Seed Catalogs
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 catalogs are the most concentrated...Continue reading→
Planting Bare Root Fruit Trees
by Linda Carloni, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Fruit trees are a valuable part of the food garden, and many fruit trees grow well in Alameda. Fruit trees can be planted in fall, winter or spring (summer is tricky because new trees need to be kept well-watered the first summer), but only in winter...Continue reading→
Basic Tree Pruning Tips
by Alison Limoges, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Your beloved tree is too tall, too dense, too wide, or too misshapen so you want/need to prune it. Here are some basic dos, don’ts and rules to follow when pruning your tree or shrub. First and foremost, wait until the tree is dormant—in late winter...Continue reading→
Happy New Year Gardening
Happy New Gardening Year! January 19 at 7:00 pm on Zoom Meeting Details: Thinking about starting a garden for the first time or just want to see some friendly faces? Please join Alameda Backyard Growers for Happy New Gardening Year. In this hour-long Zoom meeting we will talk about how to prepare for the new...Continue reading→
Winter Recipes
It’s definitely Winter in the garden, even though it's not yet the Solstice. This newsletter is dedicated to recipes for the meals of winter, featuring the sturdy produce still locally available, greens and cole crops you may have in your garden now, and breads to satisfy the soul. Just the thing for supper on a...Continue reading→
For Great Tomatoes Lay Groundwork Now
Alameda Sun, Thursday, December 10, 2020 by Marla Koss, ABG Board member When the first day of winter is not long off, gardeners in harsh-winter areas may get a guilt-free pass to ignore the yard in favor of the cozy indoors, but those who grow backyard vegetables and fruit in mild-winter climates get no such...Continue reading→
Cover Crops for Beginners
by Linda Carloni, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Cover cropping may sound like an advanced practice, but it can be pretty simple and it’s really good for your soil and for the environment. Cover cropping for food gardeners is planting a non-food crop, generally legumes and cereals, and allowing it to grow for several...Continue reading→
5 Vegetables to Plant in November
by Birgitt Evans, ABG Board member and Master Gardener It’s November and the daylight is waning. When we hit December and January, plant growth will slow dramatically as the daylight hours dip below 10. Plants need 10 hours of daylight to continue growing and on December 21st, we get about 9.5 hours of daylight. At...Continue reading→
Leftover Cuisine – Frittata Muffin
by Kristen Smeal, ABG board member and Master Gardener Frittatas are a perfect way to use up leftovers in the fridge. They can be prepared ahead for a weekend brunch or on-the-go workdays. They can be frozen or stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Here is a recipe as well as suggested...Continue reading→
Storing and Preserving Produce
by Linda Carloni, ABG Board member and Master Gardener No one wants to waste the hard work or the money spent in obtaining the food they’ve grown or bought. Knowing the optimal way to store produce can really prolong its life before you need to turn to drying, freezing or canning it. StopFoodWaste.org/tips/store and SaveTheFood.com/storage...Continue reading→