Garden Matchmaking

Garden matchmaking is not a dating service for people. Garden matchmaking is a dating service for gardens.

Follow the links below to navigate the Garden Matchmaking project. Many thanks go out to the City of San Luis Obispo Human Relations Committee, San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation, and Miner’s Ace for supporting the project.

What is Garden Matchmaking? –>

Support Garden Matchmaking in Your Neighborhood? –>

Join the Garden Matchmaking Network –>

Look for Gardeners or Land –>

Scheduled Matchmaking Events (click event for details)

2/20/10 – Garden Matchmaking Potluck

3/7/2010 - Garden Installation/Matchmaking Potluck

3/13/2010 – Garden Matchmaking Potluck @ 1255 Orcutt

3/21/2010 - Garden Installation/Matchmaking Potluck @ 1435 Mill

4/11/2010 Garden Installation/Matchmaking Potluck @ Alan’s

4/25/2010 Intensive Garden Demo/Potluck @ Wise Acre Farm

5/9/2010 Bodhi Path Garden Maintenance/Harvest

5/29/2010 Garden Potluck/Work Party @ The Davies’

10/23/2010 Garden Matchmaking Booth at San Luis Obispo Seed Exchange

More Garden Installations and Potlucks Coming soon in September and October…

Garden Matchmaking Registry

Feel free to browse the matchmaking registry below for land, gardeners, or supplies.  Fill out the application if you would like to be added to the list.  Contact us if you would like more information about any particular entry.

Click on a ‘push-pin’ to view information about the entry.

Key: Green - Has Land! Red – Needs Land!

View SLO Garden Matchmaking in a larger map

San Luis Obispo

Has Land! V.M. – We have a nice size side yard that has been without vegetables for two long seasons. We have no time right now and would love for someone to give it some love. The soil is great and we would like to keep it organic. Close to Cal Poly.
Has Land! C.C. – Looking for a cool place to live? Rent a studio w/ access to large gardenable area and established fruit trees–fig, grape, and apricot.
Has Land! D.F. – Has backyard to share with right gardener.
Has Land! C.D. – Narrow strip in back yard, partially gardened, looking for responsible gardener. Share water costs.
Has Land! B. – has rooms to rent in house with plenty of gardenable space. Possibly available to nonrenters as well.
Has Land! R.W. – Backyard with three raised beds and drip irrigation waiting for the right person.  Near Cal Poly on Tassajara Dr.
Has Land! J.B. – Acre of land with good ag. well water available to right person.  Right outside of town.
Has Land! R. – Has land and garden near downtown.  Looking for helpers, willing to trade produce.
Has Land! N.W. – Double lot and the land goes way back. There is also a sizeable storage shed. Near High St. Deli
Needs Land! A.G. – Has small yard, looking for land.
Needs Land! M.J. – Moving to San Luis soon, looking for space to garden.
Needs Land! J.P. – Has porch, looking for yard in downtown area.
Needs Land! J.W. – A win-win situation: Have extra room you’ve thought about renting? I love to garden, pulling weeds is theraputic for me! Seeking simple, quiet, kind home to share expenses,etc. Local woman w/ great references.

Arroyo Grande

Has Land! C.L. – I have a dog camp and live on a 5 acre ranch – do not use about 2 of my acres and have been looking for some kind of trade. Please let me know what I can do to find a match with an gardner interested in a trade.
Has Land! C.B. – has a small 15′ X 5′ patch of soil in the back of a condo in Arroyo Grande which she would love to put to use.
Has Land! P.B. – has 15 mature fruit trees and no time to care for them. Oranges, grapefruit, apples, pear and peach.
Has Land! B.W. – 150′x30′ on land with fruit trees available to a gardener willing to commute ~15 minutes from San Luis.  If gardener is willing to work, B.W. can possibly handle watering.

Nipomo

Has Land! F.I. – I have a garden plot to share, about 3/4 of an acre in Nipomo.

Los Osos

Has Land! J. – Has one acre of land w/ greenhouse.
Has Land! C.C. – Can provide compost, mulch, sandy-soil and possibly fresh eggs for garden helpers.

Avila

Has Land! M.R. – I have a large vegetable garden with irrigation already in place but it is suffering from lack of community interest. I call my property Crows End and offer a place for meditation and meditation retreats.

San Simeon

Needs Land! M.G. – Moving soon to a cozy San Simeon condo.  Gardening ambitions exceed the porch space…looking for land in the area!

Cambria

Has Land! G. – Has many plots available on beautiful acreage.  Also has much knowledge and is willing to help design plots and educate new gardeners.  Check out website for more info: www.wiseacrefarm.net.

Atascadero

Has Land! R.B. – Have 1/3 acre spring fed good soil beautiful setting certified organic farm
Has Land! G.C. – Parents have 4.5 acres possibly available for gardening/farming.
Has Land! S.W. – Our property on Hwy 41 west of Atascadero has 60+ fruit trees, 50+ table grape vines, compost heap space, Atascadero Mutual Water supplied water and room for multiple gardens. We are currently container gardening. Our space in the orchard could be a good fit for gardeners in need of space.

