Seasonal Wreath Making- Dec. 5, 10am-12pm

Please join us at the Presidio Native Plant Nursery on Saturday December 5th, 10am-noon 

This is a new event for the community garden family, but one we have been doing for years at the nursery for our volunteers. I thought it would be nice to gather together at the end of the year and say thank you to all of you for creating an amazing program in the Presidio.

We'll gather inside one of our greenhouses and have a collection of greens from the Presidio. You create a homemade wreath to take home!
We'll also have fava bean seedlings to give away- one of the few veggies you can plant in December and only available at the wreath making event.

Please RSVP so we make sure to have enough supplies- thanks and we hope to see you there!

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/presidio-community-garden-seasonal-wreath-making-tickets-19476975157

Community Garden Survey Results and Getting Involved

Hey Community Gardeners!!

Thank you for all of you who participated in the Presidio Community Garden Survey! We got some awesome feed back from you. 

Here are some of the great Advice/Tips from YOU!

"To take advantage of garden plot resources (people, fellow gardeners, seedlings, etc.)"

"Use of clear plastic bottles with bottom cut off placed over seedlings during early growth stages"

"Dig and water. The dirt below is dry"

"Nurture your soil. Check on your garden regularly. Tap your educational resources (Jean)"

"Watch out for the slugs!"

*Gardens are a work of trial and error. Community gardens have the benefit of bringing people from many different backgrounds and walks of life together. Don't forget to meet your fellow gardeners and exchange your own tips and advice on how to make your garden flourish!*

Here are some of the reasons why you LOVE to GARDEN!

"Communing quietly with nature and interacting with and learning from my fellow community gardeners."

"Being more connected to the neighborhood & nature & the Park; taking care of plants & watching them grow; opportunity to practice urban & organic gardening in the Nat'l Park and be part of the gardening community here."

"Everything! Watching things grow, tasting the deliciousness of fresh veggies & herbs, learning from Jean, and sharing tips & excitement w neighbors!"

Lastly, for those who may have missed the survey, I am going to be putting together a voluntary program where we donate some of our yummy harvest to a local food pantry! If you are at all interested in giving back to your community, please leave your name or email in the comment section or feel free to email me at : mehr@presidiotrust.gov 

Here is a link to the PAR (plant a row! (or just one plant!)) program that we will be using in our gardens: http://www.gardenwriters.org/gwa.php?p=par/index.html

Welcome to the Presidio Community Gardens blog!

Dear Presidio Community Gardeners,

Welcome to the blog, if this is your first time, or if it's been a little while! Fall has always felt like the beginning of a  new year to me- harvesting the end of the season's crops, going back to school (for some of us), and a chance to plan and look ahead to the next growing cycle. It's also the start of our new fiscal year, and so a time to look back on what we accomplished in FY15 and to outline our goals for FY16, filling in the calendar with holiday events, and sowing seeds and projects to be ready for the next planting season.

Some of our goals are to improve communication and to try to foster more community among our group of Presidio Community gardeners. To that end, you will, or have, received an invitation to join the Presidio Community Garden blog. This is a one-stop resource for you! The garden team (my new intern Mackenzie and I) want to be able to post messages with a good chance you will see them- past posts have been about free garden classes, free compost and seedlings, plant sales, pest information, and inspiring photos of Presidio garden harvests. Please accept the invitation to join the blog! There is a calendar at the bottom of the page with garden related events, links to pages on the right with garden documents and resources, and hopefully soon, a recipe section.

We will no longer be sending direct emails to you about garden events- invitations and announcements will be blog posts (and posted on the calendar). If you are subscribed, then these invites and announcements will be delivered to your inbox. 

Also for the new year is a short survey- a chance to give us some feedback and suggestions on how to make our community garden program even better! Mackenzie has put it together and will be doing more outreach during the year.
Follow the link to fill it out:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KHTHNPV

Survey replies requested by October 15


Looking forward to a new year!
Jean and Mackenzie
jkoch@presidiotrust.gov
mehr@presidiotrust.gov

Fall Harvest Photos

We had a great time at our Fall Harvest Pizza Potluck- making pizzas in the cob oven, decorating drip watering jugs for garden plots, making plant signs, and getting to know each other on a warm September day. Hope to see more folks next time!
Here are a few pre-party pics- we're always too busy once it starts to take photos!

Here are photos of some beautiful fall harvests:

Portola cucumbers

MacArthur cherry tomatoes

Baker Beach glass corn in miniature

Portola carrots and sunflowers

Plant Sale in Novato- Sept. 19-20 and 26

Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden

Come to the PLANT SALE, Sept. 19-20 and 26!

Please join us for our semi-annual plant sale. The IVOF&G plant sale is a great way to stock your garden while supporting the Farm! Come out and join us next weekend, and get great deals on plants for home and garden.

