Three Tips for Tomato Seedlings in Alameda
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 requires less gardening time and...Continue reading→
Alameda’s Secret Growing Season
Alameda Sun, Thursday, February 13, 2020 by Dena Andersen People move to the Bay Area for many reasons, among them: work, its unique social life and the fantastic natural beauty of California. But for gardeners who find themselves living here a greater secret awaits, for Alameda has not two, but three growing seasons. In addition...Continue reading→
Fight Climate Change, Focus on What’s Beneath
Alameda Sun, Thursday, January 9, 2020 by Marla Koss Communities all over the world have love and pride for where they live and Californians are no different. There are places here for everyone: mountains and coastlines, grasslands and forests, even a backyard garden or a city park. No matter the landscape one connects with, we...Continue reading→
Growing Your Own Vegetables from Seed
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 not available as transplants. We...Continue reading→
‘Tis the Season for Oak Root Fungus to Strike
Alameda Sun, Friday, December 20, 2019 by Marla Koss Alameda’s garden soil may be tops for cultivating and planting in, but it does have a significant drawback: it harbors oak root fungus Armillaria mellea. Do not confuse this with “sudden oak death” Phytopthora ramorum. Armillaria is a serious forest pathogen common throughout California, having evolved...Continue reading→
Ergonomics in the Garden
October 15, 2019, 7:00 – 8:30 pm Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Avenue, Alameda Did you know your head is as heavy as a bowling ball? (your poor neck!) Or that losing 1 pound means 4 pounds of weight off your knees-a 4 to 1 ratio? Come hear about how ergonomics can make your gardening...Continue reading→
Summer Garden Wrap Up
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 hacks to keep such disappointments...Continue reading→
Helping Monarchs in Alameda
Last Thanksgiving, only 28,429 monarchs were counted in their wintering colonies compared to a historic population of about 10 million in the Western Monarch Migration. Today’s monarchs face several challenges, the most intractable being a lack of Milkweed (Asclepias spp.), where females typically lay their eggs, as well as a lack of winter blooming nectar...Continue reading→
Tips on Succession planting and Interplanting
Alameda Sun, Thursday, May 9, 2019 by Margie Siegal Since the growing season in Alameda is 365 days long, it is possible to grow something tasty during every season of the year. Although most Alamedans have small spaces in which to cultivate, practicing succession planting (replacing harvested crops with a new edible) and interplanting (growing...Continue reading→
Compost Essential to Healthy Soil
by Margie Siegal, Alameda Backyard Growers Originally published in the Alameda Sun, April 11, 2019 Many people don’t think too often about the dirt beneath their feet, but the dirt that covers most of the Earth’s dry land makes growing things possible. For those of us who want to have healthy and happy gardens, the...Continue reading→