Winter is a great time to plant a tree, and we want to help you plant one. In Project Tree, the Alameda Sun newspaper 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 Sunday, March 3, 1:00 – 3:00 PM at Rhythmix Cultural Works. We will discuss the best trees for Alameda, and how to plant and care for them.
Coupons are valid 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, and we only have 20 coupons left. They will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.
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.
Presenters: Damian Mason, and two additional CASA members
Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown is a 2-hour workshop – open to all – that invites our local Alameda community to see the possibility of reversing global warming and to understand that we each have an important role to play in that process.
Through videos and group activities, presenters will introduce a comprehensive plan to reverse global warming from “Project Drawdown“, a scientific study that identifies 100 solutions which, if implemented together, can begin to not just slow down, but to actually roll back, global warming by 2050.
“Drawdown is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on year-to-year basis.” ~ Project Drawdown
Need more info? Contact: drawdownalameda@gmail.com
Please join us for Alameda Backyard Growers’ Third Annual Garden Tour. This year, we focus on food production. Margie Siegal has made her large yard into a mini-farm. She raises fruit trees, herbs and lots of different vegetables. Margie will show us the innovative techniques she’s used to solve some gardening challenges, and tell us about what didn’t work. We’ll also focus on her tricks for successfully growing the heat-loving vegetables that can be difficult in Alameda, including melons and eggplant.
About the farm: Caution: Most paths are grass, and the ground is uneven. People with mobility difficulties may not be able to access most areas. Please wear low heeled shoes with good soles. The resident feral cat, who controls rodents in the back yard, is terrified of dogs. Please do not bring your dog.
About the gardener: Margie has been gardening for years, mostly learning through making mistakes and reading books. She finds gardening relaxing and enjoys the low stress manual labor.
Because of the size of the garden, attendance is limited to 25 people. Preregistration is required.
If the event is already full when you try to sign up, please email info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org to be put on the waiting list.
DATE: Saturday, July 13
LOCATION: Ploughshares Nursery, 2701 Main St, Alameda, CA 94501
Join us to learn more about Ploughshares Nursery and help Jeff Bridge and his team with fun projects!
Help Ploughshares weed out and plant the propagation area, transplant fruit trees and seed native plants for next year’s sales. Bring work gloves and clippers, it’s going to be fun!
Directions: From Webster Street, turn West onto Willie Stargell Ave. or Atlantic Avenue (Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway). Turn Right onto Main Street. Ploughshares is across the street from Svendsen’s/Bay Ship and Yacht.
Help Save Our Monarchs by Planting Milkweed and Flower Seeds!
Last Thanksgiving, only 28,429 monarchs were counted in their wintering colonies compared to a historic population of about 10 million in the Western Monarch migration. Today monarchs face several challenges, the most intractable being a lack of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), where females typically lay their eggs, as well as a lack of winter blooming nectar plants to feed them along their journey. They are also being decimated by the increased use of glyphosate in agriculture, which kills milkweed and other sources of food for these butterflies.
If you have a sunny, open 4′ x 4′ space where you could plant milkweed and butterfly flowers – you could be part of the solution!
At this special workshop we will talk about how to plant and maintain a butterfly garden, then help you plant California native milkweed (and other flower seeds) so you can create your own butterfly garden. You will leave with milkweed, winter blooming flowers and information on how to help the monarchs!
On Monday, January 13, ABG will present a movie night at Rhythmix, 2513 Blanding Ave. in the city of Alameda , co-hosted by StopWaste! Free popcorn!
Please bring your own container for water to reduce waste.
Trevor Probert of StopWaste will lead a Carbon Farming discussion after the movie.
Our movie, ‘Symphony of the Soil‘ is an artistic exploration of the miraculous “living skin of the earth.” By understanding the elaborate relationships between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource. The film examines our human relationship with soil, the use and misuse of soil in agriculture, deforestation and development, and the latest scientific research on soil’s key role in ameliorating the most challenging environmental problems of our time, including climate change. Filmed on four continents and featuring esteemed scientists and working farmers and ranchers, Symphony of the Soil is an intriguing presentation that highlights possibilities of healthy soil creating healthy plants creating healthy humans living on a healthy planet.
