Hi Pickers!
Thank you for all your help this year! To date we’ve picked and delivered 3,845 lbs to the Alameda Food Bank (and 39 lbs of figs to Food Shift Kitchen). Well done!
We have one more pick scheduled in 2018 – on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 2PM. We need more trees for this pick, so please tell your friends and neighbors with trees laden with extra fruit to contact us.
Please let us know if are able to help pick by emailing info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org and I will let you know where to meet up.
Meanwhile – Happy Thanksgiving!
No ABG meeting in December.
The wave of citrus tree picking requests is beginning to hit, so we’re squeezing in one more pick in 2018!
Please join us, bring gardening gloves (if you have them), a hat and water. The meeting location will be provided when you let me know that you CAN make this pick.
Thank you!
Happy Holidays!
Jillian
CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN
Well we’ve rung in the New Year and the citrus is flowing in! HELP!
Join Alameda Backyard Growers as we present the movie ‘Modified’.
WHEN: January 11, 2019
WHERE: Rhythmix Cultural Works from 6:30 – 9PM
In the award-winning new documentary ‘Modified’, the filmmaker and her mother embark on a very personal and poignant investigative journey to find out why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in the United States and Canada, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world. Interweaving the personal and the political, the film is anchored in the filmmaker’s relationship to her mom, a gardener and food activist who battled cancer during the film’s production. Their intimate mother-daughter quest for answers, fuelled by a shared love of food, reveals the extent to which the agribusiness industry controls our food policies, making a strong case for a more transparent and sustainable food system. A visual celebration of family legacy and the love of food, cooking, and gardening. An official selection at over 40 international film festivals. Winner of 11 awards, including 4 Audience Favorite Awards.
Here is a link to the trailer.
We’re getting loads of requests for picking citrus trees.
Phase 2 – Starts January 26, 2019
Winter is a great time to plant a tree, and we want to help you plant one. In Project Tree Phase 2, the Alameda Sun and Alameda Backyard Growers have teamed up to offer Alameda residents training on tree planting and care, together with a coupon good for $25 off the price of a tree purchased at Encinal Nursery or Ploughshares Nursery.
Coupons can be picked up at the next Project Tree workshop, on Saturday January 26, 10:30 AM to Noon at Rhythmix Cultural Works. Coupons are valid from January 26 to June 30, 2019. Proof of City of Alameda residency will be required (a recent utility bill, driver’s license, car registration, property tax receipt, posted mail or bank statement with name and address of the applicant). The supply of coupons is limited to one coupon per Alameda resident. Restrictions and limitations apply as stated on the coupon. The workshop will provide information on choosing a tree, proper tree placement, planting and general care. Online tree care information will also be available for free downloading. For more information email us at info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org with “Project Tree” in the subject line.
Thank you to the Alameda Sun for helping make this possible.
2019 looks to be another successful year as the picking requests keep coming in!
Please let me know if you ARE available to pick on Saturday, February 2 between 2 – 4PM by emailing info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org.
Bring gardening gloves if you have them, a hat and water.
Thank you!
Jillian Saxty
ABG Project Pick Coordinator
Let’s keep the citrus fruit flowing!
Please let me know if you ARE available to pick on Sunday, February 17 between 2 – 4PM by emailing info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org.
Bring gardening gloves if you have them, a hat and water.
Thank you for all your help! You should be proud of yourselves for helping the hungry!
Jillian Saxty
ABG Project Pick Coordinator
What do zucchini, almonds and guavas have in common? They all need pollinators.
Without pollinators, the world would be a less colorful, less tasty and less well-balanced place: all the more reason to learn how to create a garden that will naturally attract bees, butterflies and other major pollinators. Although the best-known pollinators are domesticated honey bees, there are other pollinators that are also important, including bees and other insects that are native to California.
The presenters have been working for some years to build and maintain a pollinator garden at Lake Merritt, and will share the knowledge they have. Topics to be discussed include:
- The goals of the pollinator garden at Lake Merritt,
- The importance of native bees,
- Why you might wish to create a pollinator garden of your own, and
- How to start a pollinator garden, including optimal growth conditions (sun,soil, and water needs), and plant grouping to attract the maximum number of pollinators. The presenters will also discuss site selection, plant selection, soil amendment and care for your pollinator garden.
Presenters: Sally Hughes, Alameda County Master Gardener, 2006, Co-manager of the Lake Merritt Pollinator Garden; Jennifer Cardoza, Alameda County Master Gardener, 2012, Co-manager of the Lake Merritt Pollinator Garden, Sarah Phelan, Nature Journalis