Dear Farm Friends,
PLEASE NOTE: We will NOT have our regularly scheduled workday this Saturday, April 26. Join us on Monday, or the following Sunday, May 4.
Thank you to everyone who came out for our Earth Day celebration last weekend. Whether you came to do farm chores, make music, make food, lead fun activities, share your green technology, or just hang out and enjoy the farm, thanks for joining us and making it a special day! And what a great chance to break in our new outdoor kitchen with salad making, grilling, eating, socializing, and general community-making! We also want to thank our event co-sponsors: the Alemany Residents Council and the SF Professional Gardeners Association. Friends of Alemany Farm is also grateful for the support of our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Parks Alliance.
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Spring/Summer Gardening Workshops at Alemany Farm
We passed out flyers at our Earth Day event about our upcoming series of gardening workshops, and now we want to share it with you here. The first workshop is coming up soon on Saturday, May 10. Appropriately, it’s all about soil basics, which is a great place to start, no matter what the size of your garden or level of experience. (Or even if you just want to learn more about what it takes to grow the food we eat.)
Read about the upcoming May 10th workshop and the others in our lineup, along with how to register:
First up!:
It Starts with the Soil: Composting 101 and Soil Fertility for Your Garden
Saturday, May 10, 11 am – 3 pm
Instructor: Jason Mark
If you want to have healthy plants, you need healthy soil. This workshop will cover the basics of maintaining soil fertility, including annual cover cropping, compost building, and soil testing.
Jason Mark is a co-founder of Alemany Farm and a veteran urban gardener.
Water Gardening
Sunday, July 6, Noon – 3:00 pm
Instructor: Brett Stephens
Aquatic plants not only enhance the look of your garden pond, but also create habitat for wildlife, help maintain healthy water, and can even be edible or medicinal. This workshop will discuss a variety of easy to grow aquatic plants for our climate. We will also have a hands on plant installation in the on-site pond, so come out and get your hands wet! (*Water-proof boots are encouraged but not necessary.)
Brett Stephens is co-owner/project manager of San Francisco Landscapes. He is certified in permaculture design, a Bay-Friendly professional, ARCSA accredited professional, and a volunteer co-manager of Alemany Farm.
Irrigation & Water Management
Saturday, July 19, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Instructor: John Stokes
Learn how to design, install, and maintain a low-volume irrigation system. See how we do it at the Farm. We will cover: options for low-volume garden irrigation (emitter line/drip tape/micro-spray); mist systems for greenhouses; small orchard layouts; considerations for zoning systems, including manual and automatic controls; basics of assembling a drip system; hands-on installation of a small system; soil moisture and watering schedules. Class size limited to 8 people.
John Stokes is a co-founder of The Urban Farmer Store and a volunteer co-manager of Alemany Farm.
Native Plant Landscaping for the Bay Area
Sunday, August 17, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Instructors: Jim Cartan & Vicki Wilderman
This workshop will focus on how native plants can be used to enhance yards and gardens or other spaces. Join these experienced native plant stewards to explore the native areas at the Farm and learn about the benefits of and various uses for native plants. Bring your curiosity and your questions!
Jim Cartan is manager of Alemany Farm’s native plant demonstration garden,and Vicki Wilderman is a volunteer co-manager of Alemany Farm.
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How to Register for Workshops:
Send us an email at community.gardeners@gmail.com and tell us your name(s) and the name of the workshop(s) you’d like to attend.
Suggested donation: $20 per person; no one turned away for lack of funds
Our workshop presenters are volunteering their time; all donations will benefit Friends of Alemany Farm via our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Advanced online donations are preferred. You can make a donation on our online donation page. In the “in honor of” field on the donation form, please enter the name & date of the workshop you’re attending. (Alternatively, you can pay with check or cash at the workshop.)
Thank you for your interest. We hope you’ll join us for a workshop (or a few)!
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Join us for the following upcoming regular community workdays:
Monday, April 28, 1 – 5pm
Sunday, May 4, Noon – 5pm (including work in our medicinal herb garden)
Monday, May 5, 1 – 5pm
Saturday, May 10, Noon – 5pm
Monday, May 12, 1 – 5pm
Sunday, May 18, Noon – 5pm (including work in our native plant areas)
Find out more on our Get Involved page.
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Thank you as always for your support for Alemany Farm. We hope to see you soon!
The Farm Team