Epic Tomatoes by Craig LeHoullier
Book Review by Marla Koss You only have to google the title ‘Epic Tomatoes’ to see how heartily the gardening world and hordes of readers have embraced this award-winning book. Author Craig LeHoullier, tomato advisor for Seed Savers Exchange, has won the confidence of tomato-growers everywhere, charmed readers by sharing his own fascination with growing...Continue reading→
Growing Vegetables from Seed
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 has – of course –...Continue reading→
Two New Seed Libraries
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 and local contractor Ken Carvalho...Continue reading→
Attracting Butterflies to the Urban Garden
Alameda Sun, Thursday, January 14, 2021 by Birgitt Evans, ABG Board member and Master Gardener Butterflies are perennial favorites for young and old alike. People love to watch them flutter past and feed from flowers. With the near total collapse of the Western Monarch Migration, many people want to know how to support the remaining...Continue reading→
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→