Calling for Garden Market Sellers

Posted on by Claire

We have partnered with Highlands Community Club to have a little spring sidewalk sale of plants and garden related stuff to raise funds for both groups.

We are looking for members who will be willing to join us and sell their starts that day. We can split the proceeds so that you will be able to cover the cost of your materials.

It will be on April 16th 10am-2pm. Tables will be set outside (indoor places available, just in case)

Just reply back to Olivia to register your interest and Q&A. We need to make sure attending growers are not all offering the same plants.

Tool Clean & Tuneup Workshop

Posted on by Claire

Tune Up Your Garden Tools  for the start of an Incredible Gardening Year!

An intrepid group arrived at VMSC on Sunday 1/29 despite a conflict with the 49ers semi-finals – we’ll plan better next year!  Collections of favorite pruners and clippers were brought and we discovered unique ones to consider.  Good company was had as we cleaned, sanded, soaked and rubbed now-smooth handles with linseed oil. We will all be running out and buying a nifty file for sharpening our blades.

Many thanks to Vicky Tuite who shared her expertise in tools, gardening and compostin.

Things to have together to keep your tools ship-shape include:

  • Oil (Tri-Flow, WD40 Silicon)
  • Isopropol alcohol (spray bottle of it is handy)
  • Detergent cleaner 
  • Rags or townels
  • Rust cleaner
  • Wire brush
  • Steel wool
  • Sandpapers (Medium and fine)
  • Blade file

 

Sr. Center Orchard Closing BUT McGarvey Orchard Ripening!

Posted on by Claire
With sadness we report that the Fruit Orchard #2 by the Master Gardener’s Garden and Herkimer Pool in Redwood City will be razed the week of July 12, 2021 to make way for the new YMCA/Senior Center.
About 1/2 the trees were planted by Bruce Utecht at the Sr. Center and the others by Incredible Edible. Also sadly, much of the fruit is just beginning to ripen but you might be able to get some before they are pulled.
Should you have the equipment and ability to remove and transplant any of these, you can contact Bruce about doing so. There are plans for rooftop gardens when the new buildings are finished.
On the positive side, we still have apple, pear, plum, pluot an orange trees that will remain in place behind the McGarvey Field in Red Morton so continue to enjoy them!
 
Carol Cross and Ann Morrison, founder of Incredible Edible Mid-Peninsula, talks to Mary Clear founder of the original Incredible Edible Todmorden (UK) at the Sr. Center Orchard in 2017.
Katherine Simon of Incredible Edible, France visits the Red Morton #1/ McGarvey Field orchard in 2018.

Recent Board & Membership Meeting Activity

Posted on by Claire

For the nitty-gritty details of our meetings, board minutes are available to all at Meeting Minutes

 

Whole Foods Community Garden

Posted on by Ann Morrison

7/6/2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and due to the fear of transmission of the virus, we did not work the garden in 2020 nor start it in early 2021 though the strawberries took care of themselves and knowledgeable passersby help themselves.

Carol Cross and Brenda Hattery have taken up co-management and  hope to get the Jefferson bed up and growing for community harvesting in the near future.

March 2018

Herbs Are Ready to Pick! Marjoram and oregano are ready to pick for your favorite dishes. There are scissors nearby that you can use to clip them.

 

September 2017.

Incredible Edible Mid -Peninsula joined forces with CATA and Whole Foods Redwood City that has come together into one gorgeous project. There is a beautiful mural painted along the back wall of Jefferson and Adams Street. Whole Foods then wanted a community garden to tie the whole project together. They asked Incredible Edible if we could plant the garden. There are two raised beds.

On the Adams Street side, we put in herbs including: rosemary, sage, holy basil, cilantro, chives, garlic chives, dill, oregano, marjoram and lavender. On the Jefferson Street side the raised bed has: swiss chard, kale, spinach, and three different kinds of lettuce. We completed planting in late September. The plants are starting to grow and we may allow the community to start picking sometime in the next few weeks, probably mid or late November 2017. This is a true community garden and we hope that people will stop by and help themselves. The plan is for everyone to take just a little bit at a time, that way everyone can participate and enjoy the community garden.  We will update and rotate the vegetables and herbs as needed and with the seasons.

Who We Are

Posted on by Claire

 Incredible Edible MId-Peninsula is group of San Mateo County CA residents who were inspired by the Todmorten UK sustainable community gardens and how they invigorate a community on many levels from front yard veggie plots to shareable edible community gardens and orchards in public and commercial spaces. We wanted our communities to be part of this movement.

 

In California & globally, water is valuable & limited resource and lawns are disproportionate users. Instead, let’s sustainably plant with natives and fresh organic produce, which also contributes to a healthier community. Let us plant colorful flyways of native plants for the pollinator, birds, bees and supportive insects to feed upon. Let us replace tour front grass with edibles and encourage other residents to follow. 

 

We are partnering with the Redwood City Parks & Recreation, City Trees, Whole Foods Market, and Redwood City Parks & Arts Foundation to dedicate some public space to grow fruits and vegetables that can be grown and shared by all. As our population is expanding, many more living in places with limited land; Incredible Edible is working to harness and network schools, garden non-profits, developers and individuals to find farmable plots and negotiate the logistics to make viable community gardens. Through education and invitation we hope that families, students, young & old will come to consider edible and native gardens as community birthrights.

