Please join us!
– Bring at least one plant to donate to the swap.
– Plants should be clearly labeled, in good health and in healthy soil.
– Other garden related items welcome: books, magazines, tools in good working order and clearly identified seeds or bulbs. These will be placed on our FREE table.
– Bring a small box or box lid to carry home any plants or items you select from the swap.
Masks are optional, but social distancing will be strongly encouraged.
Registration is required – click here.
Location to be announced 48 hours prior to event via email reminder to those who have registered. Please be sure to register with a valid email address that you are able to check.
Some new rule changes in 2022:
Please bring nothing larger than 5-gallon container size.
No cuttings.
Please keep track of any plants or items you bring, because at the end of the event you’ll be asked to take back with you anything you brought that is not claimed by another attendee.
Photo credit: Lori Eanes
With both the cost of food and concerns about global warming rising, it is easy to feel powerless and unable to contribute to the solution. But there are things you can do to make a difference and making compost is a great one. Compost is easy to make, using your own kitchen scraps, fall leaves and garden debris. Home composting keeps materials out of the waste stream, improves soil for healthier crops, conserves soil moisture and can save a considerable amount of money every year.
In this workshop, you will learn the fundamental principals of making compost, including its benefits and uses, the different composting systems available, what materials to use (and what to leave out) and how to troubleshoot problems. Then you will get to see a farm-scale composting system in action and, finally, you will help build a compost pile. By the end of the class, we hope that you will feel confident enough to start your own composting system at home.
This class is being co-hosted by Alameda Backyard Growers (ABG) and StopWaste and is being taught by three graduates of the StopWaste Environmental Educator Training (SWEET) on Soil Health and Compost Science.
Sarah Miller is an ABG board member, Alameda County Master Gardener and the Assistant Manager: Operation Specialist at Alameda Point Collaborative’s Farm2Market farm.
Oliver Stouffer is the Compost Site Supervisor at Alameda Point Collaborative’s Farm2Market and produces most of the compost used on the farm.
Birgitt Evans is an ABG board member, Alameda County Master Gardener and environmental educator.
All three are passionate about composting and the difference it can make in creating healthy soil, growing healthy vegetables and reducing carbon emissions.
Thank you to everyone who participated in ABG’s fun, outdoor, in-Alameda wreath-making workshop on Sunday, December 4. We used gathered and purchased items to craft beautiful wreaths. ABG provided instruction, wreath backings, floral wire, glue and light refreshments.
Check out photos from our workshop!
2022 was another huge year for ABG’s Free Seed Libraries! With your help, we gave away close to 17,000 packets of seasonal seeds. Food inflation in 2022 was 11.8% so those seeds had the potential to help many households with their food budgets.
We are getting ready to reopen our network of seed libraries at the end of January and need help packing up seeds to go in the libraries. We will be hosting our first Seed Packing Party on January 22nd from noon – 2PM at an outdoor, but covered location on the East End.
There will be both space for social distancing and the opportunity to socialize while doing something meaningful for a finite amount of time. Past parties have left us able to stock the libraries for months.
Seed packing qualifies for Community Service hours for the student in your household. (We do ask that students younger than 16 be accompanied by an adult.)
We will have hot mulled cider and light snacks.
The weather is forecast to be sunny with a high of 57 degrees.
Please join us to get the Alameda Free Seed Libraries off to a strong start in 2023. Reply to this email to let us know if you will be able to attend.
Because of our chilly weather earlier in the season, many of Alameda’s fruit trees have already gotten their winter’s worth of chill hours; well over 400 as of January 27. As a result, many are ready to bud out ahead of schedule and need to get pruned soon!
Marla Koss, one of ABG’s fruit tree pruning experts, will demonstrate winter dormant and citrus pruning and you’ll get to try it out on your own with help from experienced pruners, and help Ploughshares at the same time.
Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes (preferably hiking or work boots). If we have a sunny day, you might want to bring a sun hat and/or sunscreen. A water bottle is also highly recommended. Also helpful: eye protection (clear safety goggles/glasses).
Equipment to bring, if you have it:
- bypass pruning shears
- gardening/work gloves
- other pruning equipment such as a pruning saw or loppers
Adults only. We know that interest will exceed the space available and will keep a waiting list. If you register and are unable to attend, we need you to cancel at least 3 days in advance so that we can offer your space to someone else. Please cancel by emailing abg.grow.food@gmail.com.
