[Scpg] 350 Garden Challenge This Weekend!

[Jay Ma]

Dear Friends,

Have you heard the buzz!

This weekend over 350 Sonoma County landscapes will be transformed  
into bountiful gardens, which save water and carbon emissions, grow  
food and habitat, and promote greywater and low-impact development,  
all while educating and empowering community and supporting local  
businesses!

Daily Acts, iGROW Sonoma, GoLocal & Living Mandala are collaborating  
with the Sonoma County Water Agency and dozens of community groups and  
local companies to create the
350 Garden Challenge. This county-wide project is engaging citizens,  
organizations, local businesses, media and civic leaders to save water  
and improve access to healthy, fresh local food while positioning  
Sonoma County as a national leader in climate change response, the  
local food movement, and water conservation.

Rumor is that we are nearing 500 Gardens registered for this weekend's  
action, making it one of the largest garden mobilization projects in  
the country!

Come join the fun and get involved in this historic weekend, support  
the cause, and learn something at the same time!

There are model garden projects happening all over Sonoma County open  
to the public including including many free educational workshops from  
natural building, drip irrigation, soil building, food forest  
gardening, mushrooms inoculation, and much more.

Check out this exciting list below of what's happenning, and join the  
fun by volunteering or touring some of the exciting projects featured  
below.

There is a Community Celebration following this weekend's action from  
5 -8 pm in Julliard Park,  Santa Rosa with potluck food, spirited  
beverages, Aztec dancers, and live music.

Hope to see you this weekend in the Garden!

- Jay Ma


350 Garden Challenge Model Gardens & Workshops

Petaluma

Petaluma Sheet Mulching & Rain Garden Workshop: 1107 F St. Sat. 10- 
early afternoon. Join us for a sheet-mulching demonstration where  
we'll transform a lawn into a veggie garden and plant California  
natives. We'll get you prepped to catalyze your own lawn  
transformations and demonstrate how to use Rain Gardens and water- 
harvesting earthworks to increase water storage capacity at your home  
site.

Petaluma City Hall: 11 English St. Sun 11- 4pm. Join us as we move  
waterwise gardening to the forefront of public life while getting  
hands-on practice on sheet mulching this this 2,500 square foot  
section of lawn at Petaluma City Hall. We'll need a lot of volunteers!

Oasis Community Garden & Cob Building: 280 Skillman Ln. All Day Sat &  
Sun.
At this beautiful garden of Wayne and Connie, owners of the Jungle  
Vibes toy store, we will be building a cob oven and bench this weekend  
to be used to bake pizzas and other veggies grown in the garden!  We  
will be learning how to build a bench and oven using earth right on  
site.  It will cover insulating the oven, making adobe bricks, basic  
earthen sculpting, earthen plastering, foundations, and waterproofing.  
It is also a workshop to make a scarecrow.

Petaluma Bounty's Arroyo Community Garden: 901 Ely Blvd. South. Sat  
All Day, 9-5pm. Garden work day to distribute mulch in garden, orchard  
and between beds, fill raised beds with compost soil mixture, finish  
building garden beds. Partnership of Petaluma neighborhood community,  
Petaluma Bounty and Living Word Lutheran Church. Wear sturdy foot  
wear, bring water and snacks, hat and sunscreen. Garden plots are  
available for planting, application available at garden site day of  
event, May 15.

Edible Yardworks Demo Garden: Petaluma Bounty Farm: 55 Shasta Avenue  
in Petaluma. Sun, 12-3 pm. The Edible Yardworks demonstration garden  
at the Petaluma Bounty Farm demonstrates various backyard edible  
gardening techniques and will be expanded through the 350 gardens  
challenge to include some food for COTS homeless shelter. Picnic lunch  
at 12:30pm followed by a workshop on edible gardening techniques  
including swaling and mulching for growing food with optimal water  
conservation. Edible Yardworks offers classes on-site and also  
includes instruction on how to cook seasonally and locally in a  
flexible way using from your back yard.

St. James Community Church: 125 Sonoma Mountain Prkwy (corner of  
Washington). Sat & and Sun 10-3. 1/4 acre garden plot where we will  
sow seeds, start seedlings for summer veggies, amend, level, & plant  
garden beds & rows.  We have tools...but could always use an extra  
wheelbarrow.  There will be lots to do so as many volunteers are  
welcome.


Cotati/Pengrove/Rohnert Park

Cotati Community Garden: E Cotati Ave at Lasalle (nestled in parking  
lot between 421 and 475 E Cotati Ave.) Sat & Sun 8-12pm. We will be  
revitalizing this garden, creating new plots, sheet mulching and  
pruning in the orchard, painting the shed, and laying a new path of  
wood chips. Bagels, fruit and coffee will be available from 8 am when  
we will start laying cardboard for the sheet mulching. Possible  
midmorning yoga. We will wrap up the day with a potluck picnic. Bring  
something to share!  Also, bring seeds and starts to share with your  
neighbors --and bring gloves and wheelbarrows to move the mountains of  
compost and mulch!

