Crops and Gardens

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

The Partnership is a proud supporter of this exciting local education program, helping with publicity and administering some of the funding. The annual event includes a free self-guided tour of showcase native plant gardens and nurseries in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, along with a Native Plant Scale Extravaganza! Visit www.bringingbackthenatives.net to register or volunteer!

Want your Garden to be Part of the 2012 Tour?

Gardens are now being sought to participate in the Spring 2012 Bringing Back the Natives Garden
Tour, which showcases pesticide-free, drought-tolerant gardens that provide habitat for wildlife and contain 50% or more native plants. The gardens featured in this tour will demonstrate that, from postage stamp-sized yards to large lots, beautiful California native plant gardens are possible for anyone. Garden visits will be made in May and June.

The goals of this free tour are to:

Allow a wide audience the opportunity to see gardens containing 50% or more native plants.
Illustrate that healthy, attractive gardens can flourish without the use of synthetic chemicals, and with little water.
Motivate residents to try gardening with native plants, and using natural gardening techniques in their own gardens.

Host Applications can be found at http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net under Volunteer or Host. Garden visits will start in May 2011, and will be completed by July 2011. Questions? E-mail Kathy Kramer at Kathy@KathyKramerConsulting.net or call (510) 236-9558 between 9 am and 9 pm.

Sunol AgPark

View photos from past work days by visiting our online photo gallery, click on Streamside Hedgerow Planting Work Days!

In 2006 the RCD began serving on the Advisory Committee for the Sunol AgPark, a project of the local organization, Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE). We provided information about natural resources conservation practices and stewardship/education for the new, 18-acre Sunol AgPark farm situated on prime (Class I) farmland leased from the San Francisco PUC (SFPUC). The AgPark was developed as new "model" farm that provides land, infrastructure (such as fencing, and an irrigation system), an on-site farm manager, farmer training and land preparation services to beginning and limited-resource farmers. Each farm group sub-leases a 1 to 4 acre "ready-to-farm" plot from SAGE. The farm is located in the scenic hamlet of Sunol in central Alameda County, about 15 miles inland from the urban centers of the East Bay.

Three farm groups raise row crops at the farm for sale at East Bay farmers markets; they include Mien farmers raising Laotian vegetables for their own community as part of the East Bay Asian Youth Center, an inner-city youth program that is part of Peoples' Grocery in Oakland, and a specialty organic lettuce and heirloom tomato grower/breeder, Baia Nicchia. A small Sunol enterprise, Swarm Catcher, has bee boxes and chickens at the farm. The RCD participates in periodic Harvest Festivals and other events that introduce the local community to the farmers and their unique crops.

The RCD assisted SAGE with its NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) application for conservation practices which include seeding a winter cover crop, installing a filter strip/insectary hedgerow along the farm edge that parallels the Arroyo de la Laguna, and irrigation and farm road improvements. SFPUC is providing funding as match for the EQIP projects.

In fall 2007, under contract to SAGE, the RCD developed a plan for the creek setback for the farm, which included a filter strip and grass buffer. The final report and the associated appendix is available for download. The District also assisted in the development of the Natural Resources Element of the AgPark Management Plan.

Check out the stewardship projects taking place at the farm as part of the District's Hands-On-Conservation Program.

The RCD will be continuing to provide conservation and education assistance to the farm in 2007-08 through the advisory committee and contracted work with SAGE. The RCD also participates in periodic Harvest Festivals and other events that introduce the local community to the farmers and their unique crops.

More information on the Sunol AgPark can be found at SAGE's website.