SHARE:  

Fall 2022

Welcome to fall, urban gardeners! As we move into the holiday season we are thinking about special traditions that gardeners have cultivated with their friends and neighbors over the years. Here are a few fun events that we've heard about. We'd love to learn how community members at other gardens are celebrating too.

Clipper Terrace Community Garden

Potluck Pi and Shared Learning


A big priority for the Clipper Community garden this year has been to rebuild community after many months during the pandemic when people didn't feel safe being together. They brought back a popular barbecue potluck picnic at the earliest opportunity last spring--pairing it with a workday. The array of dishes was spectacular (see the photo above), and many gardeners featured bounty from their garden in their offerings--the pictures give you an idea of the range of dishes, which was complemented by chicken expertly grilled on the barbeque provided by a member. They had a record turnout of at least 50 people, and as luck would have it, the weather gods gave us a spectacular day. We will be doing this again in October, and combining it with our annual membership meeting. One other special event that drew our community together was an informative workshop on garden herbs and their uses for health and well-being. Garden members (and local experts) John and Lolita Cassaza (pictured below, giving talk) shared their vast knowledge of herbs, and then walked us around the garden to identify where to find them and how to use them. Our members were thrilled to learn more about these often overlooked plants, and to realize that they were available to them in our common plot areas.

The Community Garden at In Chan Kaajal Park

Recipe Challenge


In Chan Kaajal is a small but mighty garden that thrives thanks to a diverse group of members and volunteers who contribute their cultural as well as their gardening traditions. Andrea, garden coordinator extraordinaire, was initially challenged by how to help her new garden members get to know one another. She landed on feeding them — sharing a homemade quick bread made with garden grown ingredients. She found that people gathered around food and between bites, would chat for awhile. This tradition has now become a standard for the Community Gardens Program, affectionally known as the Zucchini Bread Rule, for helping build community. 



Encouraged by the results, the garden members have found additional ways to bring people together to share knowledge, challenges, and successes in the garden. Each year they grow dent corn, which they harvest and dry before building tortilla-making kits to share. In the fall, they host a pumpkin carving event where children harvest pumpkins from the garden to make a Halloween jack-o'-lantern.

 

This year, they are trying out something new with the hope it, too, will become an ongoing tradition: The Recipe Challenge. Steering committee member Idel D. proposed challenging members to cook with a particular ingredient from the garden, ideally one that many gardeners have not generally used. The inaugural challenge was sorrel. Participants brought bites of their creations to share including baba ghanoush with sorrel and crispy baked tree collard chips, chard cakes with sorrel yogurt sauce, sliced shrimp cake wrapped in lettuce and sorrel leaves, and bean salad with julienned sorrel. Andrea reports that no winner was declared because all the dishes were amazing. See pics of these dishes below. (Are you hungry yet? Perhaps we can get them to share the recipes for our next edition!) 


Learn more about growing, cooking and eating sorrel at The Spruce Eats - Sorel

Clockwise  from top: Nick with his sorrel baba ghanoush and crispy baked tree collard chips; Idel shared a bean salad with julienned sorrel; Diane and her sliced shrimp cake wrapped in lettuce and sorrel leaves;  and Andrea with her chard cakes with a sorrel yogurt sauce

Garden Science 

Like us, plants can have great relationships in the garden, relying on each other in ways that improve their health, and the environment.  Read the newest learning about companion planting.  


Better Together: The New Science of “Companion Planting  

By Cynthia Nations and Maggie MahUCCE Master Gardener Volunteers


Like many things in life, the best results are achieved by working together. This is especially true with plants!  Although you may have heard about plants that are thought to aid in insect control, disease prevention or the benefits of pairing particular plants in certain areas, the latest research on “companion planting” goes far beyond random recommendations or traditional lore.


The latest research reveals the need to look at our gardens in a more holistic way: as ecosystems where plants interact with each other to create a healthy, bio-diverse place. Key to understanding this concept is that plants actively affect each other. They do this through fungal associations, chemical messaging and allelopathy, which is the ability of one plant's chemistry to affect the growth and development of another. They also share resources, attract pest predators, and improve each other's nutrient availability and absorption. 