The Neighborhood Farm: Holy Family Episcopal Church,1500 E. Cotati  
Avenue (corner Snyder). Sat 9:30 am- afternoon. A new community garden  
open for plant bed adoptions now! 10' by 12'. Installing irrigation,  
mulching paths. Looking for people willing to dig irrigation trenches,  
sheet mulch, weed onions (planted for the food pantry NOAH). Need more  
tools: pick axes, shovels, rakes, wheel barrows, cardboard. RSVP to  
707-795-7500.

Thomas Page Elementary School Garden: Madrone Ave. Sat & Sun 8-12pm.
An Educational Garden For Children, Teachers and Families of Thomas  
Page Elementary School.

Cross & Crown Lutheran School & Church: 5475 Snyder Lane. Sat 9-1pm.
17-bed garden on 64 x 80 fenced area.  All beds contribute fresh  
fruits and vegetables to NOAH, Rohnert Park’s food bank. Growing  
tomatoes, broccoli, chard, spinach, peas, lettuce, leeks, chives,  
onions, radishes, grapes and apples. Received Community School Garden  
award in 2007.


Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa Community Market Installation: 1899 Mendocino Avenue. Sun,  
9-1pm.  Join us as we plant container gardens to benefit FISH (Friends  
in Service Here), a local food pantry in the Santa Rosa Junior College  
neighborhood. Volunteers welcome.

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Mini Food Forest Demo Garden: 575  
Administration Dr. Sun 11-1pm. Join us for an educational installation  
of a mini food forest demo container garden outside the office of the  
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors - a location of important civic  
significance as the seat of County government and a place of frequent  
visits from community leaders and the public. County employees and  
other interested partners will help maintain and harvest the mini food  
forest. The garden will be installed near the sidewalk along the east  
side (by Ventura Avenue) of 575 Administration Drive. You may park  
along the street or in the non-reserved spots in the lot on Ventura  
Avenue.

Apple Valley Youth Garden: 2858 Apple Valley Lane. Sat, 10-2 pm. Apple  
Valley Youth Garden was established by Santa Rosa Parks and Rec. for  
local youth as a project for the community.  It has been abandoned for  
a number of years and is being restablished in conjunction with  
Burbank Housing and Redwood Food Empire as part of their children's  
lunch program. Food grown there will also be distributed amongst  
members of the Apple Valley community.

Cielo Azul: 301 Fulton Rd. Sat, 8 am - 4 pm, Sun 12-3pm. Volunteers  
are needed for mowing the high grass, help finish the fence, setting  
up the irrigation system, moving and organizing plants and materials.

TLC Garden Project: Thanksgiving Lutheran Church, 1225 Fulton Ave at  
West College. Sun 4-6pm. Begun in 2007, TLC Garden Project now has 31  
plots tended by 15 gardeners. We grow for our households, and share  
our surplus with several food pantries in Santa Rosa and West County.  
Our challenge is to move and improve "the berm," a raised area running  
the length of our garden, for eventual planting as a waterwise commons  
for berries, pollinator attractants, etc.

Santa Rosa Charter School: Sat, 10 am - 2 pm. Comstock's Campus, 2760  
W. Steele between Coffee & Marlow. When you drive onto the campus, you  
will pass Comstock's entrance and continue around the back of the  
school. There will be a long parking area running E.to W. the garden  
is at the far West end on the left next to the tennis courts.

350 Garden Challenge Community Celebration:  5-8pm  Julliard Park, 227  
Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa.  Come celebrate the success of the 350  
Garden Challenge with live music, community potluck, and garden  
friends. Hear reports on final numbers and inspiring projects. Bring  
your own plate and utensils and a potluck dish to share!


Sebastopol

Saturday, May 16

Burbank Heights Community Garden: 7777 Bodega Ave. Sun 10-3pm. Help  
our seniors in their community garden, build raised beds, weed, move  
compost and help their garden get ready for summer.

Skate Park Community Garden Mushrooms & Mulching: Sat 9-2pm. Laguna  
Park Way (just down from the movie theater). Mushroom inoculation  
workshop at 9 am, Sheet mulching class at 10 am, followed by hands-on.

Mushrooms & Living Roofs: Skate Park Community Garden, Laguna Park Way.
Learn about mushrooms and living roofs.

Amazon Graywater & Rain Water Catchment Workshop: 4488 Stoetz Ln. Sat  
1-4 pm. A graywater system has been installed using an Australian  
filtration device (Aqua2Use), providing water for the rose garden and  
grassy area in the front yard and a flower garden down by the curb, as  
well as rainwater system and garden in the back. Learn about graywater  
and rain water catchment systems and opportunities through this tour  
and hands-on workshop. www.aprainwaterharvesting.com

Drip Irrigation Class: Sebastopol Hardware, 660 Hwy 116 N, 10-2pm.

