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Shirin Cooper knew she wanted to grow a lot more food in her garden, but she didn’t really know how
She turned to Common Ground Garden, a Palo Alto nonprofit that educates people about growing food in their gardens in a sustainable way.
“It’s one thing to have one small plot of tomatoes, and another thing to do a bigger-scale garden,” said the Los Altos resident.
Common Ground taught her how. Now, she is excited to share what she’s done and “provide concrete information to how I got started.”
Cooper’s home garden is just one of the 13 gardens featured in Common Ground’s 11th Annual Edible Garden Tour on July 8. This year’s theme, “community resilience,” focuses on how gardening enthusiasts can create more resilient gardens with food that will last and plants that will thrive in spite of environmental impacts, like climate change.
“By having more biodiversity in our community, it creates resilience in our food system,” said Emily Danko, education and program manager for Common Ground.
The self-guided tour will take place in several cities, including Mountain View, Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Los Altos and Menlo Park.
The Edible Garden Tour is Common Ground’s main fundraiser. All proceeds support its programs, including a sustainable demonstration garden; youth education, adult volunteering and education, and donating produce each week to local food closets.
The tour will include three public community gardens in Palo Alto, including Johnson Park, where Elizabeth Duncan works as a community liaison. She has gardened at Johnson for 14 years, since moving here from Alabama. At Johnson Park, Duncan watches over more than 60 plots of green beans, tomatoes, kale, onions, rhubarb, zucchini and a multitude of herbs.
Gardening at Johnson Park has enabled Duncan to work alongside other gardeners, who swap food and water and share gardening tips.
“It’s pleasant to come out here in this beautiful climate and talk to others and share the problems and allow them to come up with a solution,” she said.
Rinconada Community Garden also will be on the tour. Community liaison Annie Carl said many of the 180 plots there have been worked by the same gardeners for more than two decades.
One of the most noteworthy parts of Rinconada’s garden is the monarch butterfly way-station plot, which includes plants necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration.
“We learned a lot about milkweeds and cultivating them. Our way station is certified by the Monarch Watch Project. We have lots of milkweeds and nectar plants for the butterflies in it,” Carl said.
Gardening is a very rewarding experience, said Carl. “You will make mistakes in the beginning. Your garden will be like an experiment. Over time, you will create a relationship with plants that will change the way you see the world around you,” she said.
Shirin Cooper has only been growing food for a few years, but she already has a sizable plot of tomatoes, carrots and kiwi squash in her backyard.
“It’s something I wanted to do for a long time, and I didn’t have any time to do it because I was working full time,” she said.
She enjoys cultivating fruits and vegetables because she “cares about what her family eats.” She also enjoys gardening with her children.
FACTS:
What: Eleventh Annual Edible Garden Tour
When: Saturday, July 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: The tour starts at Common Ground Garden, 687 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto
Cost: $10 to $35
Information: commongroundgarden.org
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A map indicating what Facebook’s proposed redevelopment of its Prologis site might look like. The proposal includes nine office buildings, three parking garages, seven public access parks or plazas, 1500 housing units, a visitors’ center, a grocery store, other retail locations and a hotel. (Image courtesy of OMA New York.) -
Nobu remodeled the bar and dining area at 180 Hamilton Ave. after Lure + Till closed in January. Photo by Kevin Scott/courtesy Nobu. -
Nobu’s yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño. Photo by Henry Hargreaves/courtesy Nobu. -
Nobu in Palo Alto is housed on the ground floor of The Epiphany Hotel at 180 Hamilton Ave. Weekly file photo. -
Nobu remodeled the bar and dining area at 180 Hamilton Ave. after Lure + Till closed in January. Photo by Kevin Scott/courtesy Nobu. -
Nobu’s yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño. Photo by Henry Hargreaves/courtesy Nobu.
