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Year-Round Local Resources

The following lists can help you find resources and get tips from other gardeners:


Connect with StopWaste about Gardening

Check out the links below if you would like to connect with StopWaste about gardening.


StopWaste Gardening Resources

Explore the tools below for tips on building healthy soil and growing a beautiful garden.

Tools for Building Healthy Soil

Learn more about building healthy soil and find tips to help you get started in your garden. This guide introduces soil building strategies including composting, sheet mulching and cover cropping.

Download

 

Now That Your Lawn is Gone

Congratulations...you have transformed your lawn into a garden, but now what? This brochure covers how to maintain your garden after sheet mulching and includes a calendar of tasks so that you will be ready for every season.

Download

 

Bay-Friendly Gardening Guide: From Your Backyard to the Bay

This 70+ page guide is written for the home gardener and provides how-to information, a design survey, profiles of East Bay gardens, and much more.

Download

 

Healthy Soils Activity Guide

Wondering about the health of your soil? This interactive guide provides activities for you to engage and observe various aspects of your soil. Do just one activity or them all, at a pace that suits you.

Download

 

Cover Crops: Plants with a Helpful Purpose

Growing cover crops is an excellent practice for all gardeners with an interest in building healthy soil, and especially for growing food. This handout covers the basics and gets you started with step-by-step guidance.

Download

 

On-Farm Composting Toolkit

This in-depth guide can answer all of your compost questions. Whether you are an urban farmer, community gardener, or a backyard homesteader, this toolkit supports you in becoming an expert composter.

Download

 

Kit de Herramientas Sobre El Compostaje En-Granja

El objetivo de este kit de herramientas es proporcionar un enfoque práctico paso a paso para los agricultores urbanos de cualquier escala para comenzar el compostaje en la granja agrícola, evaluar y mejorar el sistema existente, y convertirse en maestros compostadores.

Download

 

Gleaning Guide

After over a decade of gathering backyard fruit in Alameda and donating it to the Alameda Food Bank, Alameda Backyard Growers collaborated with StopWaste to produce this guide to starting a gleaning program in your community. 

Download

 

Webinar Resources

Check out our Healthy Soils Webinar Series, which includes our Healthy Soils, Backyard Composting, and Worm Composting webinars, plus all of the soil building resources mentioned in the webinars.

Access Resources

 

Gardening Videos on YouTube

View all of our instructional and educational gardening videos and comment with your questions. We’ll respond to the best of our ability!

Watch Videos


Compost Hubs and Composting Assistance

Free compost and composting assistance are now available to residents and community organizations in Alameda County. Compost Hubs are sites that offer free compost to residents, and StopWaste offers assistance with on-site composting to organizations and community groups growing food. 

Learn More


Local Partner Nurseries

Our partner nurseries stock diverse Bay-Friendly plants and supplies that can help make your garden successful. Be sure to call before visiting as hours, inventory, and services may change.

(925) 447-0280
981 Alden Lane, Livermore
 
(510) 797-3700
3700 Thornton Ave, Fremont
 
(510) 845-6490
2332 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley
 
(510) 632-1522
350 San Leandro, Blvd.
 
(510) 652-1936
4001 Grand Ave, Oakland
 
(510) 387-9744
702 Channing Way, Berkeley
 
(510) 755-1102
2701 Main St, Alameda
 
(510) 234-2222
601A Canal Blvd., Richmond

Tool and Seed Libraries

Tool Libraries

Excited to build your own garden bed but need to borrow a drill? Maybe you need a pair of sharp loppers to trim your fruit trees? Several cities in Alameda County have tool lending libraries where residents can rent a variety of tools for 1-3 weeks at a time while participating in a circular and sharing economy.

Seed Libraries

Are you looking to start a spring garden or plant some herbs on your windowsill? Check out these seed libraries where new and experienced gardeners alike can find a variety of common and heirloom seeds! This is a great way to keep resources local and help develop seed varieties that are adapted to local micro-climates.


Bulk Garden Suppliers:

Visit the Lawn to Garden Marketplace for a complete directory of Bay Area sources for bulk recycled compost, mulch, and sheet mulch materials and visit the FAQ section for tips for buying bulk compost.

Here are some of our partner vendors who carry great products for home gardeners:  


Seed Catalogs:


Local Urban Farms and Community Partners

These partner organizations produce and distribute healthy food, provide essential services, community education, and resources, and are neighborhood models of carbon farming.

(510) 239-PICK (7425)
Alameda Backyard Growers is a network of gardeners that donate extra produce to the Alameda Food Bank and provide free seed libraries in self-service kiosks around town.
 
(510) 898-7856
2600 Barbers Point Rd, Alameda, CA 94501
Farm2Market trains community residents as farmers to grow and sell produce through a CSA and fund their community housing project.
 
Castlemont High School Farm and Garden
8601 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94605

The Castlemont Farm and Garden is a working on-campus farm with a long history of supporters and stewards. Currently, a collaboration between Growing Together’s schoolyard program and Oakland Leaf’s Love Cultivating Schoolyards program engages students to learn about community food systems and provide food for families in the neighborhood.

(510) 762-4241
2847 Peralta St, Oakland, CA 94608
City Slicker Farms supports West Oakland residents to grow their own food through garden construction, mentorships, hosting workshops, and distributing produce.
 
(510) 626-5789
2700 Fairmont Dr, San Leandro, CA 94578 (Food Hub)
Dig Deep Farms collaborates with the Deputy Sheriff’s Activity League to grow and distribute food through community farm stands, and supports community health with the Food As Medicine program.
 
1660 Freisman Rd, Livermore, CA 94551
A project of Crosswinds Church, Eden Garden gathers community partners and volunteers to assist in growing healthy, nutritious food to be distributed to local food banks.
 
55 Mowry Ave, Fremont, CA 94536
Fremont LEAF’s Stone Garden and Bee Sanctuary grow organic food for donation to food pantries, provide low cost plant sales, and educational workshops on home gardening and sustainable living.
 
Hummingbirds is a collective of Black families and children dedicated to supporting the education, empowerment and success of young people through community farming and land stewardship.
 
(510) 430-2230
5000 Macarthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94613
Mills Community Farm collaborates with students enrolled in the Campus Farm Practicum to grow produce for campus dining services and sell at a weekly farm stand.
 
(510) 686-3493
Oakland, CA
Pollinate Farm and Garden grows produce for sale through the Freedom Farmers Market and local CSA’s, provides professional services for home gardeners, and sells gardening supplies through their online store.

Planting with Compost

Give your plants a boost by adding compost when you plant.

Planting with Compost