We're also excited to announce the launch of our new website at indianvalleyorganicfarm.org! The new site includes news, events, volunteering information and a regular blog with updates on what is happening at the Farm.

For details on volunteering at the Farm, click here.

Free Compost from SF Rec and Park- every month

Urban Agriculture Resource Centers are a free monthly service of the SF Rec and Park Urban Agriculture Program. The resource centers will have materials for all levels of urban agriculture (backyard gardener, community gardener, or urban farmer) to pick up supplies, get educational opportunities, and build on the existing informal and formal networks of garden materials and programs. Materials on site are available to any gardener in the city of San Francisco to help green and beautify the city.

To best address as many gardeners citywide as possible, the location of the Resource Center changes every month.  Free compost, soil and mulch are always available for pick up.  Bring your own container to put materials in; drive up access will be available as well.  There are limited amounts available per person.  Thanks to Recology for the compost and Rec and Park for the mulch and soil.

Saturday, September 26, Golden Gate Park Community Garden, 780 Frederick, 9am-12pm
*In addition, join us for a class from 10-11am that day on how to put your garden to bed for the winter if you choose not to grow crops. More info at http://sfrecpark.org/park-improvements/urban-agriculture-program-citywide/support/ under ‘Events’

Saturday, October 17, Alemany Farm, 700 Alemany Blvd.
*In addition, join us for a class from 10-11am that day on winter gardening in San Francisco’s moderate cool climate. More info at http://sfrecpark.org/park-improvements/urban-agriculture-program-citywide/support/ under ‘Events’

November 7th, Golden Gate Park CommUNITY Garden, 780 Frederick, 9a-12p.
*In addition, join us for a class from 10-11:30am that day on beekeeping basics. More info at http://sfrecpark.org/park-improvements/urban-agriculture-program-citywide/support/ under ‘Events’

Farm Visit to Sunol Ag Park

A former intern has been running a farm on the Sunol Ag Park for 2 years. Here are some shots of the farms- it was so pretty!

Sunol Water Temple in the distance

Notes on some common crops -August

Oregano: a perennial herb; once it flowers, cut the flowering stalks (usually all of the plant) back to the ground. It will start to regrow soon

Cilantro: an annual herb; once it starts to flower, it’s time to pull the whole plant and re-seed new ones (if desired). It will not go back to making leaves you want to eat.

Sorrel: a perennial herb and a relatively new one to me; please cut off the flower stalks; I assume the rest of the plant will continue to grow.

Onions: once they flower they are taking the energy stored in the bulb and using it to make flowers and seeds. The center of the bulb becomes a hard core. You can eat what’s left, but the bulb will continue to deteriorate. Pull them as soon as you see flower stalks starting and eat whatever you have.

Garlic chives (flat leaves, white flowers): a perennial herb; this isn’t on the approved list and I suspect, like chives, it is very weedy. Cut all flower stalks as they form. Research if you can eat the flowers!

Dill: an annual herb; cut flowers off as they form. Eventually entire plant will need to be harvested. This will make a ton of seeds- keep on top of removing the flowers and use them- pickles!

Artichokes: a perennial veg; you should be harvesting the artichokes to eat. If they open up to a purple flower it’s too late. These are thistles and will make lots of wind dispersed seeds. Don’t let that happen!

Arugula: an annual veg; you can eat the flowers, but they keep flowering quickly so stay on top of it. Better, cut off the whole think stalk with the flowers and eat the leaves and flowers. You will likely get more leaves to grow.

Chard: an annual veg; you can eat the leaves once it starts to bolt (tall, thick stalk) but it will never go back to being a low growing, large leaved plant. Also susceptible to leaf miners http://goldengategarden.typepad.com/golden_gate_gardener_/2008/04/more-on-the-cha.html

Radish: an annual, short lived veg; sometimes fails to make an actual radish, even if it does and not picked, will bolt and flower. If that happens, pull and compost.

Romanesco: an annual veg; sometimes makes less of a head than you would like. You can eat whatever it does produce; prone to aphids (as all broccoli family members are). If it starts to open up and extend the florets it’s not going to get any larger- time to pick. Pull the whole plant as it doesn’t really make any more heads after that.

Parsley: a biennial herb here; once it flowers it’s time to remove the plant- the leaves get bitter and the plant has moved to reproduction mode.  http://bonnieplants.com/growing/growing-parsley/

Urban Ag Academy and Barn Dance

The Urban Ag Program and partners are proud to present our first Urban Ag Academy, September 12, 2015!  Please see the attached flyer for more details or read on below.  Please spread the word to your networks!

RSVP and more information can be found at urbanagacademy.eventbrite.com.

Urban Ag Academy

Grow it, Preserve it, Love it!

