Dear Farm Friends,
See below for information on the array of workshops we have coming up in the coming weeks and months. But first, we want you to note a couple of calendar items:
Harvest Festival: Save the date for our 15th Annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 19, 11 am to 4 pm. Potluck picnic, farm tours, kids activities, music, and more. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks!
Alemany Farm Benefit Concert at El Rio: A very grateful farm friend has taken the initiative to organize an evening of local bands to benefit Friends of Alemany Farm – and we’re happy to help spread the word! It will take place on Tuesday, September 24 at El Rio, 3158 Mission St, SF (doors 7 pm; show 8 pm; $5-$10; 21+), and will feature local bands SUTROS, Sauces, and Torrey. Find more info on the Facebook event page. We hope to see you there!
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And now for Workshops:
Our late summer/fall workshop series got started with a very successful cooking workshop in August. Fast approaching on the first full weekend in September, we have sessions on California native plants and fruit tree pruning. Find details and registration links below. Suggested donation for workshops is $20 per person; no one turned away for lack of funds.
Landscaping with California Native Plants
Saturday September 7, 11 am to 1 pm at Alemany Farm
Instructor: Jim Cartan
Are you interested in learning more about California native plants and all of their benefits? Designed with the home gardener in mind, this workshop will focus on utilizing California native plant species for form and function in a landscaped setting. Whether you are looking to attract bees and hummingbirds, build up your borders, or add to the aesthetic composition of your yard, we hope attendees will be inspired by an informational session and tour of the Alemany Natives Garden. Please bring your questions or ideas to get the most out of our time together on the farm.
Jim Cartan was born in Santa Rosa and has lived in the greater Bay Area his entire life. His love of ecology, habitat restoration, and horticulture was sparked as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz. He has gone on to work for the National Park Service, non-profit land trust, Save Mount Diablo, and the Alameda Unified School District as an Environmental Educator. Jim has also been a regular volunteer at Alemany Farm for the past 7 years, contributing to the aesthetics and functionality of the Alemany natives garden with his co-steward, Craig Heckman.
REGISTER for the native plants workshop
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Summer Fruit Tree Pruning
Sunday September 8, 10 am to 12 pm at Alemany Farm
Instructors: Hannah Shulman and Vivian Santana Pacheco
While common wisdom holds that most fruit trees should be pruned in the winter, vigorous and large deciduous fruit trees can also benefit from summer pruning. Come learn about the basics of when, why, and how to summer prune apples and plums at Alemany Farm, and get hands-on practice as well. This class will focus on the essentials of summer tree care, including pruning methods, pruning timing, and orchard hygiene. A quick refresher will also cover tree biology basics needed to understand how pruning works in general, which will help us as we demonstrate and practice what we learn in the field.
Hannah Shulman holds a bachelor’s degree in Growth and Structure of Cities with an Environmental Studies concentration from Haverford College and studied at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UC Santa Cruz. Previously, she was a garden educator with Urban Sprouts, GFE, and 18 Reasons / BiRite Market, and ran the first urban agriculture program for the city of San Francisco. She is now the Senior Director of Programs at Education Outside.
Vivian Santana Pacheco loves sustainable farming and loves helping others get excited about growing their own food. She recently helped manage Alemany Farm. She is a graduate of the UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems apprenticeship and advanced apprenticeship in ecological horticulture program. She is also a graduate of GFE’s Get Up program and is currently farming at Urban Tilth in Richmond.
This workshop is generously sponsored by Renaissance Specialty Foods.
REGISTER for the fruit tree pruning workshop
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Visit our Workshops page to learn about and register for these other upcoming workshops at the farm:
Bring Local Color into Your World: Using Natural Dyes – Sun, Sept 15
Planning Your Winter Garden – Sat, Sept 21
Introduction to Urban Beekeeping – Sun, Sept 29
Citrus Tree Pruning 101 – Sat, Oct 5
We hope to see you at a workshop or volunteer workday!