What's the buzz around pollinators?

What is so great about pollinators?  Well, to start, pollinators are the worker bees (pun intended) of our gardens, farms and orchards.  According to the National Wildlife Federation, bees "pollinate both our crops and plants, providing us with one-third of the food we eat." 

If you have a pollinator-friendly garden, you can celebrate Pollinator Month!  According to the National Wildlife Federation:

"Certify your habitat during Pollinator Month and BEE COUNTED towards the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge!

Anyone can create a welcoming haven for local wildlife. Turning your yard, balcony container garden, schoolyard, work landscape, or roadside greenspace into a Certified Wildlife Habitat® is fun, easy, and can make a lasting difference for wildlife."

Click here to learn more.  Happy Gardening!!

Micro-irrigation - New, Free Guide Available

Are you interested in installing an irrigation system that uses water super efficiently?  According to the EPA WaterSense website, "Micro-irrigation systems use 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional sprinkler systems."  Micro-irrigation systems slowly and precisely deliver water exactly where it's needed.  

The WaterSense site has a new, free guide to micro-irrigation, available here, which will help you figure out if it's right for you, and then walk you through the details.  

Happy Water-Wise Gardening!

Happy Learn About Composting Day on May 29th!

Did you know that May 29th is Learn About Composting Day? Composting your food scraps and organic waste is great because it helps to reduce waste in landfills and creates valuable fertilizer.

Interested in taking a class on how to compost?  The County of Santa Clara Composting Education Program offers more free composting classes than you can shake a (compostable) stick at.  Click here for more information about these free classes.

Our page on Soils, Mulch and Composting has lots of local information for you too.

Happy Composting!!

Endangered Species Day is May 18th

On Friday, May 18th, don't forget to take a moment to recognize Endangered Species Day, started in 2006 by the United States Congress and marked by celebrations of our nation’s wildlife and wild places. This important call to action is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and the everyday actions that can be taken to help protect them.

Our local endangered species include the California Clapper Rail (pictured below), the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, the California Tiger Salamander, the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly, and the San Joaquin Kit Fox.  

Looking for ideas to support your celebrations? Check out the Eco-Schools USA Take Action page to find just the right fit for your school.

Looking to deepen your understanding on the status of America’s wildlife, read National Wildlife Federation’s recently released report, Reversing America’s Wildlife Crisis: Securing the Future of our Fish and Wildlife

(Thanks to the National Wildlife Federation)

May is Garden For Wildlife Month

According to the National Wildlife Federation, May is Garden for Wildlife Month. Garden for Wildlife helps people restore habitat and wildlife populations to our cities, towns and neighborhoods. Since 1973, the program has been educating and empowering people to turn their own small piece of Earth—their yards and gardens—into thriving habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation has recognized over 200,000 spaces representing 1.5 million acres as Certified Wildlife Habitats in yards, schools, campuses, corporate properties, farms, parks and more.

(Thanks to the National Wildlife Federation)

Graywater Workshop in San Jose THIS SATURDAY! →

Come out this Saturday, April 28th, from 11:00 am to noon at Our City Forest at 1000 Spring St, San Jose, for a FREE workshop on GRAYWATER.

Learn how to safely reuse water from washing machines to irrigate your landscape! This free class will discuss residential graywater reuse, common types of graywater systems, garden-friendly soaps and detergents, and how to construct a laundry to landscape graywater system. Attending the workshop will help participants qualify for the Santa Clara Valley Water District's Graywater Rebate: $200 ($400 in certain areas).

Our City Forest will be hosting a plant sale between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.; the workshop will be from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m..

To receive specific assistance during the workshop, bring a few photos of your laundry area and landscape to be irrigated with graywater.

Friday, April 27th is Arbor Day - Let's Celebrate Trees!!

This Friday, April 27th is Arbor Day!  To celebrate Arbor Day, let's take a moment to recognize some of the wonderful things that trees provide:  

1) They conserve energy - ore shade on buildings in the summer equals cooler interiors

2) They sequester carbon dioxide and reduce air pollution

3) They improve property values

4) They provide wildlife habitat

5) They are beautiful!  

To find out more about trees, please visit these wonderful organizations:  Canopy.org   Our City Forest

Thank you, Trees!!  Happy Arbor Day!!

Happy Earth Day!

This Sunday, April 22nd, is Earth Day and why not celebrate by spending a little time outside this weekend, either taking a compost workshop or maybe planning to replace your lawn with a gorgeous low-water using landscape (and get a rebate!).

If you're looking to be inspired, why not visit one of the many lovely Demonstration Gardens in this area?  Here is an interactive map to help you locate Demonstration Gardens in your area.

Here's wishing you a wonderful Earth Day!!  

Happy Earth Day!!

Sustainable Gardening Workshops this Saturday

If you're interested in learning more about sustainable gardening, this Saturday you are in luck!  There are no fewer than seven workshops being held this Saturday in the county to teach you about all kinds of aspects of sustainable landscaping: from graywater to pruning to composting.

If you're interested in an Earth Day festival - complete with a 1K/5K run - check out these three mini workshops at the festival: https://www.southbaygreengardens.org/events-1/ 

Check out our Events page for more details of upcoming events:
  https://www.southbaygreengardens.org/events-1/   Happy gardening!!

Happy Spring!!

The South Bay Green Gardens website would like to wish everyone a Happy Spring! 

While you're watching the rain from inside, here are a couple of ideas for what to do outside once the sun comes back out:   

• Go on a Wildflower Treasure Hunt!  
   
• Attend a Gardening Workshop
   
• Take Your Lawn from Grass to Gorgeous - and get a rebate!
   
• Learn about all about Composting

Wishing you a wonderful Spring, full of butterflies and flowers.