Ploughshares Nursery is a social enterprise that is part of Alameda Point Collaborative. APC works to end homelessness by providing housing and services to create communities where formerly homeless families and individuals can flourish.
Here are some photos from this event:
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- Marla Koss presenting
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- Marla Koss demonstrating fruit tree pruning
Join us for a discussion of the joys of perennial vegetable gardening. Why grow them? What are the drawbacks? Which veggies are perennials? We’ll also discuss when and how to plant selected perennial vegetables that can be grown in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as how to take care of them and when and how to harvest.
Speaker Bio: Linda Carloni is an enthusiastic vegetable gardener in the city of Alameda, as well as a UC Master Gardener in Alameda County and a member of Alameda Backyard Growers’ Board of Directors. She watches birds whenever she can, and works to protect them. In a past life, she practiced law, mostly serving small technology companies.
Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/perennial-vegetables-why-not-tickets-524219894817
Zoom link provided after registration.
Rescheduled Event!
This is a special-for-ABG introductory class on the facets of Bonsai – the art of growing trees in pots. It includes a brief history, the horticulture and the artistry of bonsai. The class will be led by Tom Colby, one of the East Bay Bonsai Society’s best instructors. Colby is a long-time member and artist. Participants may bring a tree for the instructor to review and, given time, he will lead a tour through a bonsai garden.
Tickets for this event are $5, (proceeds will be shared with the Society).
Class participants are encouraged to bring questions as this always makes for a fun and rewarding experience.
We have space for a maximum of 25 participants (adults only). We know that interest will be high for this event so we will have a waiting list. If you register and are unable to attend, please cancel at least 3 days in advance so that we can offer your space to someone else.
The event is at an Oakland location, and carpooling is encouraged. Location directions will be sent to registrants. The classroom is under a roof but is open to the air. Parking is plentiful, for a $5/car parking fee.
A bathroom is available onsite.
Please direct any questions to info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org
Bring Pollinators to Your Yard! Learn About Raising Bees in Alameda
FREE EVENT – June 11, 2023, 10 am to 11 am
Thank you Andre and Silvia Kruglikov! Many thanks, Andre, for your fun, highly-informative Alameda backyard talk about bees and honey. We all learned something new from you and your Twin Bee Apiaries hives. Big thanks also to Silvia for using your honey to bake us all some delicious Honey Muffins. (Find the recipe here: www.browneyedbaker.com)
Original event listing: This month we’ll continue our pollinator theme and learn about beekeeping from Andre Kruglikov, longtime Alameda beekeeper. Andre will share with us:
- How he got started and progressed in beekeeping.
- What happens in a hive over the course of a beehive’s year and how it affects the beekeeper. Each season brings its own challenges, especially winter!
- The different bees in a hive – queens, drones and workers – their roles and natural history.
- Varroa mites – the main scourge of bees and beekeepers – and how to manage them.
- Harvesting honey.
- Questions and answers, and much more!
About our presenter: Andre Kruglikov started keeping bees twelve years ago, in an effort to improve pollination of his fruit trees. His hives now number about twenty and his Twin Bee Apiaries sells delicious honey. He’s learned a lot over his time beekeeping and will share his knowledge with us.
We have room for 30 people, and we know that more will want to attend. We will keep a waiting list. Should you find yourself unable to attend, please let us know no less than 3 days before the event.
The event will take place outdoors in the City of Alameda. Location provided to registrants after registration.
Thank you to participants who attended this event! For an information sheet on what was discussed at this demonstration click here.
Save water and still meet the needs of your plants! Two Alameda County Master Gardeners will show you how.
Our speakers will provide an explanation of the drip irrigation system used at the Master Gardeners’ site at the Gardens at Lake Merritt in Oakland. This presentation will demonstrate how to construct a drip irrigation system that waters plants with different water needs. The water requirements for various plants growing in Oakland and surrounding cities will also be covered.
Then join us for a tour of the Master Gardeners’ Trials /Demonstration Gardens showing the different ways drip irrigation can be used. This event is part of a series of summer garden talks by the Alameda County Master Gardeners at the Master Gardener site at the Gardens at Lake Merritt.
About Our Speakers: Hugh Globerson (ACMG class of 2019) and Margaret Wong (ACMG class of 2014) are both active long-term volunteers at this garden.