The UC Berkeley Student Organic Garden was established in 1971. This year marks the 43rd year of the garden's existence. The garden is a magical place full of wonder, supporting education about sustainable agriculture practices and fostering love of community and friendships. Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name
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SOGA SWAG is in!
We would like to make a BIG thank you to Mari Monticelli from Four Letter Words for printing our new t-shirts and bandanas! Help SOGA raise a little extra $$ and represent our awesome garden by getting your gear today. T-shirts are black with white type and run in sizes S, M, L and XL. Bandanas come in red with white type or cream with red type. T-shirts are $15 and bandanas are $5. To get yours contact SOGA Representative, Kelly Archer at [email protected]. Title email "SOGA SWAG".
New Workshops!
SOGA has several exciting workshops coming up. Check out the dates below and mark them off in your calendars. See you soon!
Sunday September 28th (this weekend) - Seeding Workshop
From 10-2 learn how to plant seeds for future transplantation
Sat-Sun Oct. 11 and 12, 1-5pm - "Life and Death in the Garden and Art"
Explore the cycle of life and its effects on creativity in art & living spaces
Follow this link for details
Sunday Oct 26, 10-2 pm - Transplanting Workshop
Rounding out Food Month with a fall transplanting workshop. Help SOGA get those gourds in the ground!
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Here you can find the information from SOGA's recent soil synopsis.
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Soil Update
SOGA's Soil Synopsis
As some of you may know, last May SOGA was informed of possible metalloid contamination within the Student Organic Garden's soil. This summer interns Matthew Duffett, Sara Cate Jones, and Deanna Oganesian diligently worked to understand the nature of this contamination and whether or not the garden was safe for volunteers. A huge thank you goes to Professor Céline Pallud, graduate student Sarick Matzen, and several others who helped us along the way! With the help of these wonderful people, SOGA interns found that after a few changes to cultivation procedures and safety protocol the garden is safe for students and community members to enter and grow produce. For an in-depth synopsis of soil and tissue sample results as well as remediation efforts in SOGA Garden, please follow this link.
Starts in SOGA Garden greenhouse. Photo by Sara Cate Jones
DeCals Friends and Fans- it's getting close to the cutoff for DeCal signups! The last day to add a class without a fee is Friday September 12th. What's a DeCal? It's an opportunity to get in those last few units you may need to be a full-time student while also getting hands on experience in a range of topics taught by your FELLOW STUDENTS! SOGA is happy to announce that we are sponsoring and supporting some pretty great DeCalsthis semester.
The Garden Leadership and Management will allow you to obtain the managerial skills so necessary in the workforce while simultaneously creating and maintaing a project of your own design within SOGA Garden. For more info contact Kelly Archer at [email protected] BUGI will introduce you to local gardens and sustainable agriculture projects that could lead to some amazing opportunities in the future! For more info contact Kate Kaplan at [email protected] On Campus Gardening is taking back the green on campus! Help implement and maintain edible landscapes on campus. Yummm. For more info contact Matt Duffett at [email protected] Don't forget the SERC and Alt Breaks DeCal, Food Justice and Storytelling. Learn how to do ethnographic research through storytelling before putting your newfound skills to work during a weeklong adventure in local urban gardens! Apply atpublicservice.berkeley.edu/alternativebreaks/wintertrips
Open Hours:
Remember: our open hours are on Sundays from 10-2. You can find us at the corner of Walnut and Virginia in North Berkeley. We welcome everyone with all levels of gardening experience. See you soon!
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden Our listserve: [email protected] Email us!: [email protected]
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Workshops, Giveaways, New Hours, oh my!
Welcome Week Workshops Sunday August 31st to Sunday September 7th
It's getting to be that time! The fall semester is about to begin for UC Berkeley and to celebrate SOGA is holding two workshops during the first week of September. OnSunday, August 31st from 10-2 garden intern Matt Duffett will be hosting a workshop on succulent propagation. Attendees of this workshop will also go home with their very own succulents! On Saturday, September 6th join interns Sara Cate, Deanna Oganesian and Matt Duffett from 10-2 in transplanting starts into SOGA's brand new raised beds. Finally, SOGA will be holding open hours with tours of the garden and upcoming projects on Sunday, September 7th from 10-2. See you there!
Students attending the August 17th raised beds workshop. (Photo by Matthew Duffett)
New Open Hours:
Open hours have been changed in preparation for the upcoming semester. Beginning this weekend, open hours will be held every Sunday from 10 am - 2 pm. Remember- we're located at the corner of Walnut and Virginia in North Berkeley.
