Happy Winter Solstice! January-April garden schedule

Hello Community Garden members!

Here we are at the turning point of the year- the shortest day. I love winter in the Bay Area; seeing the gardens and hills turn green, hiking amid waterfalls, hunting for the early wildflowers, and sowing seeds for spring planting. That's right, we've already started sowing seeds in anticipation of the new growing season! So far we're growing broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, chard, peas, and more!

As we look towards 2017, we're doing a little restructuring to the schedule. Plot checks will happen 4 times a year at each garden- twice in the spring, and twice in the summer/fall. That means that when the day comes for your garden to have a plot check, it's a hard deadline. It will need to be tended (tidy, weeded) + pathways weeded. Evening visits are limited to once at each garden during our main planting seasons- March/April and July/August.

This year's planting cutoff is April 15- that is the day that the plots need to be full of growing plants. If you want to plant seeds, we suggest sowing by April 1 to make sure they have germinated and are visible on the 15th. We will be checking all plots at that time to make sure they are growing. To encourage planting during SF's prime season, we'll be at each garden with compost and seedlings (if available) prior to April 15:

• twice during the day (during the plot checks)
• once in the evening after daylight savings time
• one weekend session 
• and one centralized seedling/compost giveaway on Saturday, April 1, 1:30-3:30pm

Put these on your calendar! If you can't meet us but need compost, we suggest purchasing some from a garden center or come find us at another garden in the Presidio.

MacArthur Garden:

• 1/10, 2-4pm (plot checks)
• 2/25, 1:30-3:30pm (Saturday)
• 2/28, 2-4pm (plot checks)
• 4/5, 5-7pm

Portola Garden:

• 2/7, 2-4pm (plot checks)
• 3/22, 5-7pm
• 3/25, 1:30-3:30pm (Saturday)
• 3/28, 2-4pm (plot checks)

West Washington Garden:

• 2/14, 2-4pm (plot checks)
• 3/25, 10am-noon (Saturday)
• 4/3, 5-7pm
• 4/4, 2-4pm (plot checks)

South Baker Beach Gardens:

• 2/21, 2-4pm (plot checks)
• 3/11, 10am-noon (Saturday)
• 4/10, 5-7pm
• 4/11, 2-4pm (plot checks)

Baker Beach Gardens:

• 1/24, #1 @ 2-3pm, #2 @ 3-4pm (plot checks)
• 1/31 #3 @ 2-3pm, #4 @ 3-4pm (plot checks)
• 3/11 #1 @ 1-2pm; #2 @ 2-3pm; #3 @ 3-4pm; #4 @ 4-5pm (Saturday)
• 3/14 #1 @ 2-3pm, #2 @ 3-4pm (plot checks)
• 3/21 #3 @ 2-3pm. #4 @ 3-4pm (plot checks)
• 3/27 #1 @ 5-6pm; #2 @ 6-7pm
• 3/29 #3 @ 5-6pm; #4 @ 6-7pm

Pizza Party Potlucks at the Ft. Scott Community Garden! All are invited!!

• Spring Equinox event on March 20, 5pm
• Summer Solstice Soiree on June 20, 5pm
• Fall Harvest Happening on September 22, 5pm

Ft. Scott Volunteer Programs- all garden members invited to participate:

• Jan 16 MLK Day of Service sign-up to participate
• Jan 28, 1:30-3:30pm
• Feb 25, 10am-noon
• April 22, Earth Day (sign-up on presidio.gov)

November- plot checks, winter wreath making invite

Anna and I have begun our November garden plot checks and there are some lovely garden beds out there! It's amazing how fantastic fall gardens can be in San Francisco- some rain, some sun and warm weather and the greens respond. Of course, so do the weeds! Plan some time in the next week to visit your garden- weed the plots and pathways, remove snails (baby snails are plentiful right now), and consider planting fava beans, lettuce, peas, or radishes. November is also a great time to get your spring strawberries in the ground (make sure to buy full sized, not Alpine varieties).

We have our last special event of the year coming up on December 3. RSVP on Eventbrite and join us to make a winter wreath to take home.

Continue reading for plot check dates, volunteer opportunities, and photos...

Fall Pizza Potluck and Pumpkin Party

Hi everyone! 