Trevor Probert is a Program Services Specialist at StopWaste and resident of Alameda.
Trevor Probert is a Program Services Specialist at StopWaste and resident of Alameda. He teaches StopWaste’s public workshops on composting, gardening for soil health, and carbon farming. Trevor works with urban farms and community gardens to set up on-site composting systems. He has worked as an elementary school garden teacher, classroom teacher, and landscape contractor, and has bachelor degrees in Geography and Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Education.
The City of Alameda’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan recognizes the importance of trees:
- Trees sequester carbon by breathing in carbon dioxide and storing the carbon as plant material
- Trees not only help settle airborne particles during wildfire smoke events, but also remove carbon from the atmosphere and reduce heat impacts
As part of its climate action and resiliency efforts, Alameda is updating its 2010 Street Tree Plan. A vibrant urban forest can help protect us from the impacts of climate change, sequester carbon, increase property values, and promote social equity.
Come hear the research conducted by CASA’s (Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda) Brown University winter intern Kian Kafaie on Wednesday, January 15th at 6 p.m. in the Stafford Room at the Alameda Free Library, 1550 Oak Street, Alameda, CA 94501.
Light refreshments will be served and there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion.
Sadly, due to COVID-19, the City of Alameda has cancelled the Earth Day festival in Washington Park. Please celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day by supporting your favorite environmental organization, or participating in any of the many online events via many environmental non-profits.
Take care and stay healthy! Alameda Backyard Growers
Come and visit our booth at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Earth Day! We’ll have tomato plants to buy, information to share (on growing food, going plastic free, planting trees, etc.).
You may also have the opportunity to plant trees around Washington Park.
We’ll be sharing our booth with StopWaste – so you can learn more about stopping food waste, urban carbon farming and much more!
If you’d like to volunteer at our booth, please email us: info@alamedabackyardgrowers.org
Looking forward to seeing you there!
ABG Announces Our 2020 Earth Day (Spacial Distancing) Plant Sale!
10AM – 1PM Saturday April 25th. Location will be emailed to attendees.
Every year at Earth Day, we sell hundreds of tomato plants and people come back for them year after year. This year, with more gardeners and fewer seedlings, we have added basil, squash, cucumbers and a few greens to the mix, moved the sale to a private residence and added spacial distancing in the form of time slots to keep the crowds down. But we still have our wonderful tomato plants and other veggies to get you through the summer!
How it Works:
1) Click on this Eventbrite link and select a time slot. The earliest slots will have the best selection, so fill those first. We will email you the location when you sign up.
2) Send one (healthy) person per household, wash hands first and wear a mask.
3) Check out the LIST OF PLANTS we have available and note what you want (with second choices), so you can just pick them up and pay when you get to the sale. (Note: there are limits on how many of each plant you can buy so everyone can have some.)
4) Bring either exact change or a check made out to Alameda Backyard Growers along with a pen so you can fill in the final amount. Any cash you leave in excess of your plant total is a tax deductible contribution to ABG and we promise to use it wisely!
October Plant Swap
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Alameda Backyard Growers is inviting you to a socially-distanced, outdoor plant swap.
Please arrive at 1pm.
- Masks must be worn and a distance of 6ft or more maintained.
- Everyone must use provided hand sanitizer prior to entering the plant swap area.
- Attendees must bring at least one plant to donate to the swap.
- Make sure plants are clearly labeled. Plants should be in good health and in healthy soil, to minimize the possible spread of garden pathogens.
The location for this event is in West Alameda and will be announced 48 hours prior via email reminder. Please be sure to register with a valid email address that you are able to check.
You may also bring other garden related items: books, magazines, tools (no broken tools), and seeds to place on our FREE table.
Tickets for this event are limited. Click here to register.