Fall 2014 DeCals
Get credit for playing in the dirt! This semester SOGA is proud to facilitate and sponsor some amazing DeCals. DeCals are a set of student-run courses that offer a hands-on approach to education, offering anywhere from 1-3 units. Join us at the DeCal Expo on Friday, September 5th from 2-5 pm, where SOGA will represent the 2 unit DeCal "Garden Leadership and Management". The Garden Managers DeCal will be held on Fridays from 3-5 pm during the fall semester. For more information on this course, follow the link below. Also keep an eye out for the BUGI DeCal and the brand new DeCal "On Campus Gardening".
http://www.decal.org/courses/3260
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden Our listserve: [email protected] Email us!: [email protected]
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Raised Beds Workshop This Week!
Raised Beds Workshop This Sunday, August 17th: 10 am - 2 pm
Join interns Matt Duffett and Deanna Oganesian this Sunday and learn how to build a raised planter bed out of affordable and accessible materials. Why build a raised bed when we're surrounded by so much dirt? Raised beds offer a solution to potential soil contamination or depleted nutrients as well as providing a place to grow veggies in areas that may not have access to these resources.
Key hole raised bed with straw wattles.
Open Hours This Week:
Garden open hours are from 12-4 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as well as Sundays from 10-2. Join us this week in planting veggie starts for our raised beds as well as other fun gardening activities. SOGA needs as many volunteers as we can get to prepare the garden for the fall semester. So grab your gloves and handkerchiefs and meet us at the corner of Virginia and Walnut for some fun in the sun!
SOGA volunteers. Photo by Alex Krohn
Future Workshops:
In addition to the awesome raised bed workshop, SOGA will be holding workshops all throughout August and the beginning of September. Welcome in the fall with our transplanting workshop from 10-2 on Sunday, August 31st. From 10-2 on Saturday, September 6th SOGA will be teach a workshop on succulent propagation. Attendees of this event will also receive a complementary succulent to take home! These workshops are free to the public and students of UC Berkeley and provide an avenue for members of the Student Organic Garden Association to share the skills they've acquired through their experience in the garden. We love to have visitors and have thusly planned to take the first few minutes of our workshops to give a tour of the garden. We hope to see you soon!
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden Our listserve: [email protected] Email us!: [email protected]
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Get Your Bearings at SOGA!
SOGA has several workshops lined up to kick-start your fall semester! All are free and open to the public, bring a friend!
Sunday, August 17th @ 10-2: Building Raised Beds
Sunday, August 31st @ 10-2: Transplant Workshop
Saturday, September 6th @ 10-2: Succulent Propagation
Also, be sure to keep an eye out for SOGA flyers at the Berkeley Student Food Collective and spread the word about open hours at the garden!
(Photo by Sam Adams)
SOGA Needs Your Help!
With such exciting fall workshops approaching, SOGA has plenty of preparation ahead! Helping build raised beds, mulching, and general maintenance are jusays to lend a hand, but any form of support or assistance is always appreciated! SOGA's new open hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12-4, as well as the usual time on Sunday from 10-2.
(Photo by Anika Rice)
Gill Tract Invites You!
Help support other urban gardens in the Bay Area and come by the Gill Tract farm for open hours! The Gill Tract is located at the corner of Marin and San Pablo in Albany. Open Hours are as follows:
Sunday 10am-4pm (meeting 10-noon)
Monday 10am-2pm
Tuesday 3:30pm-7:30pm
Wednesday 10am-2pm
Thursday 3:30pm-7:30pm
(Post and writing by Sydney Johnson, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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SOGA's Open for Summer!
(Photo by Sydney Johnson)
Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our interns and volunteers, SOGA is flourishing this summer! With all that extra planting and growth however, comes a need for extra attention to keep the garden alive and well! To keep up with the quickly growing garden and give members a chance to enjoy the summer sun in a beautiful place, we have extended open hours!
Open hours will now be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12-4, as well as the usual time on Sunday from 10-2.
We received a mulch delivery on July 7. Come stop by our new open hours to help put this to good use!
Due to recent concerns over metal contamination however, there are a few rules we have put in place for the safely of our friends and supporters:
Wear gloves
Wear a bandana
No alcohol or smoking
Must wear close-toed shoes
Wash hands thoroughly before leaving
No open food containers
Must thoroughly wash food from garden before consumption
Put away all tools
(Photo by Sydney Johnson)
In addition, we recently received a large amount of compost that is going to go towards future workshops on building raised beds - stayed tuned for more info!
(Post and writing by Sydney Johnson, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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SOGA Summer Interns Start Soon!
SOGA is pleased to announce the new Summer Interns for our Summer 2014 Summer Intern Management Program! We have three intern positions: Sara Cate Jones is the Programming Intern, Matt Duffett is the Operations Intern, and Deanna Oganesian is the Operations Assistant. Megan Larranaga and Ellie Lum will share a Mentor Position for the program. Congratulations to SOGA’s new hires!
