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gardening

TODAY: Plant Clinic and Tomato Class

By Container Gardening, Gardening Tips, Outdoor Learning Center
Tomato

Growing Tomatoes on May 7 | 3:00 – 4:30PM

WE NEVER LET A LITTLE RAIN STOP US, SO WHY SHOULD YOU?

Do you have questions about your garden? UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County will be offering a plant clinic at the Lafayette Community Garden TODAY from 10:00AM to 11:00AM to answer your gardening questions and help you to troubleshoot your plants FREE OF CHARGE!

And later, from 3:00PM to 4:30, join Helen Erickson, Master Gardener for a presentation about tomato growing best practices. Helen will be demonstrating planting techniques and will be available answer your questions.

We’ll have tents up to keep you as dry as we can. Dress warmly and enjoy the fresh air! You know we will.

Register now for her informative class, Growing Tomatoes.

Sunday: Fall Garden and Seed Saving Workshop

By Gardening Tips, News & Events, Soil, Sustainability

  
One of the many benefits of our climate is being able to garden year-round!! Fall/Winter is still a great time to grow edibles and improve your landscape.

Join us Sunday, September 13, 2015 from 3:00 to 4:30PM for Gardening All Year: Prepping Your Garden for Fall plus a special bonus: Beginners’ Lesson on Seed Saving.

Lori Caldwell, aka CompostGal, will go over techniques to help transitioning your garden for Fall: seed saving, crop rotation, soil amending, cool-weather edible crops, sheet mulching and planting natives.

Participants: To practice techniques of seed saving, please bring seed heads, pods, fruit, etc. to prepare and trade with others for a simple seed swap. In the interest of diversity, please bring only heirloom and/or open pollinated seed varieties.

Interested? Register here.

The Highlights of the 2014 Season

By Open House

Thanks to the community of Lafayette for a wonderful year! We enjoyed many successes. Here are some of the highlights:

– We reached capacity, with 70 garden member families (about 120 members) and sixteen families on the waiting list for next season.
– Soil was greatly enhanced through addition of compost and other organic nutrients.
– Ten beautiful new beds were constructed.
Propagation of our plants took place in homes and at the garden. Planting was done with attention paid to what was planted where. Rotation of crops, water conservation and bio-intensive methods of planting guided our planning.
– Plants which we propagated but couldn’t use in the garden were given to Chateau Lafayette and Belle Terre Eden Senior Housing facilities for their patio gardens.
– We opened the garden to the entire community Wednesdays 2–5pm, Thursdays 9am–12pm and Saturdays 9am–1pm. Many community groups (scouts, schools, garden clubs, etc.) were given tours.
– The garden produced over a ton of vegetables and herbs. Almost all of the harvest was taken by community garden members. What was in excess was donated to the new Belle Terre Housing and Chateau Lafayette.
– We got water! We worked with the City to access and purchase piped in water rather than depend on it being trucked as in years past. Thanks to a grant from the Lafayette Community Foundation and private donors, we were able to install an efficient drip irrigation system. We remained cautious in what and how we planted in order to save water.
– We took down our “not to code” greenhouse and purchased a beautiful new greenhouse, thanks to support from the Happy Valley Garden Club and the Brenner Foundation.
– Over 350 people visited our third annual Harvest Festival, enjoying activities from scare crow building to sachet making, listening to music, and learning about the natural history of Lafayette.
– Our education programs provided a variety of rich experiences for community members of all ages:
– Partnering with the Lafayette Library, we hosted regular themed book events and workshops for children.
– This summer we offered a month long series of eight preschool classes and a weeklong Native American immersion camp for 7 – 12 year olds.
– Ten adult and intergenerational classes and workshops were attended by over 200 visitors.

Ssshhh…Our Secret Garden II begins Monday, June 30

By Community Events, Gardening Tips, Kids, Outdoor Learning Center, Sustainability, Volunteer

Hey kids! The Lafayette Community Garden will be hosting its second Our Secret Garden series.

Beginning June 30, Eli Chan will offer children a chance to get personal about ecology. On Monday and Thursday mornings from 9am to 10am, kids (and their caregivers) will head outside and connect with nature through stories, physical activity and garden-related crafts. They will be armed with the tools to make good food and lifestyle choices. Caregivers will learn how to nurture our next generation to be enthusiastic about their bodies, the environment and our community.

Together, we will become caring human beings who are part of an interconnected natural world. Join us in the garden and get ready to dig deeper than before!

Sign up now to become a first-class community leader.