Our Fall Pizza Potluck and Pumpkin Party is quickly approaching. Mark your calendars (if you haven't done so already) for Saturday October 29, 12-3 pm at the Ft. Scott Garden. Please follow this link for more information and to RSVP. We will be making pizzas in the cob oven and have Ft. Scott grown pumpkins for you to bring home! 

We hope to see you there!

Autumn in the gardens

This time of year is so rewarding. The gardens and farmer's markets are bursting with the last of the summer produce and fruit- tomatoes, beans, even peaches and strawberries, but the fall crops are starting to come in- winter squash, apples, and pears. So much bounty to enjoy! We hope your garden plots are growing well- if you planted in August you are in a great place to take advantage of the sun and warmth of our San Francisco 'summer' season.

We've worked late at least one night a week since March 14 bringing compost to the gardens, meeting garden members, answering questions and admiring all your collective hard work! Phew!! Evening daylight is waning, and I'm going to be off traveling in Spain for October so Monday was the last 'after-work' garden session. We're also canceling plot checks for October. Anna will be following up with any plots that got a warning or had a significant issue in September. Everyone else- keep watering and we hope the meadow voles don't do too much damage! 

Still ahead is our Fall Pumpkin Pizza Potluck Celebration on Saturday, October 29 from 12-3pm. Follow this link to RSVP

Here's the end of year calendar. Plot checks will be during working hours. No plot checks in October or December.

10/29 Fall Pumpkin Pizza Potluck Celebration

11/1   Ft. Scott Garden plot checks
11/4   Baker Beach Gardens plot checks
11/10 MacArthur Garden plot checks
11/15 Portola Garden plot checks
11/21 West Washington plot checks
11/21 South Baker Beach plot checks

12/3   Holiday Wreath Making at the Native Plant Nursery (tbc)

Fall Pizza Party invite/ Heirloom Expo field trip report

Special Event: Fall Pizza Potluck and Pumpkin Party! Saturday October 29, 12-3pm
Please follow this link for more information and to RSVP

Here's our first pumpkin ripening at the Ft. Scott Community Garden:

A few photos from the Baker Beach community gardens,

Upcoming Plant Sales, Bay Area

Fall Plant Sale & Free Workshop, September 10 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm| Free

INDIAN VALLEY ORGANIC FARM & GARDEN PLANT SALE

Buy certified organic vegetable starts, annual and perennial pollinator friendly flowers, culinary and tea herbs, berries, fruit trees and native plants. We will have our expert staff available to guide you through our wonderful organic plant inventory. Come and enjoy free workshops and family friendly activities on the farm. Seasonal produce, cut flowers and herbal crafts will also be for sale. 

Indian Valley Farm & Garden is at 1800 Ignacio Blvd Novato, 94949 United States

http://indianvalleyorganicfarm.org/event/fall-plant-sale/

Fall Plant Exchange, Saturday, October 8

theplantexchange.com 

The Plant exchange is where plant lovers, gardeners and urban farmers come to trade plants, tools, supplies and advice – all for FREE!

Come trade for everything you need to transform your garden. Let the master gardeners of Alameda County offer advice and answer your questions. Enjoy live music and come hungry, there are food trucks! All in a wonderful setting.

Ability Now Bay Area is at 4500 Lincoln Ave Oakland, CA 94602

Also, there is an inaugural dinner coming up on September 24 to support a great organization:

Soil to Supper Dinner for Daily Acts, Petaluma

Garden for the Environment- field trip report

We took a field trip to a wonderful local resource for gardeners in San Francisco- Garden for the Environment at 7th and Lawton. They hold classes, workshops, and open times to volunteer.




They have so many fruit trees, full of ripening apples and pears- definitely an inspiration for us!


Beautiful demonstration gardens:


A cob oven, mini greenhouse, rainwater harvesting, and shed:





We definitely recommend stopping by for a visit!

Mackenzie's final intern presentation

Mackenzie will be giving a short power-point presentation at 4:45pm about her internship and independent project. Snacks, drinks and merriment to follow. Please bring something to share!

August 17th is her last day at work- let's send her off with lots of good wishes!

June: sun, fog and rain?

How are we halfway through June already?! Summer is zipping by and we've been spending a lot of time watering. The soil tends to get very dry and you may need to encourage the water to soak in by mixing it up a bit while you water.

