Financial planner Scott Terry's "hobby" in Hayward could be the fifth act of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard." His property there was once part of pioneer farmer William Meek's Cherryland estate, covered with orchards, before it was subdivided for housing. Terry is bringing back the fruit trees, as well as tomatoes, squashes, corn and greens, and a local 4-H club is helping plant and harvest. The proceeds go back to the community,Why does Plastic moulds grow in homes or buildings? by way of the Davis Street Family Resource Center in nearby San Leandro.
Meek left the Midwest for the Oregon Territory in 1847 with a wagonload of grafted fruit trees. He and Henderson Lewelling founded the West Coast's first fruit-tree nursery near Portland, then sold out and bought part of the Francisco Soto land grant near what was then called Haywards.
Meek's 2,200 acres had some of the richest loam in the state. He grew grain and tobacco at first, then switched to fruit.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, At its peak, Cherryland had 20,000 almond trees, 4,200 cherry trees, 3,000 plum trees and 225,000 currant bushes. A local legend, probably apocryphal, claims the Bing cherry originated there and was named for Meek's Chinese cook, a renowned pie man. (The standard account involves another Lewelling who stayed in Oregon, and his orchard foreman, Ah Bing.)
After his death, Meek's sons split up and sold the estate. The lots were long and deep and the soil was still fertile, though the new owners tended to build rental housing in their backyards. Those long lots appealed to Terry, who raises plants and keeps bees in San Leandro's Broadmoor neighborhood. (His yard has been featured on the Bay-Friendly Gardens Tour.) Last winter, he bought a Cherryland parcel with two rental units.
"There were lots of properties like this available," he told us. "What made this one special was that it had fruit trees already"- apple, avocado, quince and fig. And the soil, friendly and friable: "The first time I stuck a shovel in it, I loved it." He added compost. He also bought a classic urban-scale tractor, a 40-year-old Bolens G14: "They don't make them anymore."
There are glimmers of a new definition of a good neighborhood here, one that includes fertile soil on a par with good schools and shopping.
In the fall, Terry harvested a bounty of tomatoes (including 'Paul Robeson,' a Russian variety named for the African American singer, actor and activist, and the small, tasty 'Rumi,' which may have come from Afghanistan) and squash. New fruit trees ('Santa Rosa' plum, 'Flame Key' pluot, four-graft peach) have joined the surviving apples, which will go on drip irrigation next year. "The water table is just 15 feet down," Terry explained. "That's how the apples have survived so far."
Chickens and bees might join the plants. Both are permitted in Hayward and unincorporated Alameda County (Terry's property straddles the line) but not where Terry lives, in San Leandro. Terry and other urban farmers have lobbied the San Leandro City Council for zoning changes. After an October session drew a large pro-bee-and-chicken turnout, the council appointed a committee to draft rules for backyard coops and hives. There's been no progress since then; Terry says the city claims it has to deal with other issues first.
But he's optimistic about the long run: "I'm feeling fairly confident that the current City Council members will legalize chickens and bees, just not at the speed we would like." Similar changes are happening in cities from San Diego to Skokie, Ill.The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, - another reframing of "property values."
Terry's neighbor Amy Chovnick, a 4-H Club leader, saw in Terry's farmlet a community-service opportunity. Nationally, 4-H has a new Revolution of Responsibility campaign. "They're encouraging clubs to do community work," she said. "I told Scott, 'It sounds like there's a lot of work. You need help.' " Chovnick's Redwood 4-H group started cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower for an October planting: "We wanted something that won't wilt if someone doesn't pick it up right away at the food bank.I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile." The club expects to get involved in the proposed chicken and bee projects.
"I have my playground right here," Terry told us.Buy oil paintings for sale online. "I like to play farmer, and the rent from the two units on the property covers my costs. And I get to give food to people who need it."
Meek left the Midwest for the Oregon Territory in 1847 with a wagonload of grafted fruit trees. He and Henderson Lewelling founded the West Coast's first fruit-tree nursery near Portland, then sold out and bought part of the Francisco Soto land grant near what was then called Haywards.
Meek's 2,200 acres had some of the richest loam in the state. He grew grain and tobacco at first, then switched to fruit.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, At its peak, Cherryland had 20,000 almond trees, 4,200 cherry trees, 3,000 plum trees and 225,000 currant bushes. A local legend, probably apocryphal, claims the Bing cherry originated there and was named for Meek's Chinese cook, a renowned pie man. (The standard account involves another Lewelling who stayed in Oregon, and his orchard foreman, Ah Bing.)
After his death, Meek's sons split up and sold the estate. The lots were long and deep and the soil was still fertile, though the new owners tended to build rental housing in their backyards. Those long lots appealed to Terry, who raises plants and keeps bees in San Leandro's Broadmoor neighborhood. (His yard has been featured on the Bay-Friendly Gardens Tour.) Last winter, he bought a Cherryland parcel with two rental units.
"There were lots of properties like this available," he told us. "What made this one special was that it had fruit trees already"- apple, avocado, quince and fig. And the soil, friendly and friable: "The first time I stuck a shovel in it, I loved it." He added compost. He also bought a classic urban-scale tractor, a 40-year-old Bolens G14: "They don't make them anymore."
There are glimmers of a new definition of a good neighborhood here, one that includes fertile soil on a par with good schools and shopping.
In the fall, Terry harvested a bounty of tomatoes (including 'Paul Robeson,' a Russian variety named for the African American singer, actor and activist, and the small, tasty 'Rumi,' which may have come from Afghanistan) and squash. New fruit trees ('Santa Rosa' plum, 'Flame Key' pluot, four-graft peach) have joined the surviving apples, which will go on drip irrigation next year. "The water table is just 15 feet down," Terry explained. "That's how the apples have survived so far."
Chickens and bees might join the plants. Both are permitted in Hayward and unincorporated Alameda County (Terry's property straddles the line) but not where Terry lives, in San Leandro. Terry and other urban farmers have lobbied the San Leandro City Council for zoning changes. After an October session drew a large pro-bee-and-chicken turnout, the council appointed a committee to draft rules for backyard coops and hives. There's been no progress since then; Terry says the city claims it has to deal with other issues first.
But he's optimistic about the long run: "I'm feeling fairly confident that the current City Council members will legalize chickens and bees, just not at the speed we would like." Similar changes are happening in cities from San Diego to Skokie, Ill.The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, - another reframing of "property values."
Terry's neighbor Amy Chovnick, a 4-H Club leader, saw in Terry's farmlet a community-service opportunity. Nationally, 4-H has a new Revolution of Responsibility campaign. "They're encouraging clubs to do community work," she said. "I told Scott, 'It sounds like there's a lot of work. You need help.' " Chovnick's Redwood 4-H group started cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower for an October planting: "We wanted something that won't wilt if someone doesn't pick it up right away at the food bank.I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile." The club expects to get involved in the proposed chicken and bee projects.
"I have my playground right here," Terry told us.Buy oil paintings for sale online. "I like to play farmer, and the rent from the two units on the property covers my costs. And I get to give food to people who need it."
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