SOGA’s Summer Intern Program for Garden Managers was established to create continuity for the garden from Spring to Fall. Because many students leave Berkeley for the summer, the garden has often faced management challenges. This program will allow SOGA to reach its fullest potential during the summer months, especially when the plants are flourishing!
(Meg Dowley and Ellie Lum, Photo by Anika Rice)
SOGA members worked hard this semester to establish the program through a grant from The Green Initiative Fund on campus. Margaret Dowley and Anika Rice were the grant writers, with visionary and editing help from Ellie Lum and Carli Baker. The garden will benefit from organized programming and efficient operations management. The programming position will be in charge of educational curricula, social media outreach, and hosting open hours. The operations side of the program will maintain the garden beds, develop crop plans, maintain a watering schedule, do maintenance, and manage the compost system.
The interns will begin their work on June 9th. Stay tuned for updates on SOGA summer projects and programming – although we have intern positions, SOGA is still open to student and community involvement!
(Post and Writing by Anika Rice, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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SOGA/BSFC Garden Soiree, Today 5-8pm!
Come join us this evening at the Student Organic Garden for a joint end-of-semester Garden Soiree, with the Student Organic Garden Association and The Berkeley Student Food Collective! Bring instruments, and a dish or snack to share, if you can!
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TGIF! SOGA Received $20,000+ in Grant Funding!
(Photo by Sydney Johnson)
After plenty of hard work and collaboration done by Meg Dowley and Anika Rice, along with editing help from Ellie Lum and Carli Baker, SOGA has finally received a grant for $20,395.48 from The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)!
TGIF is UC Berkeley’s “Campus Green Fund” and serves to provide funding for campus sustainability programs and projects. In addition, TGIF allocates a portion of their funds to support educational initiatives such as internships and financial aid. TGIF is funded by a $6.00 per semester student fee, and is a primarily student-run organization.
Receiving the TGIF grant was a long-lasting effort. In January, Anika began the application with Ellie before the Spring 2014 semester had even started. Meg soon stepped in and the two of them worked extensively on completing their final draft of the application throughout March.
This grant could not have come at a more curtail time. Because there is often a large number of students and volunteers who leave for the summer, SOGA faces the challenge of upholding the positive trajectory that current SOGA leaders have initiated and the institutional connections they have made. In addition, summer is one of the most productive seasons for the garden, and requires just as much, if not more attention than with other seasons.
In order to maintain the integrity of both the leadership and physical structure of the garden, SOGA plans on implementing the Summer Intern Program for Garden Managers. This compensated and structured program involves two main positions. The first is an Operations Intern, which will serve “as a garden manager to ensure that SOGA facilities are in appropriate condition for optimal educational opportunities”. The other position will be a Programming Intern. This manager will work to “ensure a continuity of the education around food sustainability on the Berkeley campus.” This intern will also serve as a liaison between SOGA, TGIF, and the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC).
Overall, “The main goal of the Summer Intern Program for Garden Managers is to make the garden available to the greater campus community during the summer as a key campus resource for sustainable food systems education, while providing leadership opportunities for students” (TGIF Grant Application).
(Photo by Sydney Johnson)
In addition to the paid internship positions, the grant money will also go towards garden supplies such as seeds, rakes, a wheelbarrow, gloves, plant labels, and PVC pipe for a water catchment system.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in putting the grant application together! The garden now has a promising foundation for growth and education this summer and upcoming school year!
(Post and writing by Sydney Johnson, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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Jammin in the garden! (at Student Organic Garden)
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Garden Soiree with SOGA and the BSFC, this Saturday!
This weekend, a special garden party will bring together the Student Organic Gardening Association and the Berkeley Student Food Collective. With live music, a potluck, harvesting, and speakers, we can celebrate our commitments to urban gardening, sustainable food systems, and food justice.
Speakers and attendees will have a chance to reflect on events and accomplishments at SOGA and the BSFC this year. At SOGA students wrote and received three grants this school year! A new decal, the SOGA Interns and Projects Decal, was also created. Hundreds of students engaged with the garden through our Intro to Organic Gardening and Food Justice Decal, as well as various workshops. The Salve and Kombucha workshops were huge hits this semester. We will also look to future by envisioning new projects in the year to come!
As we prepare for finals and finish up the school year, come take a break from your studying to celebrate our vibrant communities! Be sure to bring musical instruments if you’d like, as well as a dish or snack to share, and eating utensils for yourself.
What: SOGA/BSFC Garden Soiree
Where: The Student Organic Garden, at Walnut and Virginia Streets
When: Saturday May 10th, 5-8pm
(Post and writing by Anika Rice, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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Come Help Haul Mulch Tomorrow Morning!
