Vallejo People's Garden 

Beautiful irises in bloom. Did you know that Iris is a genus of 260 -300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a r a i n b o w , referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. In April, we'll be helping kids from the Mare Island Health and Fitness Academy make coleslaw using cabbage and carrots from our garden. Here's the coleslaw recipe we'll be using: 6 cups shredded cabbage 1 cup shredded carrot 2/3 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar , or to taste 1/2 teaspoon celery salt 1/4 teaspoon salt , or to taste Toss cabbage in a large bowl with the carrots. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate until serving time. Serves 6. Can you identify the plants in the pictures above? Pictures, courtesy of Tom Liggett.

Something we decided to do at the VPG is for each board member to take turns hosting a volunteer event. Yesterday was Carrie's first day hosting and there were several volunteers who came out to lend a helping hand at the garden. Here's Jim and Barbara prepping the garden beds for future tomato plants. New volunteers Sada and her two sons, Isaac and Alonso by the freesia plant they donated to the VPG. F reesia flowers are very fragrant, typically white or yellow, and are borne in spikelike racemes . March Task List for Vallejo Gardeners in Your Own Backyards ( USDA Hardiness Zone 9) Feed roses with an organic blend of cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, and composted manure. Plant cool-loving vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, spinach, radishes, Asian greens, lettuce, and parsley. If you're going to plant peas, you probably should have done it by now. Harden-off tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants by moving them outside, beneath a plastic cover or inside a

We've had a lot of activity at the garden recently. Kids from Mare Island K-8 Health and Fitness Academy have come by the garden, chaperoned by students from Touro University's TUne-Up program, to plant vegetable seeds, harvest and taste the many vegetables growing at the garden. If you're wondering what seeds to start now, here are some suggestions: green beans, carrots, radishes, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, nasturtiums, sunflowers...just to name a few. For starts, you can plant onions, potatoes, and herbs. Give your garden beds a boost by adding compost, aged horse manure or any other organic matter in preparation for new plants. Here's Gabriel watching his mom Sandra add aged horse manure to one of the beds. Edward harvesting collard greens to take back to residents of the Bay View Vista Apartments. Last week, Greg, Jessy and John planted several heirloom apple trees, including one called White Pearmain that dates back to 1200AD. White Pearmain is the oldest known