Gardeners’ Resources
Garden Tools by Carole Topalian
Summer 2018 Gardener’s Notebook
Crop-Swaps
Share your garden’s bounty and come home with someone else’s at these free weekly crop swaps. Some swaps encourage trading gardening tools and materials, recipes, baked goods, and tips on getting more involved in your community. Arrive on time for the best selection. Meet your neighbors and be part of the sharing economy!
Mondays 6:30pm, June through September
North Berkeley
Ohlone Greenway
Sacramento & Delaware St, across from North Berkeley BART
Info: transitionberkeley.org or on Facebook
Saturdays 10:30am, June through September
South Berkeley
Malcolm X School, picnic tables
Ellis St entrance near Ashby Ave
Info: transitionberkeley.org or on Facebook
Sundays 1–4pm, starting May 20
Oakland
Pollinate Farm & Garden
2727 Fruitvale Ave
Urban Farm Volunteering
A great way to tune into gardening success in your area is to learn directly from the experts as you volunteer at a local urban farm. Pay a visit to one of these locations near your home and ask if they have openings for volunteers.
Alameda: Alameda Point Collaborative
Albany: U.C. Gill Tract Farm
Berkeley: Urban Adamah , Spiral Gardens, Edible Schoolyard
Clayton: Buttercup Farms
El Sobrante: Cloverfield Farm
Martinez: CoCo San Sustainable Farm
Oakland: City Slicker, WOW Farm, Acta Non Verba
Richmond: Urban Tilth
Sunol: Sunol Ag Park
If you’re in Solano County, there’s lots to check out at Sustainable Solano.
Buy worm castings locally!
Spiral Gardens: 2850 Sacramento Ave. Berkeley
Foothill Worm Ranch 7190 Foothill Road, Pleasanton, matt@foothillwormranch.com
Start with Safe Soil
The Bay Area has a century of wear and tear from an urban and industrial past, so it is important to ensure your soil is safe for vegetable and leafy greens production. It’s best to assume your soil is tainted and just create a raised bed with new soil from a pesticide-free source. For soil testing, Joshua recommends California-based Wallace Labs.
