The ComPost is re-emerging after a long break and will follow the seasons to connect you with what's happening in community gardens across the city, share timely tips and advice from gardening experts, and post upcoming events and workshops.
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From your Community Gardens Program Manager
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Corn harvest at Visitacion Valley Agricultural Lot
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Sunchokes growing at Visitacion Valley Agricultural Lot during the fires.
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Families at In Chan Kaajal Park Community Garden participate in a socially distanced pumpkin carving event.
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Youth attending a Community learning Hub at Betty Ann Ong Recreation Center are learning about gardening.
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Visitacion Valley Agricultural Lot Garden Coordinator Anne Seeman's granddaughter in an eco-friendly disguise.
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Dear Gardeners,
I imagine you were as ready as I was to put 2020 behind and leap into a new year. For many of us, the community gardens provided a safe place to enjoy the outdoors, escape the confines of the shelter-in-place order, and avoid the grocery store just a little longer. Despite having to suspend workdays and the social events that bring our gardeners together, we were still able to welcome some new garden members, work together to take care of the gardens, and grow some amazing food.
Gardeners donned masks and gloves, learned to disinfect tools and gate handles, and evaluated air quality before heading outside. (Remember the day the sky turned the color of our favorite bridge?) They cared for neighboring plots when some gardeners couldn't come out, shared their harvests in creative ways, and completed garden tasks while socially distancing. While restricted from holding events like Garden Resource Days and volunteer workdays, Community Gardens staff organized support from other RPD divisions to provide extra care. We watered plots for those who couldn’t get to them, routinely checked on sites to collect trash, reported graffiti, supported pest management, and cared for common areas. We increased our collaboration with Friends of Alemany Farm to prioritize growing high quality, fresh food for hungry San Franciscans. Through our combined efforts, we were able to produce and share nearly 26,000 pounds of food. A special thanks goes out to the Friends of Alemany Farm team for their dedication to our most vulnerable neighbors during this extremely challenging time. Program staff also brought gardening activities to youth attending the Betty Ann Ong Community Learning Hub and did a lot of fruit tree pruning.
Lady Bird Johnson once said "Where flowers bloom, so does hope." We are hopeful that in the near future we can again work hand-in-hand in our gardens, growing community with our flowers (and tomatoes). In the meantime, to stay connected with you, we are re-launching this newsletter. The ComPost – the Community Garden Post - will be produced quarterly to provide you with program updates, gardening information and resources, and connect you with what is happening in other gardens across the city. We invite your contributions of topics, photographs, questions, and celebrations of gardening and gardeners! Send us your thoughts at communitygardens@sfgov.org.
Please keep yourself and your loved ones safe by continuing to social distance, wear a mask when you are in the garden, and regularly wash your hands. We will be sure to let you know when we can once again share resources with city residents, offer classes and workshops, and support larger garden events.
Happy Gardening!
Mei Ling Hui
Community Gardens Program Manager
communitygardens@sfgov.org
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Gardening Tips: Plan Your Spring Garden Now
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Winter is a great time to browse seed catalogs and plan your spring garden. The University of California Cooperative Extension's (UCCE) Master Gardener Program offers gardening tips specific to the local climates and growing conditions in San Francisco and the peninsula. Visit the local UCCE Master Gardener website to find planting guides, monthly garden chore lists and much more.
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Don't forget to include some native pollinator plants in your garden plans. Did you know sunflowers can support as many as 60 species of native bees? Doug Tallamy, professor in the department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, spoke to the California Native Plant Society about how we can support biodiversity in our gardens, yards and even roadsides. Watch this engaging video here and learn why caterpillars are also essential workers! Then hop over to Calscape to find native plants that grow well in your area. This extensive collection of native plant recommendations includes the species of caterpillars, birds and other wildlife that the plant will support as well as a list of nurseries where you can find plant starts.
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Garden Spotlight: In Chan Kaajal
by Andrea Combet, ICK Garden Coordinator
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Bronze fennel growing at In Chan Kaajal Park Community Garden
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Bronze fennel seed harvest
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In Chan Kaajal Community Garden has been growing vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers in San Francisco’s Mission District since its founding in 2017. A bumper crop of summer squash inspired a member to bake zucchini bread for the group. Baking with garden produce became a tradition, and, prior to the pandemic, volunteers looked forward to a weekly homemade treat on Saturday morning workdays. Many ICK gardeners are enthusiastic cooks who come from diverse backgrounds. Learning to use the garden crops is a fascinating and fun adventure. A recent success: shortbread cookies made with the seed of Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var.). This striking plant has tall plumes of deep red-brown fronds and flower heads that produce nectar and golden pollen for butterflies and beneficial insects. When the flowers go to seed, they must be harvested promptly, or the garden will soon be overwhelmed by sprouting fennel! These delicious and unusual cookies are a great use for the anise-flavored dried seeds.
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Upcoming Events: January - March
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January
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It's time for garden members to sign annual waivers and garden member agreements. Copies of the newly signed waivers should be forwarded to communitygardens@sfgov.org. Garden agreements remain with garden coordinators. Copies of both documents should be posted at the garden site where all members can review when needed.
- Plant dormant fruit trees, start artichokes, asparagus and rhubarb.
- Keep plants covered and well watered to avoid frost damage. Well hydrated plants will stand up to the cold much better.
- Prune citrus trees.
February
- Plant potatoes, garlic, and onions.
- Prune and cut back perennials and ornamental grasses
- Prune lavender back to emerging new growth for best spike production this summer.
- Shop for citrus trees.
- Start tomatoes from seed indoors.
March
- Prepare beds for spring - turn soil and add at least 4 inches of compost.
- If you planted fava beans as a cover crop, cut the plants at the soil line when half the blooms have opened. This will give you the greatest return of nitrogen to your soil.
- Feed citrus trees
- Plant vegetable starts
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