by Linda Carloni Yes, it’s tomato, zucchini and green bean time! I hope that your gardens are giving you wonderful produce for delicious dinners. But school is in session, and Fall will be with us sooner than we think. One of the benefits of our Mediterranean climate is our ability […]
by Linda Carloni We’re featuring tomatoes for June here at Alameda Backyard Growers. It’s a favorite summer garden plant all over, including in our Island City. To help keep your tomato seedlings successfully growing, check out these resources: Continuing care General tips for beginning vegetable gardeners Tomato tips for beginning […]
by Marla Koss June is here, and for certain fruit trees with overly abundant crops of fruit forming, so is ‘June Drop’. During this month apple, peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, persimmon and plum-apricot hybrids tend to drop excess fruit on the ground to relieve themselves of too much of a […]
On August 5, 2023, Marla Koss, one of ABG’s fruit tree pruning experts, demonstrated winter dormant and citrus pruning which also helped Farm2Market in Alameda at the same time. She discussed the best methods for keeping your stone fruit trees in good shape via summer pruning and other tree care […]
Gardening in mid-summer frequently means pest management, as the warmer temperatures bring more insects and the summer veggies get maladies. Some tips for the season: While aphids attack some plants in spring, they can be a real problem on cole crops and other veggies in the summer. For help controlling […]
by Alison Limoges, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member Despite the fact that the Bay Area got ‘atmospheric river’ rains this winter and spring, in our typically Mediterranean climate we can still expect very dry summers, and of course, we know we will have dry winters in future years. California’s […]
by Linda Carloni, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member The winter rains brought us much needed water, leading to increased water availability for agriculture and cities, a bounteous wildflower bloom, and a start to recharging our depleted groundwater. It also brought us a very severe peach leaf curl season. Peach […]
Alameda Sun, Thursday, August 11, 2022 by Linda Carloni, Alameda Backyard Growers It’s a lovely warm summer day. The kale plants in the garden have looked lush and productive, ready for salads and sautés. The broccoli and chives have been doing well too. But suddenly — aphids! Aphids are small […]
by Linda Carloni, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member Your full-size tomatoes have started to ripen. Your cherry tomatoes may be ready to eat now. Nothing tastes like a tomato from the garden! But while tomatoes are one of the most popular foods to grow in your garden, they are […]
by Birgitt Evans, Master Gardener It’s dry out there in the garden now. And hot. The heat lovers like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, corn and melons are loving it. As long as they get enough water, they will shine, producing generous crops. This time of bounty is an opportunity to […]
by Linda Carloni, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Make Sure Your Plants are Getting Enough Water As your plants get larger and the weather gets warmer, keep an eagle eye on the water needs of your veggie plants. While you still have seeds sprouting or very small seedlings, the […]
Pulling Together a 2019 Summer Garden Wrap-Up When we went hunting for input from local gardeners for this article (September 12, 2019, Alameda Sun – see below), not only did our respondents give us good feedback on this year’s successes and disappointments in their yards, they also talked about ingenious […]