SF County Fair Building, 9^th and Irving, Saturday, September 12, 11:30a-5pm

Join the Urban Agriculture Program and partners for Urban Ag Academy: Grow It, Preserve It, Love It!  This one-day event will feature demonstration classes on gardening and garden-infrastructure, workshops on fermenting and canning food, tips to being a successful grower in San Francisco, access and information to expert resources for all levels of gardener, and many fun opportunities to network and meet like-minded urban agriculture enthusiasts and practitioners.  This free event is a unique opportunity for San Franciscans to gather, learn and celebrate our city-grown harvest.  If you’re just starting out gardening in your backyard or have had chickens for years, this event will have something for everyone!

Classes on Gardening and Garden Infrastructure!  Seed Swap!  Workshops on Canning and Preserving Food!  Interactive Talks on Regenerative Agriculture by Youth, Urban Ag Policy, Community Building, and Selling Your Produce in SF!  Pie Hour!  Ask a Master Gardener Clinic!  Information Tables on Permaculture, Mycological Society, Gleaning Programs, Gardening Projects Citywide, Drought-Resistant Gardening, Conflict Resolution and More!  Novella Carpenter, author of Farm City and Pam Peirce, author of Golden Gate Gardening! 

Stay through the evening time for a Barn Dance, hosted by 18 Reasons (this is a paid event).

Partners:

University of San Francisco’s Urban Agriculture Minor, Garden for the Environment, 18 Reasons, Department of the Environment, Department of Public Works, Public Utilities Commission, Recreation and Park Department, and University of California Cooperative Extension.

Thanks,

Hannah

Urban Agriculture Program Coordinator

San Francisco Recreation & Park Department  | Capital Improvement Division

City & County of San Francisco  | 30 Van Ness Avenue, 3rd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 575.5604  |  hannah.shulman@sfgov.org

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GFE Intro to organic gardening class series- sign up by 8/7

Hello Urban Ag Enthusiasts,

This is a friendly reminder that applications for the 2015 class of our famed Get Up! program are due this Friday. This will be out 19th class (!) and we've already begun planning this year's program. We have great staff on hand, amazing guest instructors, field trips and more.

Get Up provides an excellent introduction to organic gardening, urban composting and urban agriculture. Designed for novice gardeners, we will teach you the basic skills of organic gardening which you can use anywhere, anytime, in any garden.
View attachments on the web 

If you have any questions about the program, do not hesitate to contact us.

Thanks so much,

Maggie & the GFE team

GARDEN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
http://www.gardenfortheenvironment.org
(415) 558-8426
Join us in the Garden on Wed & Sat.
We are in the Office on Tue, Thur, and Fri.

Baker Beach Neighborhood Compost locations

As long promised, some help finding the compost bins in the Baker Beach neighborhood:

1. There is a bin on the right when you enter at the 1561-1565 driveway

 

2. There is one bin on the left as you head out of the (shuttle only) road that links Pershing to Battery Dynamite (and the 15th Ave. exit):

3. There is a bin near 1515, which is on the right side of Pershing as you go up the hill from Lincoln:

 

4. The last bin is near 1588... (no photo yet): second driveway on the left as you go up Stilwell from Lincoln (tbc)

Volunteer groups this summer

We had help at the Ft. Scott Community Garden from Levi's in May and our own Presidio Trust Service Day in June to clean up weedy areas, remove old plots, turn and build compost piles, and admire the gardens!

Levi's Volunteer Day- May 7, 2015

Presidio Trust Day of Service- June 16, 2015

What to know as a new gardener

Here are some tips I've been collecting- if you have advice for new gardeners, feel free to send it in!

• Our soil gets really dry and compacted. When you get a new plot, and once or twice a year, you should plan to really dig down and mix/ fluff the soil. This is also a good time to really water the soil. Add a good 4-6 buckets of compost to the top few inches of the soil. Then plant immediately or within a few days.
• Compost is great! If you can't meet me to get free compost, plan to purchase some. It acts as a slow release fertilizer, adds water holding capacity, and beneficial microbes. Your organic soil is alive and needs to be nurtured just as much as your crops. Consider a winter cover crop of fava beans to add nitrogen, or an organic fertilizer during the growing season.
• How much can you grow? Quite a lot, but there is a fine line between an empty plot and one that is too full. Consider if the crop will give you a one-time harvest (i.e. beets) or is a continuous producer (i.e. kale, lettuce). Do you like the crop? How much can/ will you eat? How much space does that plant take up? Pumpkins will take over your whole box for 5 months, but beets can be grown 4-6" apart. I would recommend only 1 plant of the larger veggies like zucchini and tomato.
• Always water after you plant- it helps settle the soil around the roots and helps avoid transplant shock.
• If you are planting 6-packs of veggies that you purchased, there are almost always more than one plant per "cell". You need to pull them apart (gently!) and give each plant space to grow. If you plant the whole "cell" of beets you end up with this:

