Rooted in Alameda: Free Seed Libraries Celebrate a Record 2025 and Look Toward Spring by Kristen Smeal and Birgitt Evans What a truly remarkable year it has been for the Alameda Backyard Growers’ Free Seed Libraries. Thanks to the unwavering support of the ABG Board, our dedicated donors, and our […]
Growing Chard Site Selection Plant your garden in a convenient location, where you can check it frequently. Choose an area near an abundant supply of water so you can water as needed easily. Vegetables do best if they receive full sunlight (at least 4 to 6 hours a day). Plant […]
by Birgitt Evans As we enter 2025, in the midst of a polycrisis, it is unclear if the price of groceries will go up or go down in the coming months. Facing uncertainty, it is easy to become overwhelmed. However, there are positive steps we can all take to help […]
by Holly Johnson Dafna Gozani discovered Alameda Backyard Growers Seed Libraries three years ago. She noticed that the seeds had been hand-picked for the Island City’s micro-climate. “The information on the seed packets and on the ABG website is better than anything else I’ve seen,” she says. Dafna noticed the […]
Saturday, August 27 at Noon at an East End Location 2023 is turning out to be another big year for ABG’s Free Seed Libraries. With your help, we packed and have given out close to 10,000 packets of seeds so far this year. As summer comes to an end, we […]
Alameda Sun – Wednesday, November 23, 2022 by Kristen Smeal, Co-President of Alameda Backyard Growers During World War I, school gardens materialized as an effort to utilize idle land on urban and suburban school properties. Food was grown at schools for local community food security, to increase nutritional awareness, and […]
by Birgitt Evans, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not the holidays, silly. Seed season. All your seed catalogs have arrived, the nurseries are chock-full of seeds and it’s time to get out some Post-its and start making your choices. This […]
by Margie Siegal So there you are, poking through the seed racks at Ploughshares Nursery or Encinal Nursery, and trying to figure out what variety to buy, or scrolling around all the different seed companies on-line, reading through the descriptions and trying to figure out what variety to buy. Once […]
Check out the beautifully crafted seed library installed by Alameda Backyard Growers in the Healing Garden, 1435 Webster Street last weekend. Many thanks to Jake Myers and Troop 1015, Ken Carvahlo, Jim Myers, and to WEAD board member Michael Towne, who heads up the team of garden volunteers in the […]
Alameda Sun – Wednesday, March 10, 2021 by Holly Johnson, ABG Board member In addition to growing vegetables from seeds or plant starts, there is a fun, easy method to try without needing to buy or acquire anything extra. Many types of food are very easy to grow from scraps […]
Alameda Sun – Tuesday, March 2, 2021 by Kristen Smeal, ABG Board member When Girl Scout Leader Jill Proffitt learned of the Alameda Backyard Growers (ABG) Free Seed Library, she saw an opportunity for the Girl Scouts to help. Girl Scout Troop #33373 of Alameda, which includes eighth-graders Jennifer Proffitt, […]
with Birgitt Evans Starting vegetables from seed can save money and will give you access to thousands of vegetable varieties not available as transplants. And with three Free Seed Libraries in Alameda in 2021, you are going to want to know how to care for your seeds. This year’s class […]
Girl Scout Troop 33373 of Alameda and Alameda Backyard Growers teamed up to place two new ABG Free Seed Libraries in Alameda. The Girl Scouts have finished building, painting, and installing the two boxes for gracious homeowners in the West End of Alameda and on Bay Farm Island. Project advisor […]
by Margie Siegal The holidays are over, but the pandemic is still here. It’s cold and wet outside. There’s no place to go. A depressing prospect… but if you buy mail order seeds, you are not sad and depressed. You are eagerly awaiting the year’s delivery of SEED CATALOGS. Seed […]
by Birgitt Evans By now you have heard about our Free Seed Library and possibly availed yourself of some of the more than 1,100 packets of seeds that we have distributed. Now that you have seeds though, what do you do with them? You have two choices. You can plant […]
by Linda Carloni You have seeds from our Free Seed Library, the nursery, a catalog or a website. Now it’s time to plant seeds for your fall and winter garden. Birgitt Evans (article author and star of our seed planting video) and Kristen Smeal (videographer) cover planting seeds in containers […]
Alameda Sun, Thursday, August 13, 2020 by Birgitt Evans Alameda Backyard Growers (ABG) was founded 10 years ago by Amanda MacLean Bruemmer and Janice Edwards in response to the economic meltdown as a way to build community, learn about growing food and give back to those in the community in […]
by Birgitt Evans, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Ever since I started growing food at 13, I have been fascinated by the miracle of seeds. You can take a tiny round object, place it in the ground and a plant will emerge from that spot. And if it is […]
by Kristen Smeal, Master Gardener Seed tape is a biodegradable tape that helps with plant spacing in the garden. It is beneficial for planting small seeds that normally require thinning (a gardeners dreaded task) like carrots, lettuces, herbs, and greens (collards, kale, spinach). This can be especially important for children, […]
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 […]
by Birgitt Evans, ABG Board member and Master Gardener What a wild ride March was! Lives were turned upside down. We traded security for uncertainty. While many people ran for toilet paper, the rest of us surveyed our options and decided that we preferred home food security. And then we […]
by Linda Carloni, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Tomatoes are one of most popular plants for home gardens. Alameda’s climate and soil are not optimal for all varieties of tomatoes, but with some knowledge of Alameda’s eccentricities, you can enjoy home grown tomatoes. Using tomato seedlings rather than seeds […]
February 18, 2020 from 7 to 8:30 pm Rhythmix Cultural Works 2513 Blanding Avenue, Alameda Join Alameda Backyard Growers speaker Birgitt Evans for an informative and hands-on seed starting workshop. About this Event Starting vegetables from seed can save money and will give you access to thousands of vegetable varieties […]
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 […]
with Irene Beebe, Alameda County Master Gardener Not so long ago, seed saving was part of every garden. From ancient times until our grandparents’ day (or great-grandparents’, depending on your age!), favorite strains of vegetables and flowers were renewed from year to year and generation to generation, sometimes travelling long […]
