ‘The Starfish Throwers’.
When: Sunday, April 2nd at 1:30 PM
Where: Community Meeting Room at the Alameda Free Library, 1550 Oak Street.
We will have light refreshments and information tables with food-oriented community organizations.
About The Starfish Throwers
Worlds apart, a five-star chef, a twelve year-old girl, and a retired schoolteacher discover how their individual efforts to feed the poor ignite a movement in the fight against hunger.
Award-winning chef Narayanan Krishnan, fighting against the caste system in India, quits his job to begin a life of cooking and hand-delivering fresh meals to hundreds of people in his hometown. Katie Stagliano’s planting of a single cabbage seedling when she was nine years old blossoms into Katie’s Krops, a non-profit with 73 gardens dedicated to ending hunger. Retired middle school teacher Mr. Law battles personal health issues as he hand delivers more than a thousand sandwiches nightly to the hungry in Minneapolis.
This documentary tells the tale of these remarkable individuals and the unexpected challenges they face. Despite being constantly reminded that hunger is far too big for one person to solve, they persevere and see their impact ripple further than their individual actions.
You can watch a trailer of the documentary here.
Alameda Backyard Growers will have a booth at this event, and volunteers who can help answer questions about growing your own food!
Join us for the Alameda ‘Living Color’ Garden Tour and Charity Plant Sale.
Saturday, May 6 from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Alameda Support Foundation sponsors the tour and all proceeds go to the animals at FAAS.
See more than 10 spectacular climate-friendly gardens.
Tickets are $20. Purchase in advance, starting April 17th at:
Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter
1590 Fortmann Way, Alameda, CA 94501
Tel. 510-337-8565
www.alamedaanimalshelter.org
or via Eventbrite here.
Each ticket lists the fist garden where you’ll receive a map to all the other showplaces as well as the location of the Charity Plant Sale.
Alameda Backyard Growers will have docents at one of the gardens.
Irene Rakochy, a Founding Board Member of ABG, a great friend, and a dedicated ABG volunteer, died unexpectedly in her sleep in June. She was 69, and leaves two adult sons. We miss her so much. A Celebration of Irene’s Life will be held on Saturday, July 15th at 1 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 2255 Santa Clara Avenue, in Alameda.
The Plant Exchange, a registered 501(c)(3) organization, is a community and a celebration that encourages resource sharing, reuse, recycling, and organic living. Our mission is to encourage green practices and support Oakland’s designation as one of the greenest cities in the country.
The premier program of The Plant Exchange is its semi-annual, free, one-day event where gardeners, landscapers, urban farmers, educators, and enthusiasts all come together to exchange plants, equipment, tools, and information about ways to make our urban environment more sustainable, aesthetic, and healthy.
The event also features gardening demos, food trucks, a live band, raffle prizes, and more! And, it is all free to everyone. For more information, visit www.theplantexchange.org.
The Bay Farm Free Library Needs Your Help!
Looking for a few folks who like to garden and don’t mind getting their hands in the dirt.
WHY YOU ASK?
If you are interested in signing up for a PLANTING PARTY on Saturday November 18 at 1:00 p.m (weather permitting).
Please contact Lynda at (510)747-7787 or
lwilliam@alamedaca.gov
Plan to bring work gloves and any garden tools you think might be helpful
Refreshments will be available
BECAUSE: The Bay Farm Island Library has received a wonderful gift of:
250 Daffodil bulbs (and some irises). They will look so beautiful come spring but, for that to happen the bulbs need to go in ground before the end of the month.
We can increase production, improve appearance, and insure overall health of our fruit trees with dormant-season pruning. Learn how and when to cut back your trees for maximum food production, as well as the basics of water-retention, pest management and tool maintenance.
Jeremy is the founder of Edible Ecology, a permaculture-based landscaping company in the East Bay.
He has studied fruit tree care extensively and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others.
Learn more about Edible Ecology at edibleecology.net
John Wilson is here from Oklahoma to give one of his renowned grafting workshops here in Alameda, Ca. After he demonstrates some of the more popular grafts, such as cleft and whip grafts, attendees will have a chance to practice what they’ve learned on branches and trees in Jasmine’s garden. If you have your own grafting knife, please bring it. Jasmine will have knives to lend as well. The garden has more than 20 different fruit trees, (many multi-budded,) and is a great place to learn creative and attractive permaculture techniques. A potluck meal will be shared after the grafting workshop in the garden. Donations appreciated. Please RSVP in comments below on this page, or message Jasmine directly, so we can assure you a spot and give you the street address. We’ll schedule a second workshop for Sunday afternoon, same time if we get more than 12 people signed up. (Don’t worry, the TV will be on in the living room during Super bowl and we will break for half time) We look forward to seeing you!