Garden & Nursery News
SoCo Seed Swap March 3rd, 2-5pm
Join us at the Sonoma County Seed Swap! For the first time since the beginning of Covid, the Sonoma County Seed Swap will happen on March 3rd, 2024 from 2PM-5PM at the … Read more
20% off at the Nursery Nov 5-6, 12-13
20% off everything! We’re staying open two more weekends: November 5&6, 12&13 10am – 5pm 15290 Coleman Valley Rd (upper driveway), Occidental CA Don’t miss your last chance to bring … Read more
Compost Revolution in the Mother Garden
As the number of guests in our retreat program has increased in recent years, so has the volume of food scraps that our kitchen produces. For decades, our chickens, goats, … Read more
How is OAEC dealing with the drought?
The old saying “Don’t miss the water ‘till the well runs dry” couldn’t be more apt in this year’s unprecedented drought. Wells and reservoirs are drying up around the county, … Read more
Kent Whealy Memorial Seed Collection
Pictured above: Doug Gosling, Mother Garden Biodiversity Program Director, in the OAEC seed vault with the new Kent Whealy dedication plaque. It is our great pleasure to announce the dedication … Read more
Take a virtual or in-person garden tour!
After a long Covid hiatus, on-site tours of the gardens led by real live humans will resume this April! Join us 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 1pm, starting at the … Read more
Fall Nursery Sale: Nov 7-8 & 14-15
Fall Nursery Sale November 7-8 & 14-15 Everything 20% Off! Wow, what a season! From Covid to wildfires, the Mother Garden Nursery has hit more than a few bumps along … Read more
Winter Veggie Starts Available
Winter Gardening Starts Now! This week, the Mother Garden Nursery will begin offering your favorite winter vegetable varieties including chicories, lettuces, brassicas, and herbs, in addition to our fabulous perennials. … Read more
Nursery to Reopen 6/13
The Mother Garden Nursery will re-open for physically distanced shopping June 13 & 14 returning to our normal weekend business hours for the season Sat & Sun 10am – 5pm … Read more
Nursery Open for Take Out!
YES, we are selling plants – take out style! The Mother Garden Nursery is open for pick up of online pre-orders. Now more than ever, spending time in the … Read more
Sonoma County Seed Swap – Feb 23rd
Did you know that OAEC hosts three of the biggest seed exchanges in California every year? Learn more about our seed saving program here.
End of Season Plant Sale – Nov 9-10 & 16-17
Our non-profit nursery is far more than a business – it is a mission-driven project promoting biodiversity as nature’s failsafe strategy for resilience both in our gardens and in the greater world. As … Read more
Winter gardening starts NOW
As the days are becoming noticeably shorter, the afternoon shadows have become longer and deeper and the quality of light has changed to that gentle golden autumn glow. We … Read more
Happy Mother’s Day from the Mother Garden!
Sometime in the late ’80s, the gardeners here affectionately started referring to the “Mother Garden” because of her abundant fertility and the fact that she was providing a wealth of … Read more
Nursery Season Opens April 6th!
Happy Spring! We are so thankful for the generous rains that have invigorated our gardens and promise an explosive Spring of extravagant growth and abundance! Our nursery tables are packed … Read more
Congratulations Doug for 30 years at the Food Bank Garden!
For over 2 decades, OAEC has had a deep collaboration with Food For Thought (FFT), a food bank in Forestville that serves over 700 clients living with HIV/AIDS and other … Read more
Seed Swap – February 12th @ Sebastopol Grange
Join OAEC, Community Seed Exchange, Daily Acts and the California Rare Fruit Growers at the Mother Garden Biodiversity Program’s FAVORITE event of the year! We love sharing seeds, scions and … Read more
OAEC at Bioneers
Join us at the Bioneers Conference – Oct 19th – 20th At the upcoming Bioneers Conference, OAEC’s Program Manager Cooper Freeman will discuss the evolutionary wheat breeding project he is leading … Read more
Nursery – only a few weeks left in the season!
Above: Of the two species of Patchouli grown for it’s essential oils, Java Patchouli is more common to find in cultivation and can be grown as a beautiful container plant, as … Read more
OAEC Nursery joins Fibershed
The OAEC Nursery is a new member of Fibershed, a consortium of growers, ranchers, artisans, and retailers working to create a culturally, socially, economically and ecologically viable local textile industry. … Read more
Summer crops are here!
Well, the weather has changed from deep winter to summer in just a day, like a light switch turning from off to on, as it always seems to do every … Read more
Nursery Now Open! Fri-Sat-Sun, 10-5
As you may have heard, the Climate is Changing and so is the OAEC Nursery! > In the interest of long term sustainability of our business, we are moving away … Read more
Friends of the Nursery Preview Sale – April 1st
Friends of the Nursery Preview Sale April 1st 10am-5pm As you may have heard, the Climate is Changing and so is the OAEC Nursery! > In the interest of long term sustainability … Read more
The climate is changing and so is the OAEC Nursery
The OAEC non-profit nursery is the outward face of our 45-year-old esteemed Mother Garden and represents an outreach into the community from the experience, work and wisdom we’ve gained by … Read more
Seed Swap, Feb 13th at Sebastopol Grange
Join us for our FAVORITE seed swap (and we go to a lot of seed swaps!) on Tuesday February 13th, 2018 at the Sebastopol Grange 6000 highway 12, Sebastopol CA … Read more
CCOF cost share program
This year the OAEC nursery and gardens were able to waive 75% of our organic certification fees through the Federal Organic Cost Share program. Why is Cost Share Important? Historically, farm bill … Read more
Wheat Breeding Experiment for Climate Adaptation
What will the climate be like 20 years from now? How can we breed food crops that will thrive and adapt to change? With an increasingly unstable climate … Read more