Read more here

Ag Alert


Poultry Owners Urged to Protect Birds From Avian Influenza Virus


If you are keeping backyard chickens, this article is an important read. While not yet detected in San Francisco County, the Eurasian strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been found in wild birds in13 counties across the state including nearby Santa Clara. The California Department of Food and Agriculture

(CDFA) has also reported detections of HPAI H5N1 in domestic birds in Butte, Contra Costa, Sacramento, Fresno and Tuolumne counties. 

 

HPAI H5N1 is contagious among birds, (the HPAI virus does not currently affect humans) and is carried by free flying waterfowl such as ducks, geese and shorebirds. Domestic birds, such as chickens, are especially vulnerable. There is currently no treatment or vaccine available, and infection is nearly always fatal.

 

To protect your backyard flock, the best thing you can do is focus on biosecurity, which means making sure your birds are separated from any wildlife with appropriate fencing and reducing reasons for waterfowl to come near your birds, such as spilled feed and ponding of water.

 

Observe your hens for lack of energy and appetite, decreased egg production and soft or misshapen shells. Some infected birds may exhibit no symptoms prior to sudden death.  If you suspect your birds may be sick, you can find out where to get them tested for the virus through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) toll free number at 1-866-536-7593. 

 

For more information:


Upcoming Events 

Garden Resource Days

Our new location was a great fit - lots of room for parking, material collection, and garden advice. Participants could not only grab some compost and mulch for their gardens, they were also able to stay awhile and chat with the UCCE Master Gardener volunteers, learn how to care for their garden tools, and find out more about our Community Gardens and Urban Ag Programs. Come see us again in both October and November for more compost, mulch, plant starts, seeds, tool care and gardening support.

 

10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

Saturdays, October 1 & November 12 

      

Where: Parking Lot outside Gleneagles Golf Course entrance, adjacent to the McLaren Bike Park. View at this link: Map. If there is high demand, there may be a vehicle waiting line to enter the parking lot. Follow the instructions of traffic control staff and observe all traffic laws.  


Bring your own buckets!


Alemany Farm Harvest Festival

Join the Friends of Alemany Farm for live music, crafts and workshops, food and fun! 

Workshops

Grow Your Own Food in October   In this in-person workshop, learn to take full advantage of the unique gardening climate in San Francisco, where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables year-round! Join us throughout the seasons for our Grow Your Own Food workshop. In October, you'll learn about how to best care for your emerging winter garden and how to properly harvest greens and lettuce. You'll also gain knowledge that will help you care for your garden throughout the year. If you have questions, your instructor Carey has answers! $25 - $50


When: Saturday, October 8, 10 am


Where: Garden for the Environment, 1590 7th Avenue


Registration:  Grow Your Own Food - October


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainwater Harvesting  San Francisco's rainy season is on its way and every drop counts, especially in this severe drought time. Learn how to easily and safely capture rainwater to use in your garden or home. In this workshop, you’ll learn what to consider and where to start for systems as simple as a single barrel under a downspout or as complicated as an indoor plumbing system for toilet flushing. Keep precious rainwater out of the sewer and keep money in your pocket by harvesting the water that lands on your roof. The workshop fee is $10, but you will get a $10 gift card to the Urban Farmer Store or Cole Hardware for attending! Please consider making a donation to GFE for this workshop, which is free when you attend and receive a $10 gift card. Sponsored by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission


When: November 12, 10 a.m. - noon


Where: Garden for the Environment, 1590 7th Avenue


Registration: Rainwater Harvesting


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grow Your Own Food in November   In this in-person workshop, learn to take full advantage of the unique gardening climate in San Francisco, where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables year-round! Join us throughout the seasons for our Grow Your Own Food workshop. In November, you'll learn about how to take advantage of the (hopefully!) rainy season by planting cold-hardy crops such as garlic, peas, and edible perennials. You'll also gain knowledge that will help you care for your garden throughout the year. If you have questions, your instructor Carey has answers! $25 - $50


When: Saturday November 12, 10 a.m. - noon 


Where: Garden for the Environment, 1590 7th Avenue


Registration:  Grow Your Own Food - November


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wreathmaking  Learn how to make beautiful wreaths for gifts and to beautify your home! Experienced flower arranger and gardener Carey will teach you how to incorporate beautiful backyard foliage into a stunning seasonal wreath. She will identify some garden-grown favorites for the project as well as some beautiful branches and flowers picked up from the local flower mart. Then you will have the opportunity to make your own wreath to take home with you!  $55 - $80


