Sheet Mulch success!

Thank you SO much to everyone who participated in our sheet mulch event today. As you can see, the result is amazing. It certainly seemed like riding downhill today - and the full wheelbarrows actually were going downhill - what a nice change from Dig In Day(s) last weekend. Many comments were heard about the relative weight difference between the dug up sod vs. compost & wood chips. 4 wheelbarrows in constant rotation filled the beds back up in record time. Now we'll let them sit for a few weeks and let nature do its work.

Awesome to have Donna Divodi, Citywide Volunteer Coordinator, out there with us this morning. Thanks for wrestling that cardboard with us, Donna!

And a big shout out to Jo Ann for waging war on the weeds behind the center bed. Thank you, Jo Ann!

Please mark your calendars for Plant It Day - Saturday, May 4th.

Here are some photos of the team at work:

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Peaches and more

Yesterday we handed out the sweetest of peaches thanks to a generous donation from Circle Foot Permaculture . Along with the quarts of peaches, we also provided Samaritan House Food Pharmacy clients a handout with nutritional information on peaches - how they impact your blood sugar - and a recipe for a Roasted Peach Parfait. Here are links to the handout: Nutritional Spotlight: Peaches (English) Nutritional Spotlight: Peaches (Spanish) It all seems somewhat routine at this point: gather donations of locally grown produce quickly pull together helpful nutritional information based on the week's donations In retrospect, this is the culmination of 3 years of effort to create a network of local gardeners, foragers and volunteers - with a goal of becoming a reliable source of fresh produce for lower income families struggling with diabetes and other health disorders. While it has been known for some time that eating fruits & vegetables can positively impact a person's he

The December Garden

Snap Peas (& a garden gnome!) Beresford Park Community Garden December 15, 2021 It's hard to describe just how good the winter gardening is in San Mateo. While most gardens across the country have long gone into a frosty hibernation - we're, at long last, getting the rain we've been without for the last 9 months or more. It's finally time to turn off the irrigation systems and let Mother Nature do her thing. The new moisture is creating a full-on nutrient soup that flows through our soil, fueling an explosion of activity within the soil food web. Fungal activity is pushing mushrooms to the surface. Our favorite spring flowers of nasturtium, poppies, sweat peas, borage and yarrow are in a race to establish their growing territory. And, thankfully, the newly moist soil makes pulling up oxalis, mallow and bindweed sprouts a bit easier. As you would expect, plants thriving now in the garden were initially planted out in the fall. Those crowns of cauliflower and

Getting Started: Wine Barrel Planters

Gardening in a small, urban space requires a bit of creativity. Our challenges are many: buildings & trees frequently block sunlight; various critters like to snack on new seedlings and just ripe fruits & vegetables; and here in San Mateo, irrigation is a must. To increase your probability of gardening success, consider adding recycled wine barrels into your urban garden. Having tried many types of growing containers over the years, the wine barrel has made it to the top of my list. My galvanized tubs always seemed to need more water than wooden barrels - perhaps due to the different heating/cool properties of the metal vs. wood? Aesthetically, a recycled barrel looks like it's been there for years - which I love. And the smell! There is no comparison. Cost is definitely a consideration. A wine barrel at Home Depot is $40 whereas a 35 gallon galvanized tub is $55. You might say that growing in the ground is $0.00 - but in some locations, the extra 18 inches off

GROW San Mateo

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