Kick-off a Year of Sustainable Gardening!
Join Alameda Backyard Growers at 7PM on January 11, 2018 at Rhythmix Cultural Works for a screening of filmmaker Mark Kitchell’s new film: Evolution of Organic.
This is the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of back-to-the-landers, spiritual seekers and farmers’ sons and daughters reject chemical farming and set out to explore organic alternatives. It’s a heartfelt journey of change, from a small band of rebels to a cultural transformation in the way we grow and eat food. By now organic has gone mainstream, split into an industry oriented toward bringing organic to all people and a movement that has realized a vision of sustainable agriculture. It’s the most popular and successful outgrowth of the environmental impulse of the last fifty years.
Stay from 2-4pm for Gardening 101: Everything You Need to Know as a Beginner Gardener taught by Jeff Bridge of Ploughshares Nursery. You will learn how to: choose soil, watering tricks, avoid common mistakes, and the basics of fertilization. Bring your questions and garden conundrums for Jeff to answer after the demonstration. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door.
with Lori Slicton, Old Schoolhouse Raw Honey
February 20, 2018, 7 to 8:30 pm
Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Avenue, Alameda
Join us for an introduction to the wonderful world of bees and beekeeping. We’ll learn about the importance of bees and beekeeping and why the urban food farmer might want to add them to her plot. Then Lori will provide us with an overview of beekeeping and we’ll taste some Alameda honey.
About our speaker: Lori Slicton lives in Alameda and keeps honeybees both in Alameda and in the Sonora foothills. Through Old Schoolhouse Raw Honey, she makes and sells honey, natural remedies, and other bee-related products.
with Maricelle Cardenas of Stopwaste.org
Learn about spring pests with Master Gardeners of Alameda County (MGAC).
with Birgitt Evans & Marla Koss
Take the mystery out of tree pruning with this hands-on workshop! Learn the basics and leave with skills you can start using immediately.
Topics covered include:
- How trees grow
- Why pruning keeps trees healthier
- How trees react to pruning
- Seasonal pruning
- How to prune properly
- Common pruning mistakes
- Identifying a properly pruned true
and more!
The workshop will also include a show-and-tell of different types of wood, branches, branch collars, compartmentalization of decay in trees. Bring your questions and come prepared for a fun interactive learning experience.
Tony Wolcott is a Certified Landscape Horticulturalist, Certified Irrigation Designer, Board Certified Master Arborist, Master Composter, and Bay Friendly Designer. His work experience includes being the urban forester at the Cities of Albany and San Francisco, non-profit work with Friends of the Urban Forest, Our City Forest, and arborist representative with Bartlett Tree Experts. Currently he is professor of Arboriculture within the Horticulture division of the Biology Department at Diablo Valley College.
Join us for Alameda Backyard Growers’ Second Annual Garden Tour. This year, Mary Sotelo is opening her beautiful garden, which showcases her love of color and edibles. Much is packed into a small backyard. Fruit trees are kept small to maximize space. Large containers are also used. In addition to fruit trees, berries and veggies, the garden includes chickens (who enjoy a chandelier in their coop), compost bins, and a garden wall of Talavera Mexican pottery. The garden is an important part of the curriculum of Mary’s preschool, allowing children to learn about gardening and where our food comes from.
About the gardener: Mary got her love of gardening from her grandmother at an early age. The last few years, she converted some of her flower beds into veggie beds, so she could have fresh, organic veggies right outside her door. For now, the garden is her perfect mix of art, flowers, and edibles.
This event is now full.
with David Blood, Master Gardener of Alameda County
July 21, 2018, 2 to 3:30 pm
Alameda Main Library, 1550 Oak Street, Alameda
Yes, summer gardening may be starting to wind down. But in the Bay Area, we can grow food three, or maybe even four, seasons of the year. In the fall, some crops actually do better than in the summer, because pest problems may be fewer. David Blood, long-time Alameda County Master Gardener, will speak on how to approach the fall and winter garden: what crops work and what to avoid, how to start seeds for the fall/winter garden, and other issues to consider. David’s presentation will be followed by a seed starting workshop, featuring seeds suitable for the fall and winter garden. Take home a six-pack of planted seeds and try out a fall/winter garden!
About our Speaker: David Blood became an Alameda County Master Gardener in 2001, and has many years of experience growing food. He co-leads the ACMG Lake Merritt Trials Garden, which conducts tests of which varieties do best in our moderate western Alameda County climate, provides presentations on growing food each summer, and showcases the plants named Outstanding Plants of Alameda County.
August 11 – Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop, 10 am, Farm2Market, Alameda Point.
Birgitt Evans and Marla Koss will discuss how to prune deciduous fruit trees, and participants will have a chance to practice those skills. Please wear garden gloves and bring pruners if you have them.