When: Saturday November 19, 10 a.m. -  noon (morning session) or

                           1 p.m. - 3 p.m. (afternoon session)

Where: Garden for the Environment, 1590 7th Avenue


Registration:  Wreathmaking


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grow Your Own Food in December  In this in-person workshop, learn to take full advantage of the unique gardening climate in San Francisco, where you can grow your own fruits and vegetables year-round! Join us throughout the seasons for our Grow Your Own Food workshop. In December, you'll learn how to care for your garden in the colder months by amending the soil, adding mulch, preventing weed infestations, and harvesting herbs for wintertime gifts. You'll also gain knowledge that will help you care for your garden throughout the year. If you have questions, your instructor Carey has answers! 


When: Saturday December 10, 10 a.m. - noon  $25 - $50


Where: Garden for the Environment, 1590 7th Avenue


Registration:  Grow Your Own Food - December

Watch and Learn Now: Recorded Workshops and Presentations


Untitled Design


Growing Healthy Soil  Join Randy Ritchie, founder of Malibu Compost for this Organic Gardening class. Whether you’re gardening in-ground or in containers, here’s what you’ll learn:

  • Topdressing and Biological Inoculation
  • Feeding Your Soil, While Feeding Your Plants
  • Protocols for the Organic Garden, and much more


Watch hereGrowing Healthy Soil


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Backyard Compost Troubleshooting UCCE Master Gardener Soil Specialists have pre-recorded this 2-hour troubleshooting workshop that focuses on backyard compost piles and includes:

  • Ten-minute review of backyard composting concepts
  • Answers to common questions
  • Cold vs Hot Pile Composting


This is a class for people who are currently composting and have questions or challenges. Beginners are welcome, just be aware that this is NOT an introductory how-to class.


Watch here:  Backyard Compost Troubleshooting


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seeding Demystified: How to be Successful in Starting New Plants from Seeds 

Learn the basics of growing plants from seed along with some tips and hacks that make it cheaper and easier to be successful. Presented by the UC Master Gardeners of San Mateo and San Francisco Counties.


Watch here: Seeding Demystified 

What to do in your garden - Fall 

October

  • Citrus are winter fruits and are beginning their most active growing season now. If your citrus tree leaves are yellowish (they should be dark green) begin regularly fertilizing using an organic citrus fertilizer, applied per the label rate.
  • Plant California natives so they can get established through the winter months. Check the UC Davis Arboretum All Star plant database for ideas. The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) website is another great resource.  
  • New plantings should be irrigated on a regular basis until they have become established. Comprehensive information about water conservation in irrigation is available through the University of California’s Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS).
  • Add fallen leaves and plant debris to your compost pile.

November

  • Continue to fertilize citrus trees
  • Plant shrubs, trees, and perennials before the arrival of winter rains, which help new plantings to establish strong root systems. 
  • Plant cool-season vegetable seedlings including cabbage, kale, chard, and spinach. Carrots may be seeded now.
  • Remove dead or diseased limbs from trees and shrubs.
  • Clean garden tools thoroughly for the winter, before you put away. Rub with alcohol or disinfectant spray after each use to prevent the spread of disease. Prevent rust with a light coating of lubricant such as lithium grease. (Visit our Garden Resource Day on Saturday, November 12 (see above) and bring your tools - we will show you how!)
  • With increased rains, slug and snails may be more prevalent. Mechanical controls for pest management are always preferred for our public garden spaces.  Organic slug bait that is safe for use around animals and food is allowed.  Always read product labels carefully. Contact us for more information. Check out this video about copper slugs and snails. Insert link 
  • Protect sensitive plants from cold injury when frost is predicted. Average first frost dates in San Mateo and San Francisco Counties may occur around November 30; average last seasonal frost usually occurs between late January and late February. 

December

  • 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.
  • Continue to fertilize citrus trees.
  • Begin planning your spring garden. For Rec and Park Community Gardens this may include selecting new fruit trees for spring - talk to your fellow gardeners about what types of trees you would like to include.  
Visit our website