• Planting seeds is economical, but they take a lot longer to come up, you need to water more frequently, and they often need to be thinned. Some crops you can only grow from seed- carrots and many root crops. And some just do better from seed- cilantro comes to mind, as it is often quick to bolt when planted as a seedling.
• Get to know our climate and what grows well here. It's not hot in the summer so crops that need heat to grow and ripen fruit often under perform. These include: peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, corn and also basil. Visit the farmers market for these summer favorites and be glad you can grow lettuce, broccoli, and kale year-round. Most places are too hot for these in the summer!
• You're in charge of your plants! If it's too big, prune it back. If you don't like it and it's taking up space, pull it out. You also need to be OK pulling them once they start bolting/ flowering at the end of their productive cycle- think of it as an exciting time to plant something new!
• Stressed plants (lack of water, nutrients, space) are much more susceptible to insect and disease attack. Keep your plants healthy and happy. I've also noticed that very young and very old or flowering plants are more susceptible to attacks- especially aphids. If you have aphids, your neighbors will have aphids- be a considerate community gardener!

  

  fuzzy grey aphids attacking a kale that is flowering

Happy April

Here are some photos from the Ft. Scott Community Garden recently:

newly planted with peas, lettuce, spinach, squash, and kale

A SF resident donated some lovely terra cotta pots. This one has a new Meyer Lemon tree now!

Cool Science Videos!

Check out this really cool (and short) video (filmed over at UC Berkeley) on the newts that use to be here in the city. They've been extirpated from SF for >40 years, but may be returning to a lake near you in the not-to-distant future.

Enjoy!   Jon Young, Presidio Trust Wildlife Biologist

http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2015/03/17/newt-sex-buff-males-writhing-females-cannibalism/

Plant Sale at Indian Valley Farm- Novato

The greenhouse is vibrating with newly germinated life in anticipation of our spring plant sale on two weekends in April, from 10am–3pm: Saturday and Sunday, April 18–19, and Saturday, April 25, at the Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden, College of Marin Campus, 1800 Ignacio Blvd., Novato (map).

The plant sale will feature a variety of certified organic perennial and annual food plants, with a special collection of heritage fruit trees and shrubs, herbs, flowers and native plants. Experts will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice on all of your gardening needs. Free gardening workshops, live music and face painting will also be part of the plant sale. Join us for one of these free workshops:

• Saturday, April 18–Fruit for the Home Orchard with John Valenzuela and Tour of the Plant Sale Inventory with Wendy Johnson
• Sunday, April 19–Tomato Growing and Intro to Tomato Varieties with Liz Peer

Plant Sale in Redwood City

UCCE Master Gardeners presents:

Spring Garden Market

Saturday, April 11th, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Redwood High School

1968 Old County Road

Redwood City

We've got plants selected to thrive in San Francisco and Peninsula climates!

Come check out a wide selection of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, culinary herbs, and other plants.

Plus:

-- Free workshops

-- Educational tables

-- Master Gardeners available to answer your questions.

Free Admission

All proceeds from plant sales support Master Gardener free public education.

Bring a box or bag with you.

Gardening Classes offered by SF Urban Agriculture Program

Come get your garden ready for springtime with a series of classes through the Urban Agriculture Program at RPD.  We’re offering five classes through May to get you and your garden geared up for a great growing season.  Classes are either free or $5 suggested donation – no one will be turned away for lack of funds.   We’re teaching everything from composting to soil analysis to basic vegetable gardening, and want as many people as possible to benefit.  Please spread the word – the first class starts Saturday February 21 and you won’t want to miss it!  See attached flyer (link below) for more information.

Thanks,

Hannah

Urban Agriculture Program Coordinator

San Francisco Recreation & Park Department  | Capital Improvement Division

City & County of San Francisco  | 30 Van Ness Avenue, 5th Floor

San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 575.5604  |  hannah.shulman@sfgov.org

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RPD Get Your Garden Ready Spring 2015.pdf

Gardening Resources to help you plan 2015!

Hello Gardeners!

If you're itching to get started with your 2015 gardens- start by doing some planning! Below you will find some documents we've created, and links to great resources. We're working on getting seeds started and I've updated the calendar so you can make note of when I'll be in your garden with compost and seedlings (if available).

For a PDF version of the new, expanded planting times grid go here

All of the documents from Kasey's Gardening in the Fog class series

San Francisco Seed Library

SF Seed Library Planting Calendar

Burpee customized planting calendar

Soil Primer

Sloat Kitchen Gardener

Peaceful Valley's video series

SF Urban Agriculture Program

SF Garden for the Environment

Grid of Planting Times- expanded for 2015