Gardening Topics

Ancient Crops Quiz

by Marla Koss Where in the Ancient World did these crops originate? (Marla Koss provides a pop quiz, in case you’re in want of a pleasant time-waster.) Match these 8 regions of the world A through H to crop groupings 1 through 8 below. Note: while researching, we found that online entities sometimes disagree on...Continue reading→

August Harvest Tomatoes

by Joyce Peters Tomatoes are a gardener’s treasure to enjoy in the summer heat when their flavor is at its peak. Besides being delicious and versatile in recipes they are a powerhouse of nutrients. A good source of vitamin C and vitamin A, tomatoes also provide fiber and other trace minerals. Red tomatoes provide lycopene,...Continue reading→

Dafna Gozani walking with ABG at July 4 Parade

ABG Seeds Grow Gardens

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 ABG parade brigade this year...Continue reading→

Marla Koss Honored by Alameda Point Collaborative!

Since ABG’s inception, Marla Koss has been a Board member and critical volunteer. She’s been incredibly valuable on many fronts, but is perhaps most visible as our fruit tree expert. Marla writes about fruit tree care for us regularly and is chief instructor for our fruit tree pruning workshops. Marla has put her passion for...Continue reading→

Tomato Growing Resources

by Linda Carloni We’re featuring tomatoes for June here at Alameda Backyard Growers. It’s a favorite summer garden plant all over, including in our Island City. To help keep your tomato seedlings successfully growing, check out these resources: Continuing care General tips for beginning vegetable gardeners Tomato tips for beginning gardeners To prune or not...Continue reading→

Neonicotinoids Lurking in Your Plants

by Birgitt Evans What is odorless, colorless, tasteless – basically undetectable – and is present in every part of the vast majority of the ornamental plants that will be sold by California nurseries this summer? That’s right, it’s neonicotinoids, also known as “neonics”. Billed as a safer insecticide for vertebrates, neonicotinoids have been shown to...Continue reading→

June Drops In

by Marla Koss June is here, and for certain fruit trees with overly abundant crops of fruit forming, so is ‘June Drop’. During this month apple, peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, persimmon and plum-apricot hybrids tend to drop excess fruit on the ground to relieve themselves of too much of a good thing. The problem is,...Continue reading→

Compost Happens

ABG has long promoted composting to improve soil and to keep organics out of the solid waste stream. Adding just 1-2 inches of compost to your soil can do wonders for your plants - it helps your soil retain moisture, improves its structure, and helps your plants access nutrients. Where does this valuable resource come...Continue reading→

Supporting Your Plants

by Margie Siegal “Well, we all need someone we can lean on And if you want it, you can lean on me Yeah, we all need someone we can lean on And if you want it, you can lean on me” –The Rolling Stones, Let it Bleed Some of our favorite fruits and vegetables started...Continue reading→

Resources for Mid-Spring Garden in Alameda

by Linda Carloni April is plant sale month! Specifically, pop-up sales of veggie seedlings for spring and summer harvest. ABG’s annual spring plant sale is Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Alameda’s Spring Shindig. Basics of planting those seedlings Prep your soil, be it in pots, in raised beds or the good old dirt in your...Continue reading→

Growing Community One Veggie at a Time