Are you in need of some hands on work and some time in the sun? Take a break from writing papers, and stop by SOGA between your study sessions to help Kelly move mulch into the garden! We could use any and all hands between 10 and 12 tomorrow, Wednesday May 7th. The new order of mulch will help us cover the the pathways and prevent future weeds. See you tomorrow!
(Photo by Anika Rice)
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SOGA Visits the San Francisco Recology Center
Last weekend, a group of SOGA students, facilitators, and leaders took a tour of the Recology Center in San Francisco. As the city’s trash, recycling and dump facility, it focuses on reducing waste through recycling and reuse. SOGA members visited the trash and recycling facilities, as well as the artist in residency program that the center runs.
Recology hosts several artists each year for residencies where they create studio work using materials and tools that are scavenged from the dump. This includes lumber, paint, household items, metals, recycled bottles, media, electronics, and much more.
The SOGA group also got to visit the center’s small organic garden and larger sculpture garden. The sculpture garden, located on a serene hill above the facilities, is home to the center’s permanent collection of large-scale artwork.
(Post and writing by Anika Rice, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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SOGA Pre-Soriee Preparation Party!
The SOGA/ BFSC Almost Summer Garden Soiree is a week away, so that means the garden is going to need some pampering! We are asking our friends and supporters to come out to the garden this Sunday for open hours from 10-2 to help with some weeding, cleaning, and general preparation for our guests! Any other creative routes, such as decoration planning, sign making, or anything else you have in mind for the soiree will be greatly appreciated.
(Photo by Anika Rice)
What is the Soiree you ask? Next Saturday, May 10, The Student Organic Gardening Association and the Berkeley Student Food Collective are coming together for a night of food and fun! It will be a potluck in celebration of all the hard work that has gone into making this year so fruitful for both organizations. Bring a dish, a friend, and your pre-finals appetite!
(Flyer design by Haley Williams)
Link to the event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1394357957509574/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
Spread the word, we hope to see you this Sunday and next Saturday!
Open Hours
When: THIS SUNDAY
10:00-2:00pm
Where: SOGA Garden (on the corner of Virginia and Walnut)
SOGA/ BSFC Garden Soiree
When: Saturday, May 10
5:00-8:00 PM
Where: SOGA Garden (on the corner of Virginia and Walnut)
(Post and writing by Sydney Johnson, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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I want to attend the poetry workshop, but I don't know where to find you guys!
We are on the corner of Walnut & Virginia St. 2 blocks north of campus!
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SOGA's Wish is Granted!
(Photo by Andie Biggs)
Thanks to the diligent work done by Jorge Vargas and several other SOGA members, SOGA received a $2,000.00 grant from the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS) last week! The grant is valid for one year, and with it, there are plans to buy supplies such shovels, hand clippers, bow rakes, seeds, gardening gloves, plant labels, and even a couple of picnic tables.
Since 2003, CACS has been promoting environmental management and sustainable development at UC Berkeley though campus engagement and dialogue, helping campus organizations integrate environmental sustainability into their existing programs, and working towards developing a sustainable planning culture on and off campus.
In February, the SOGA Grant Committee asked Jorge if he would be interested in writing the CACS grant. “I had some experience writing grants before, so I felt pretty comfortable taking up on this task,” said Jorge. “Since I had never been involved with SOGA before, Ellie showed me a grant the committee wrote last fall, and I used it as a model to write the CACS grant as it helped me to learn more about SOGA's members, structure, and long-term goals.”
But the grant did not come without the help of several other SOGA members. Anika, Ellie, and Marie all contributed to the crucial editing process. Jorge went on to say, “I don't think SOGA would have been a recipient if it hadn't been for their feedback and revisions.”
(Photo by Andie Biggs)
“Fortunately, it doesn't end with just receiving the grant,” Jorge explained. SOGA must now collect attendance rates for DeCals and workshops, take student surveys, and track expenditures to show the CACS committee the great ways in which the grant has been utilized. An update is due to CACS on April 2015, which Jorge has said he will most likely be working on as well.
SOGA only has until next May to use these funds, so now is the time to begin planning projects for the garden! Jorge is currently designing what he calls a "funding request system”, which will serve as a platform similar to a Google Doc where SOGA members can easily request funding for tools and supplies needed for their projects.
Thank you again Jorge, Ellie, Anika and Marie for all of the work put into writing this grant! The garden has many promising seasons ahead because of it!
(Photo by Andie Biggs)
(Post and writing by Sydney Johnson, SOGA Public Relations)
As always, contact us:
On Tumblr at: berksoga.tumblr.com
On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/soga.garden
Our listserve: [email protected]
Email us!: [email protected]
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