Good Grafting

Late winter / early spring is the best time to graft new scions onto rootstock and existing trees. After tabling at six CA Rare Fruit Growers Scion Exchanges this winter, we have a whole fridge full of new varieties to share with our nursery and to graft onto existing trees at the Mother Farm.

Recently, we took advantage of the plethora of wild plums growing on the land to teach the whole Farm Team how to graft. Using existing wild plum trees (with their regionally-adapted roots) is a great way to increase diversity with less impact on the land. Bet there’s a wild plum already growing in your yard or in your neighborhood!

Chicken Raising Skillshare

Thanks to everyone who came out to the PJ Mother Farm on Saturday, March 15 to share their chicken knowledge, skills, and experiences! We heard from folks at different stages in their chicken-keeping journeys, from fair to fowl (sorry not sorry). As the Mother Farm team considers integrating chickens into our permaculture food forest, it’s great to connect with the local community to find out what works, what doesn’t, and other egg-cellent advice (actually sorry for that pun).

Avocado Care Workshops

PJ Mother Farm Co-Manager Julio Madrigal recently offered two free workshops on how to care for and grow avocados successfully in the Bay Area. We've been growing 20+ varieties of avocados (and similar cherimoya) for the past 5 years, and Julio was excited to share his vast avo knowledge with the community.

Thanks to the over 45 people who joined us on the Mother Farm (especially in the rain on Thursday!) to learn everything avocado! Julio would love to offer a workshop on everything mulberry soon, so keep an eye out for email and social media announcements!

Interested in learning on the farm and being more connected to the land? We welcome volunteers!

This month we focused on the maintenance of trees at the nursery.

• Nursery staff took part in a pruning training with Julio
• Discussed when, why, and how to prune trees
• Learned about the 3 D's = Dead, Damaged & Diseased

Our Grafting Team also got a training on chip budding from our Assistant Nursery Manager Yennifer Copto. Staff will use this new technique to multi-graft Loquats. Soon we will have multi grafted Loquats for sale so stay connected for updates on those! (You can shop the rest of our loquats here).

Our second part of the shade structure project is almost done!!! We just need to put up the shade cloth. After that, we will set up the fancy new benches and start organizing plants in their new permanent homes. 

Interested in helping out at the nursery? Come Volunteer! 

The Education Team welcomes a new educator: Maria Diaz Marroquin! Maria is an environmental justice researcher and advocate who is passionate about storytelling, food sovereignty, and community empowerment. She is inspired by the power of grassroots movements and strives to support communities in addressing environmental injustices through collective action and advocacy. Through her work, Maria hopes to promote equitable environmental practices and sustainable solutions, combining research, activism, and education to drive positive change.

What's Cooking at Dewey this week? Students harvested herbs from the garden to make some immune-boost tea to get the school through these rainy days.

Smoothies have been going great at one of our school sites, where we have been distributing120+ smoothies every week. Students are staying healthy and happy!

Also, we completed the Plants As Medicine curriculum, which culminated with a wonderful salve-making class. The salve was made with an infused oil that the students created using herbs that they harvested from our Mother Farm. The students loved making their own medicine from start to finish!

As you may know, The Good Table will launch in 2025 as (we believe) the nation's first combined pay-what-you-can cafe, commercial incubator kitchen, retail nursery, community gathering space, and arts venue, an exciting cooperative formed in partnership with The Good Table United Church of Christ.

The UCC warmly invites you to their 75th Anniversary Celebration! 

75th Anniversary Celebration for The Good Table United Church of Christ

After 75 years of being a faithful, justice-oriented and spiritually vibrant congregation  in El Cerrito, we are beginning a completely new way of being spiritual community in El Sobrante as founders of The Good Table,  the Good Table Cafe, and in partnership with Planting Justice.

Join us for inspiring reflections from spiritual and community leaders, amazing music, and a historic ceremony to consecrate our new space and the founding members of the community. Afterwards, we will eat cake! And if you would prefer fruit or something gluten-free, we’ve got you covered! RSVP Today!

When: Saturday, April 26, 2025
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Where: The Good Table (map)

Spring is a fantastic time to transform your outdoor space with the wide variety of annuals and perennials in our plant collection. For a limited time, enjoy 15% off your entire purchase using the code SPRING2025 at checkout.

Hurry—this offer ends on June 20!

Explore our shop today and share this offer with friends and family. Let’s grow bountiful community green spaces in 2025!