Join us for a special event in August- a pickle making party! 
Wednesday, August 10, 6-8pm. Find more details and RSVP here










Other upcoming activities in the gardens are a group from Outward Bound at the Portola Garden on Friday June 24 to help rehab the boxes affected by kikuyu grass, and YMCA summer camp groups visiting the Ft. Scott Garden for garden-based outdoor education on July 22.


We hosted a group from Salesforce at the Ft. Scott Garden on June 7- they were a big help building a new compost pile and getting a lot of weeding done around the garden.

Here are some nice looking summer squash- they've been producing well. I tried a new recipe for squash pesto- roast chunks of squash and puree with basil, spinach, garlic, salt and olive oil. A wonderful vegetable based dip for crackers or raw squash rounds! Our nursery volunteers loved it :)

Upcoming Garden Dates

6/20 SBB, 5-7pm 
6/21 West Washington, 10am-noon- plot checks
6/23 Ft. Scott- Summer Solstice Pizza Potluck Happy Hour- all invited RSVP here
6/24 SBB, 2-4pm- plot checks
6/27 MacArthur, 5-7pm *MULCH PARTY*

6/30 Ft. Scott, 10am-noon- plot checks

7/5  Baker Beach, 1:30-3:30pm- plot checks

7/6  Portola, 5-7pm

7/11 MacArthur, 10am-noon- plot checks

7/11 Baker Beach 1&2, 5-7pm

7/15 Portola, 10am-noon- plot checks

7/18 West Washington, 5-7pm

7/20 West Washington, 10am-noon, plot checks

7/25 SBB, 10am-noon- plot checks

7/25 Baker Beach 3&4, 5-7pm

almost June garden dates

Don't forget that today from 3:30-6pm we'll be at the really amazing Presidio Native Plant Nursery hosting a volunteer event for all community garden members. All those pots that were filled with veggie seedlings and we always ask for you to return?... They live at the nursery and need to be washed so we can reuse them for the next growing season. We'll also have some seeds to sow and be giving tours of Mackenzie's lovely urban garden and of the native plant nursery. Please stop by even if you can't come for the full time- we'll have garden snacks out including a fava bean spread with basil and lemon, summer squash and garden peas. Parking available at the nursery site- RSVP here for directions
Hope to see you!

The blog calendar is updated- here's when we'll be at your garden this month:

6/2  Ft. Scott, 10-12pm- plot checks
6/3  Baker Beach 2-4pm- plot checks
       BBA1: 2-2:30pm
       BBA2: 2:30-3pm
       BBA3: 3-:30pm
       BBA4: 3:30-4pm
6/6 West Washington, 5-7pm
6/10 MacArthur, 2-4pm- plot checks
6/20 SBB, 5-7pm 
6/21 West Washington, 10-12pm- plot checks
6/23 Ft. Scott Garden- Summer Solstice Pizza Potluck Happy Hour- all invited RSVP here
6/24 SBB, 2-4pm- plot checks
6/27 MacArthur, 5-7pm

Enjoy the holiday weekend and don't forget to water! If you are planning a trip this summer and don't have anyone to water for you, feel free to email me and ask for introductions to your fellow garden members.

Click to see some photos from around the gardens:

May 6 Garden Notes

Our gardens are busting with produce and we've seen some really nice looking community garden plots around the Presidio. We hope you are enjoying your garden plot!

Coming up we have our May volunteer event at the Presidio Native Plant Nursery- we could really use some more help to wash pots, sow seeds, and we'd love to show you what's going on in our Farm to Table garden. RSVP here

We have a social event for June: a happy hour pizza potluck at the Ft. Scott Community Garden- make your own mini wood fired pizzas and share side dishes, treats and drinks with fellow garden members. RSVP here for Summer Solstice Pizza Happy Hour

Open the blog post for some photos from the garden...

Tax Day update! April 15 garden notes

April has been a great month so far- there are flowers blooming everywhere, there's still been some rain, and most of the garden plots are looking fantastic! We've had some really lovely open garden sessions around the Presidio- neighbors coming out and meeting each other, garden members sharing extra seedlings and produce, and lots of information exchanged about pests, how to plant, and when to harvest. 

We also had a fun volunteer event yesterday afternoon- we screened enough worm castings to fill 14 five gallon buckets and chatted about how we make compost in the Presidio. Coffee and pastries rounded out a sunny two hours. Thanks to those of you who came out and helped! Our next event will be May 26 at the Native Plant Nursery! RSVP here

Here's the upcoming schedule. We hope to continue to bring out a few seedlings when we visit the gardens. 

