FREE Talk on Cover Crops
Saturday , September 21, 2024 – 11AM – 12 Noon
Presented by Alameda County Master Gardener – David Blood
As the season cools, it’s a great time to grow cover crops. During the off-season, cover crops can improve soil nutrients, prevent erosion, create mulch, and more. Learn about the benefits and how to plant cover crops with Master Gardener, David Blood. Talk topics are subject to change based upon speaker availability and attendees’ interest.
At Gate 4, Trials Garden Gardens at Lake Merritt
666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland CA (There is a fee for parking.)
interest. All talks are in person and outdoors and may be canceled in rain or severe weather.
In partnership with the Alameda Free Library
Held in the Library Community Room, 1550 Oak Street, Alameda
Civilization began when humans began to save and plant seeds. Come and learn about the seeds of common food plants we eat today. We’ll talk about the history of seeds, explore the different sizes and shapes of seeds, and explain how to grow plants for seed, including harvesting for viable seeds and collecting those seeds. We’ll focus on five seeds that are easily saved by the home gardener – beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes and peppers.
The talk will be followed by a hands-on exercise where participants will extract the seeds from a variety of different plant materials and package them up for both themselves and the seed library at the Alameda Free Library. SPACE IS LIMITED TO 50 PARTICIPANTS
Birgitt Evans has grown her own food on a large scale for the past 40 years and created a successful garden and nursery business. She is passionate about growing and raising food and seeks to encourage and educate others so they can also share the benefits of fresh, healthy, homegrown food. She grows vegetables in three different Alameda County gardens and starts 90% of her plants from seed. She has been an Alameda County Master Gardener since 1999 and served on the board of Alameda Backyard Growers for 10 years.
Kristen Smeal (she/her) is a Master Gardener (2018) and volunteer for the Alameda Backyard Growers. In her role as the Garden Science teacher at St. Philip Neri School in Alameda, she is passionate about teaching children how to grow food and to care for the Earth and each other.
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.
