padg
Palo Alto Demonstration Garden
The First Six Months' Report - December, 2003
PADG Home | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
The summer of 2003 was the first growing season in our new demonstration garden, located in the Eleanor Community Garden within Eleanor Pardee Park at the corner of Channing Avenue and Center Drive. On this site we started work on our project's goal of creating two gardens that each emphasize pleasing design and best practices for home gardening.
Our initial focus was on getting the Edible Demonstration Garden started. There we planned to grow edible and decorative plants together in one garden, showcasing new and unusual varieties of flowers, vegetables and fruits. Our Water-Wise Nature Garden of drought tolerant ornamental plants that attract birds and beneficial insects would be started in the fall.
Dormant Pruning of Ornamentals and Fruit Trees
Join experienced Master Gardeners who will show you the best techniques for dormant pruning.
Decorative Arrangements from the Late Fall Garden
Palo Alto Demonstration Garden (at Eleanor Pardee Community Garden), 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto, 94301
Learn how to make unusual and attractive arrangements using plant materials from the fall garden. Ikebana and other techniques will be demonstrated.
Followed by Open Garden until 1 p.m.
Fall Garden Maintenance Tasks
Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto, 94301
Sat, Oct 4
Walk and talk with Master Gardeners as they cut back, clean up and divide ornamental plants for the winter.
Followed by Open Garden until 1 p.m.
Saving Seeds From Your Garden
Join other gardeners in learning how to save seeds from your favorite summer vegetables and flowers. Followed by Open Garden until 1 p.m.
Cool Season Gardening Tips
Discover how easy it is to grow plants during our mild California fall and winter. Master Gardeners will discuss how to seed directly into the ground now, for harvesting from Oct-Feb! Also: how to seed into pots now, to transplant in Sept-Oct, for fall/winter harvest. *You can also buy plants in nurseries in September to transplant then.) Workshop will include information on harvesting tips, how much to plant, and succession planting. The workshop also includes hands-on demos of direct seeding and transplanting. After the class, everyone's welcome to join us in the garden, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Palo Alto Demonstration Garden
Second Year, 2004
PADG Home | First Year, 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
The second year of the PADG project has been a productive and rewarding one. To fulfill the goal of demonstrating attractive edible landscaping, the Edible Garden was divided into three international-themed beds; Asian, Latin American, and Mediterranean. A fourth bed was dedicated to testing various varieties of lima beans. The four beds were planted with appropriate vegetables and enhanced with ornamental flowers. Decorative structures to support climbing plants were constructed in each bed.
Fruit trees were added in a high-density orchard area, an espaliered fruit tree row, and along the fence line. A raised blueberry bed was also made. We were able to obtain donations of fruit trees and several varieties of blueberry plants.
Additional perennials were added to the Water-wise Garden, and the beds were "adopted" by team members to assure their weekly hand watering. The Santa Clara Water District has donated funds for an irrigation system, that will be installed in 2005.
Palo Alto Demo Garden
Project summaries: First Year, 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
Workshop Handouts: Irrigation Talk
Look at the Waterwise plant dictionary for specific plants from our garden: Water Wise Ornamental Plants
(Map pdf) -
The Palo Alto Demonstration Garden (PADG) is located at Eleanor Pardee Community Gardens, on Center Road near Martin Street in Palo Alto.
Starting in the spring of 2003, Master Gardeners began work on this former streets' department storage yard and turned it into a north Santa Clara county showplace for best and sustainable gardening practices.
The garden, a total of about 7300 sq ft, has two distinct areas - the 'edible' garden and waterwise garden.