Free Seeds at the JCC and Indian Valley Farm plant sales

Free seeds at the JCC on California (Tuesdays 5-6pm and Fridays 11:30-1pm) and plant sales this weekend and next in Novato:

mid-March garden update and April special event invite

Happy March!

What a great month for gardening! Those of you who planted in the sunny days of February are seeing the results- a few weeks of rain, and now more sun. The veggies in the garden plots look great! For those of you who have not yet planted this spring, you have just 2 weeks left to get plants in the ground by the March 31 planting deadline.

Excited about the pizza party on Friday? We are! I've made 5 batches of pizza dough. We're planning to harvest leeks, potatoes, arugula, broccoli and kale for the pizzas.

For April, our special event is a compost yard tour  and volunteer work party- we'll be screening vermicompost (aka worm castings) which is an amazing fertilizer we incorporate into the compost we give you for your gardens. Come help out and see where all those green weed bags end up! RSVP here

Coming up on the calendar:
If you've never gone, the SF Flower and Garden Show started today in San Mateo and it's always worth a visit: https://www.facebook.com/SFFlowerShow/

Daylight savings time has begun so we have started our evening open garden times!
3/17, 5-7pm  Portola open garden
3/18, 3-7pm Ft. Scott Pizza potluck
3/21, 2-4pm WeWa plot checks/ open garden
3/21, 5-7pm BBA 1&2 open garden
3/24, 5-7pm WeWa open garden
3/25, 10-12pm, SBB plot checks/ open garden
3/28, 5-7pm BBA 3&4 open garden
3/31, 5-7pm SBB open garden

Garden to-do list:

• Pull annuals that are flowering and replant.
• What to plant now? Try arugula, runner beans, beets, bok choi, broccoli, broccoli raab, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chard, cilantro, favas, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard greens, peas, radish, spinach, strawberry plants, and turnip.
• Check for aphids! In the hot days of late February the aphid populations were exploding on members of the Brassica family (kale, broccoli, cauliflower etc.). These aphids are grey. Also look for black aphids showing up on fava beans, chard, and members of the Allium family (chives, onions etc.). Wash them off with water and remove infected leaves. If they are bad, spray with insecticidal soap/soapy water. Do not buy and release ladybugs in our national park, however. Vigilance and frequently checking your plants makes a huge difference and avoids this:

  

  grey aphids on cabbage

• Prepare to plant your warm weather crops in the next 4-6 weeks: green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini.

Mid-February update and party invite!

We want to invite everyone to our first special event this year: a spring equinox pizza potluck happy hour. We're trying out a new time- Friday 3/18 from 3-7pm. Please RSVP using Eventbrite so we can get a head count. We always look forward to seeing what delicious creations come from your garden produce!

Here are reminders about when we'll be at your garden:

2/19 WeWa, 10am-12pm: plot checks & compost

2/20 BBA, 10am-3pm: compost- 1 hour at each garden (see calendar for details)

2/25 SBB, 1-3pm: plot checks & compost

2/27 WeWa Volunteer Work Party 10am-12pm

2/27 Ft. Scott Volunteer Work Party 1-4pm

3/1 FtSc, 10-12pm: plot checks & compost

3/4 BBA, 1-5pm: plot checks & compost- 1 hour at each garden (see calendar for details)

3/5 Portola 9-12pm: volunteer work as part of natural resources planting day festivities

Happy New Year 2016!

Hello and Happy New Year from the Presidio Community Gardens!

Mackenzie and I are excited about a new year, a new growing season, and a new chance to connect within our Presidio gardening community. Please take a moment to read this post- we don't want you to miss important information!

As a reminder, the blog is the only place to get updates on seedling giveaways, compost distribution, and special events, so make sure you are signed up! It's really easy- just enter your email address in the box on the right, then confirm your subscription once the email from FeedBurner arrives.

by **March 31** 
To maintain your status as an active community garden member and use of your garden plot
1) Garden plots are planted 
2) You have filled out the re-commitment form on-line or in-person

Plot checks will start in February- please make sure you've visited your garden to weed and tidy up. Read the rest of the post to find out when we'll be at your garden and when the first pizza party of 2016 is happening!