Month: February 2010

Dear Farm Friends:

You know how when you throw a big party or a potluck and you have to clean up your house before the event, even though you know you’ll have to clean up the house after the event as well? That’s sort of the place we’re in at Alemany Farm these days.

On Saturday, March 6 we will be hosting the SF Department of Public Works’ 10th Annual Clean Team & Arbor Day Celebration. Starting at 9 AM, volunteers will plant fruit trees, work on gardening projects, spread woodchips, remove weeds, paint out graffiti, pick up litter, and beautify neighborhoods throughout Districts 9 & 11. At noon, there will be a BBQ lunch. The event will also include a green resource fair with plenty of awesome local groups, music, and fun activities.

We’re very excited to partner with SF DPW and SF Recreation and Parks Department for this event, which will attract up to 300 people. This is an important chance to show off the Farm to many people who don’t even know it exists — which is why we’re working really hard in the coming weeks to do some extra beautification.

So we’re hoping you can join us at our upcoming regularly scheduled workdays: Sunday, Feb 21; Mon, Feb 22; Sat, Feb 27; and Mon, Mar 1 as we get the place looking really beautiful. Upcoming projects will include mulching the paths in the lower garden and orchard hillside, weeding our ornmamental native gardens, planting some new natives, and orchard care. At the end of each workday, there will be plenty of collards, kale, chard and cabbages to harvest and share.

Please come out and help us clean up for the Clean Up.

… And if you’re interested in learning more about urban food production, please apply for our 2010 Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture. You can download the application at www.alemanyfarm.org. Some applicants have been unable to fill in the PDF; please feel free to fill in your responses in either a Word doc or in the body of an email.

Thanks, as always, for all of your work to make SF more food secure.

The Farm Team

Download the application here: PDF | WORD

Dear Farm Friends:

As you know, the volunteer coordinators at Alemany Farm try to use
every workday as an opportunity for skills sharing and community
education. But many people remain eager for some more structured
learning.

So we are very pleased to announce that for the second year in a row,
Friends of Alemany Farm will be offering an Apprenticeship in
Ecological Horticulture.

To apply, please complete the application (PDF | WORD) and return it to:
ecologicalhorticulture@gmail.com. We will only be able to accommodate
30 people in the class. The application deadline is March 1.

The 11-month course will take participants through the seasons,
covering key garden and orchard tasks that occur in Spring, Summer,
Autumn, and Winter. Apprentices will learn core principals of food
production such as soil fertility and composting, propagation and
planting, seasonal tree care, water-wise irrigation, plant
identification, integrated pest management, and crop planning. The
hands-on training —using our vegetable gardens, herb gardens, and
orchards — will cover several methods of sustainable horticulture.

The Ecological Horticulture classes will start on Saturday, March 20
and will take place the third Saturday of every month at Alemany Farm.
The workshops will take place from 10 am to 5 pm, with a generous
break for a potluck lunch.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Thanks, as always, for your work to make SF more food secure.

The Farm Team

PS: Don’t forget our upcoming volunteer workdays: Saturday, Feb 13;
Monday, Feb 15; Sunday, Feb 21; Monday, Feb 22; and Saturday, Feb 27.