Bay Meadows

At Bay Meadows we enjoy Peninsula sunshine, miles of biking trails, a walkable campus with nearby public transit, networks of parks, community gardens, and wide-open spaces. But most of all, we enjoy the extra time we get to spend with our families, new friends and neighbors. One favorite past-time is spending time at Persimmon Park community gardens. “Growing Your Own” is a great way to honor the earth so we caught up with a resident gardener to share a few more sustainable and green ways to celebrate Mother Earth.

What is one recipe our community gardeners at Bay Meadows MUST try from HARVEST?

The lemongrass salt scrub! Gardeners’ hands can be in rough shape from working in the soil, but this simple scrub does wonders for our skin and cures those nagging aches and pains. Plant lemongrass in your community garden bed and use a stalk or two to take advantage of the antibacterial and therapeutic properties of lemongrass. You can also check out the recipe on Sunset magazine’s website!

What do you make a habit of doing each year to honor earth?

Working outside and in the garden almost every day of the year, like any job, can be busy and stressful. Earth Day is a wonderful reminder for us to take a step back, a deep breath, and to remember how lucky we are to be doing this kind of work.

Share 3 easy tips to “go green” and get eco-friendly in the garden:

1. Many of our favorite summer vegetables (including tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans) tend to sprawl and need a trellis for support. Although there are many cheaper trellises on the market, they don’t last more than a season. We always recommend that if you can, spend a little extra on a sturdier trellis that will last for years to come.

2. Don’t let your harvest go to waste! Share your bounty with friends, neighbors, and co-workers – they’ll love you for it.

3. As always, stay away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. There’s no need to use Miracle-Gro or Roundup when there are many safer organic alternatives out there.

Name your favorite Bay Area volunteer organizations that garden loving people may want to join:

With green spaces dwindling in San Francisco, Garden for the Environment is a standout. It’s an excellent educational and gardening space in the city that’s always looking for volunteers.

More Ways to Make a Difference from the Earth Day Network:

4. Adjust your water heater. Make sure it is not set too hot for human use.
5. Reduce the amount of disposable plastic and paper that you use.
6. Unplug unused appliances that consume energy even when they are turned off.
7. Don’t throw away e-waste, such as computers, TVs and other electronics. Recycle it.

For more ways to make a difference, read A Billion Acts of Green, created by the Earth Day Network.

An ideally located community, Bay Meadows is only 10 minutes from Palo Alto, 20 minutes from San Francisco, and has 3 airports (SFO, OAK, SJC) within 30 miles. Bay Meadows is also located on Caltrain, which makes travel and commutes that much easier. Talk about convenient! Bay Meadows is the centralized place to reduce commutes, meet friends and play. Looking for ideas of where to ride? Check out our bike map here.