Paso Robles

Has Land! J.M. – The front 1/3 of my property (of 2 acres) was landscaped with native plants. There is plenty of room for a garden. There is already an elaborate irrigation system in place including drip lines and timer. While I am waiting for a match, I would be willing to hire someone to help me maintain what I already have.
Has Land! L.B. – I have approx 1/4 acre area, that currently is natural and could be used for gardening. There is a small trailer which could be used for overnights. Also have other land and am open to gardening, would help with some of the work.

Other Resources

Poultry Information! – Local to Cambria, happy to help with anyone’s chicken (and other poultry) questions. Check web site and blog, http://poultrybookstore.com.

What is Garden Matchmaking?

Weedy backyard, lawn that’s draining you with water bills, the few acres out back that you don’t know what to do with– I’d like to introduce you to my friend–apartment windowsill herb garden, patio overcrowded with container plants threatening to jump out of their pots if you don’t plant them. It’s weed-patch meet pumpkin-patch, its grass meet chard.

Garden matchmaking is not a grassroots movement. Garden matchmaking is a mycelium, roots, tuber and shoots movement for lonely lawns to meet just the right garden.

How garden matchmaking works:

If you have underutilized land (an empty planter, a disused yard, an empty lot) in San Luis Obispo or surrounding cities, or are a gardener in need of extra growing space–fill out our questionnaire.  Our nonprofit facilitates yard sharing between gardeners and landowners providing: letters of understanding, liability insurance, startup help, and connections to information and resources.  The best part is—it’s free!

In addition to tending a database, OneCoolEarth will hold focus potlucks in neighborhoods around San Luis Obispo to bring the local-est of the local in on the movement, advertising the event door to door before hand. If you would like to volunteer to help, conact us.

Garden matchmaking has been tried before here, here, and here. It works!

The goals of garden matchmaking are:

To create a sustainable, community based food system

To alleviate the shortage of community garden spaces

To fully enjoy San Luis Obispo’s blessed growing climate

To unite communities

While there are many commendable and soon to be realized efforts to meet the demand for community garden spaces in San Luis Obispo and neighboring cities, including the Meadow Park Community Gardens, the Calle Joaquin City Farm, and the Paso Robles demonstration garden, garden matchmaking offers an immediate solution to the shortage. It does not attempt to undercut or bypass these efforts, but to complement them, working towards their selfsame goals.

Economic instability, climate change, and peak oil are major challenges that we have to face simultaneously and holistically. Victory gardens helped the US meet similar challenges during WWII, and they can help today, too, cutting food miles, reducing carbon emissions, lowering food costs, and liberating our daily needs from the vagaries of an overly complicated, transportation and processing-dependent, just-in-time food system.

We can eat fresh year round! And growing food grows self grows community.

For more information about garden matchmaking or to get involved in the program, contact us.

– Greg

How to Promote Garden Matchmaking in Your Neighborhood

If you’re interested in doing just a little bit more….Garden Matchmaking Single Page

1. Distribute fliers and posters to apartments, condos, dorms, and homes with visibly disused yards

Either print the this flier yourself (four to a page to save paper, or single page for more posting publicly) or contact us to arrange to pick up deluxe pre-made fliers.  I have been gluing seeds to some of our fliers to raise interest and tap into the natural propensities of humanity…

2. Help create fliers and hand them out at Farmer’s Markets

We will meet at 5pm on Thursdays at 885 Bucheon in San Luis Obispo Garden Matchmaking Single Pageto make posters and fliers, then proceed to distribute them at Farmer’s Market.  Join us, and pick up some free fruit, compliments of Garden Matchmaking.

3. Teach Someone to Garden (or Learn Yourself!)

Whether you are gardening alone, helping a neighbor learn (as this inspiring SLO resident has)–it is an interdependent movement.  Maybe you, your roommate or friend have expressed the wish to garden but haven’t gotten around to it.  Truth be told, anyone can grow at least a few basic plants on even the busiest schedule, and he or she will reap many benefits beyond free food!  Try checking the library for basic gardening books, volunteer at the Cal Poly Organic Farm for a month, or check out any of the following local organizations which exist to inspire and enable gardening dreams come true:

• Edible SLO http://www.ediblecommunities.com/
• Master Gardeners http://groups.ucanr.org/slomg/
• Seed Exchange stteresa@kcbx.net
• Rare Fruit Growers http://www.crfg.org/
• Cal Poly Organic Farm http://www.calpolyorgfarm.com/

4. Eat

Eating is the basis of gardening–even if you think you know nothing about gardening and the only green on your thumb is the blood of plants you’ve killed, you can learn everything you need to know by eating.  Try to find some local produce at the store, talk to a farmer at a local farmer’s market, or better, hold a potluck in your neighborhood to bring out the local talent.  Ask questions–lots of questions–and talk with your mouth full.  Before you know it you may be a gardener.

Garden Matching Questionnaire

Please fill out this basic questionnaire and hit SEND.  A more detailed questionnaire is in the works.