Papa the Cat Recommended Reading Papa is a self taught garden guru. Here for your perusal is a list of some of his favorite reading material, environment, gardening and horticulture related: click image for link The Botany Coloring Book         Dirt The Erosion of Civilizations           …

June 2018 Saturday and Sunday 6-23 and 6-24 it’s the  Papa and Half Tail Two for One Sale Papa Cat and his apprentice Half-Tail grew out a bunch of these plants so you can save big on the Summer Garden! Buy one of these and get another of the same size free!  While supplies last,…

See you when we open again Saturday 6-23 at 10am

Join Ploughshares at the Alameda Mini-Maker Faire July 8th at the Alameda Point Naval Station.  Ploughshares will be showing off our mobile-vertical-edible-gardens and helping kids make seed bombs. ‘I don’t like seed bombs’ said nobody ever.  And it’s true that if nobody showed up it would still be fun, because  lots of folks from all…

Lets visit an old friend for Pollinator Power Plant for June 2018:  Erigeron glaucus ‘Seaside Daisy’ This native of California grows along coastal bluff regions from Oregon to San Diego.  Reaches 4″ to 8″ inches height and accepts sandy or clay soil and spreads via rhizomes, so expect relatively fast growth as it’s rhizome mass…

Giant Katsura Pickling Melon is our pick for Unusual Edible for May 2018 Why? Because ‘salt-pressed pickles’, that’s why. Giant Katsura Melon grows on a vine and you can expect fruit 5″ in diameter and 14″ long give or take.  You might need to hand pollinate the flowers for heavy production.  The fruit tastes like…

Romneya coulteri or ‘Matilija Poppy’ is our pick for ‘California Heritage Plant for June 2018 I have always found it ironic that these plants are forever frozen in botanical records with names given them by invaders from other parts of the world who ‘discover’ them …. when in fact most native plants have centuries or…

Choosing Natives to Benefit Pollinators Saturday June 9th 12-1:30 FREE WORKSHOP Ploughshare’s Nursery Manager Jeff Bridge will discuss which native plants best serve our native bees, hummingbirds and butterflies and why choosing natives to feed pollinator populations is better than choosing non-natives.

Lacy Leaf Phacelia or Phacelia tanacetifolia is a California Native which is the BOMB of native bee friendly and pollinator friendly plants IMHO.   Super fast growth to 3-4ft is followed by a month or two of blue blooms which are irresistible to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.  She also attracts populations of beneficial predator flies (flies…

Mulberries are quite simply a world heritage plant with a food production lineage almost as old as figs.  Originating in China, these trees were introduced into Europe and the United States in the hope of fostering silk worms for silk production.  But it has always been the berries us common folk loved throughout history and…

Looking for a drought tolerant plant to fill the role of ‘exotic beauty’ in your East Bay garden?  How about this South African native plant, Leucospermum ‘Sunrise’.   Plant in full sun where soil drains instantly (think Alameda sand) and step back because this ‘looker’ will take off and entertain the entire neighborhood with it’s distinctive…

Ploughshare’s famous free ranging chicken ladies are eager to meet and greet the Alameda Chicken Coup Tour people visiting us May 6th!  We will have refreshments out and lots of chicken related garden information to dispense.    To learn more visit the Alameda Chickens website!

Artichoke: Green Globe Artichoke: Violetto Asparagus Bean: Pencil Pod Bush Bean Bean: Royal Burgundy Bush Bean: Trionfo Violetta Pole Heirloom Bean Beet: Bullsblood Beet: Chiogga Broccoli: Gypsy Broccoli: Ironman Broccoli Broccoli: Summer Purple Broccoli: Veronica Romensco Brussel Sprouts: Hestia Cabbage: Copenhagen Cabbage: Red Acre Cabbage: Wakefield Cabbage Cauliflower: Charming Snowflower Cauliflower: Snowflower Cauliflower: Vitaverde Green…

Bugs bothering you?  Worried about the quality of your soil?  Not sure how to properly plant that potted nursery plant you just purchased?  Something looks diseased? Wondering how to prune something or if you even should?  Well then, bring all your bugs, blighted plants, samples of soil, photographs of your yard/trees/bushes and whatever questions have…

Join Ploughshares Nursery and Alameda County Healthy Homes on April 21st 10am to 3pm at Washington Park (740 Central Avenue, Alameda CA) to celebrate Earth Day by getting your soil tested for dangerous lead contamination! Also bring your gardening questions for Ploughshares Nursery Manager Jeff Bridge to answer~!

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Here they come out of the hoop house!  Spring is showing her smile and promise…