Planting Natives
by Linda Carloni, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member Plants that are native to California are becoming more and more popular, both as part of an established garden or as a replacement for a lawn. There are lots of good reasons for the increasing interest in native plants. Why Plant Natives First, studies have shown...Continue reading→
Free Seed Library in Webster Street Healing Garden
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 community garden.
Healing Gardens Offer Solace
Alameda Sun – Wednesday, September 8, 2021 by Kristen Smeal, Board member of Alameda Backyard Growers, Master Gardener and Garden Science teacher at St. Philip Neri School in Alameda Nestled in the vibrant Arts District of the West End of Alameda is a quaint, quiet garden called the Healing Garden. The Healing Garden is on...Continue reading→
Saving Your Trees in a Time of Drought
by Birgitt Evans, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member Trees are the largest living organisms in the landscape and the most important. Trees take carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in their roots and tissues, they cool the ground and reduce the heat island effect, they slow, sink and spread rainwater to prevent...Continue reading→
Preserving Your Harvest
by Margie Siegal One of the (few) positive side effects of the current pandemic is a renewed interest in self sufficiency. One way to become more self-sufficient is to learn to preserve food. By preserving, you take food that is easily available in large quantities for short periods (for example, the fruit from your backyard...Continue reading→
Don’t Wash Away Beneficial Insects
Alameda Sun – Wednesday, August 11, 2021 by Alison Limoges, Board member of Alameda Backyard Growers and Master Gardener When I was growing up in New York state, my brothers and I spent more than a few summer hours picking hundreds of hungry, non-native beetles off of our few fruit trees. With no effective natural...Continue reading→
Tomato Maladies
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 also prone to many maladies...Continue reading→
Greywater, Rainwater Catchment & Groundwater Systems Workshop
with Mano Tondre Owner and Designer, DIG Cooperative Tuesday, August 17, 2021 on Zoom Water conservation and water stewardship are vital now in our second year of severe drought. It is time to look for other sources of water to keep our gardens alive. Join us and learn about harvesting and using Greywater, Rainwater Catchment...Continue reading→
Learn About Shared Gardening Spaces in Alameda
Are you interested in gardening but don’t have the space, or would like a garden but don’t want to do the upkeep? Shared Earth is a website on which, whether you are a homeowner or a gardener, you can post your address, contact information, and details. You can note if, as a resident, you would...Continue reading→
Fall and Winter Gardening
by Margie Siegal Here it is, not even the Fourth of July. Isn’t it a mite early to be planning the fall and winter garden? Actually not. As the sun dips and the air chills, plants grow much more slowly. The trick to growing many vegetables for a winter harvest is to start them in...Continue reading→