Pine Crest School Garden: 7285 Hayden Ave. Sat 9-1pm. Help instal the  
new Pine Crest School garden!

Earth Camp Heritage Plants & Traditional Skills Garden: Laguna Farms -  
1764 Cooper Rd. sat 9-5 pm (1pm lunch). Come plant a native fiber,  
medicinal, and food crops for Earth Camp kids!

Freestone Fermentation Festival: Salmon Creek School, 1935 Bohemian  
Hwy,( 2 miles north of Freestone. Sat 12-5pm

Sunday, May 16

350 Garden Challenge Hub: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 500 Robinson  
Rd.  10–3pm. Come see what  happening for the weekend, get extra  
plants, cardboard for sheet mulching, talk to garden experts.

Natural Building Workshop: Skate Park Community Garden, Laguna Park  
Way. Sun. 1-5 pm

Community Seed Garden: 500 Robinson Way, 10-3pm.
Help start the new Community Seed Garden sponsored by the West County  
Community Seed Bank at St. Steven’s Episcopal Church.

Nelson Way Garden Block Party! 208 Nelson Way. Sun 9-5 pm.
Help Permaculture Artisans install several new gardens on Nelson way,  
tour the Permaculture Neighborhood Center at 2pm for inspiration to  
transform your yard into a food oasis. Music, food, & fun!

350 Community Celebration: Julliard Park, 227 Santa Rosa Ave, 5-8pm.
Come celebrate the success of the 350 Garden Challenge with live  
music, community potluck, and garden friends.  Here reports on final  
numbers and inspiring projects. Bring your own plate and utensils and  
a potluck dish.


Windsor

Drip Irrigation Workshop:  Living Color Nursery, 294 Windsor River Rd.  
Sat 10- 12pm.
Come learn about drip irrigation with Robert Kourik, author of many  
renowned gardening books including Drip Irrigation for Every  
Landscape, Designing and Maintaining,Your Edible Landscape Naturally,  
Roots Demystified, and more.

Town Green Community Garden: 9291 Old Redwood Hwy (Next to Windsor  
Civic Center).  Sat 8-3 pm.
This garden is operating by the Windsor Garden Club in conjunction  
with the Town of Windsor. Any volunteers working at the site should be  
sure to complete the Town of Windsor waiver forms (available at our  
garden shed) before beginning any volunteer work at this location.

Tiana Gjerman's: 6354 Starr Rd. Sat 1-3 pm.
Vegetable starts/seeding of planter boxes.

Mandala Keyhole Garden: 1281 Woody Creek Ln. Sat 3-6 pm.
Meet at Jacques and Jodi Ropert's for the Mandala keyhole garden prep/ 
irrigation/planting

Grey Water at Golden Nectar Farm: 6364 Starr Rd. Sun, 9-12pm.
Join us at Golden Nectar Farm for a laundry to landscape graywater  
installation and tree planting.


Graton

Graton Community Projects Garden: Sun 7am- 3pm. (Open field between  
Bowen and S. Edison behind Underwood). Begin the day at the Fireman's  
Breakfast with display of fire fighting equipment and a helicopter fly- 
in! Following that will be a series or informational hands-on  
workshops including: Salsa Barrels - hands-on; Place Making - a  
planning concept for gardens; Time Banking - a tool for community  
participation; Sheet Mulching - soil building technique; Garden Beds,  
Crop Covers, & Critters. Graton Community Garden will hacve plots for  
individual use, family and hopefully a common sweet corn field, and  
melon patch.


Healdsburg

Healdsburg Foss Creek Community Center Public Garden: 1557 Healdsburg  
Ave,  Sat, 8-2 pm.

Food Pantry Salsa Barrels: 1505 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg Food  
Pantry, Fri 2 -5 pm.



Sonoma

Sonoma Garden Park: 19996 7th Street East. Sat 9 -2pm
Sonoma Garden Park is an education farm and community garden managed  
by the Sonoma Ecology Center. Looking for volunteers to help plant.


Coverdale

Cloverdale Community Garden: 205 N. Cloverdale Blvd. (across from  
Antiques & Uniques). Sat & Sun 8 am - late afternoon.
The Cloverdale event will clean up the site of our SIXTH community  
garden. The public is invited to show up early (8am) with sun hat,  
gloves, work shoes, and water. Heavy rakes, wheelbarrows, and plastic  
bags would be helpful!


350 Garden Challenge - Community Organizer Coordinator
Register Your Garden at iGROW Sonoma
Join the 350 Garden Challenge on Facebook!


Living Mandala - Director of Programs & Development
www.LivingMandala.com
Visit the Living Mandala Social Network Site
Find Living Mandala on Facebook!
Follow Living Mandala on Twitter!

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