 

We invite any residents of San Mateo County who are interested to join our group and become part of this incredible movement.  While we are currently active only in Redwood City, we would love to see our mission expanded across the county with your involvement!  You can also request to join us on Facebook for our latest happenings

 

Edibly Yours,

Claire Felong

 

A New Fruit Orchard in Redwood City by Roosevelt School

Posted on by Claire

About a year ago Incredible Edible began an inventory  process of all plots owned by the city of Redwood City. Team members visited each of the plots to determine whether their topography, access to water and  other characteristics that would be suitable for fruit trees, berry bushes or vegetables beds.  A vacant lot adjacent to Roosevelt School at the corner of Alameda de las Pulgas and Vera offered a sunny slope. Partnering with  Public Works,  Parks & Rec landscaping, Redwood City School District and CityTrees team member Tom Cronin, we worked through issues of utility lines,  visual safety sighting for students that cross the intersection,  irrigation and augering of holes in preparation for planting.

 

On January 28, 2017 sunny skies greeted a team of volunteers who planted & staked eight fruit  trees on the upslope and two ornamentals streetside.

 

Apple, pear, plum, apricot & nectarine are among the fruits that students and nearby residents will be able to harvest in the next season or two.

 

2014-2015 Farm Hill Garden

Posted on by Claire

October 2015.

This is year two of our private partnership with some apartment dwellers, their friends, some Incredible Edible core team members and their friends.

Built into a steep hillside the team did their best in the first year of the garden and harvested tomatoes, beans, sunflowers, squash, salad greens and more. Flowers were interplanted to keep the bees happy and strawberries and a grape vine were planted in hopes of future year harvests.  Carrie Lee worked with her landlord supported by Incredible Edible’s Carla Waters to build basic retaining walls with Vici Varghese.

This spring with the dreams of Carla, design savvy of Josh Shade, materials scrounging talents of Claire Felong and hard labor of Miguel Dilg, Vici & Paul Higgins substantial improvements were made. In April new retaining walls were built and old ones raised and re-enforced. Many buckets and bags of rocks, courtesy of a Freecycler, were  packed, transported then dumped as a bottom layer. In May a City of Redwood City compost giveaway day, along with the prospect of planting and transplanting, energized us to fill up the beds.

Planting soon ensued and helping Carla were Eyleen S, Christen D, Bianca C and Nova; last year’s choices were rotated along with additions of aztec spinach, amaranth and blueberries. Some of the imported soil for the retaining wall sections was low in nitrogen and phosphorus but thanks to Vici’s  home soil test kit skills  we knew to add chicken manure and bone meal. The plants responded immediately!

Next, Redwood City again to the rescue with mulch giveaways and we’re able to lay down a few inches everywhere to retain most of the moisture for the growing produce during this record drought year. Billy James donated a more robust compost bin and Kelly C joined our venture at mulch time.

Everyone, including several residents and their children are now watering and harvesting. Our most recent project has been learning to bend rebar to form an arch both to create a proper welcoming entrance and to support our prodigious grape vine.

If you’d like to join us on our projects or follow us on our projects, contact us through our Incredible Edible Facebook page.


P.S.  Sadly the Farm Hill garden closed in 2016. Carla moved to the East Bay and the apartment building was sold to new owners who had other plans for the garden space. Let us know if you know of another location that you’d like to be part of making into a new community garden. 





Redwood City to host Incredible Edible Co-Founder Mary Clear

Posted on by Claire
We are excited that Mary Clear, co-founder and current chair of the mothership, Incredible Edible Todmorden UK, will be visiting the Bay Area in late April with her husband, Fred. Here you can understand the broad spectrum of the activities she oversees that support the home community.

Our intrepid CAD designer Josh Shade will be hosting them at his home and we will share the joys of the Bay Area local food movement with them during their stay.

The culmination of their visit will be a presentation by Mary on Sunday, April 24 at 1 pm at the Redwood City Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall. She promises to be both inspiring and entertaining!

If sharing a Sunday afternoon with Mary sounds like your cup of tea, register for the event at http://maryclear.eventbrite.com

If you can, please spread the news to others by posting a flyer at your school, congregation, coffee shop or work place.  Upload the flyer below to print out for distribution.

If you are on Facebook, you can share our Redwood City Incredible Edible page with friends.

Please join us in giving Mary a huge Golden State welcome!

Our First “official” Planting Party at Red Morton

Posted on by Claire
Cindy Johnson, Tom Cronin, Carol Cross, Ann Morrison, Claire Felong and Dave Hyman representing CityTrees, Incredible Edible Redwood City and the UU Redwood City gathered after planting the first tree.

Saturday, January 18 was the first official planting for Incredible Edible Redwood City. Nine bareroot fruit trees including apple, orange, plum, pear, cherry and fig were planted with help from CityTrees experts who demonstrated best practices for hole size, root trimming and alignment, amendments and berms for water retention.

Six months in the planning, the fruit trees are now at home in Red Morton Park behind the main baseball field wall where all are invited to watch their progress! Chris Beth, head of Redwood City Parks and Rec, is an enthusiastic partner and cheerleader for the progress and engaged landscaping staff Francisco Esperanza and Valerie Matonis to coordinate with Incredible Edible for removal of old plantings, tree location, drip irrigation, hole augering and the first deep root watering.

Trees were donated by CityTrees, Chris Beth, Valerie Matonis, Dave Hyman and Incredible Edible members. Special thanks to Rethink Recology for the compost.

Cindy Johnson, Tom Cronin, Carol Cross, Ann Morrison, Claire Felong, Carla Waters and Dave Hyman representing CityTrees, Incredible Edible Redwood City and the UU Redwood City

We also want to recognize Josh Shade for site design and layout, and Carolyn Chaney who is an ongoing member of the planning committee.

See the entire article in the Redwood City-Woodside Patch.