A group of neighbors calling themselves the Ashland Cherryland Garden and Arts Network got together on Saturday to host an orientation for the Gardeners of Eden, a project teaching people in the community how to design and grow edible gardens.

“We’ve grown a lot of fruit, but if anything we’ve grown even more friendships,” said Susan Beck, chair of the ACGAN.

The 20 people who attended the orientation came from across the Alameda County community, each toting different garden goals.

Rosy Torres is an AmeriCorps Community Health Advocate for Strobridge Elementary in Castro Valley. She said that one of the biggest concerns among parents is the unhealthy breakfast options being offered in the school’s cafeteria.

“I’m here trying to bring info to [parents] on what they can do in their own homes in the meantime,” Torres said.

Angelique Randolph likes garden-grown produce because of her daughter’s eagerness to eat what she pulls out of the ground or off a tree.

She said she was increasingly discouraged by the litnay of preservatives being added to foods she assumed were “healthy.”

“I’m finding that I’m eating a lot of what I don’t want,” Randolph said.

For the gardeners, the overall goal is to make fresh, healthy and affordable food available to all in the area.

“I want to plant fruits, trees, plants,  not for me but for my baby,” said Hayward resident Alma Flores, who has a 3-year-old son and another child on the way.

Bilingual attendees broke down the language barrier for fellow gardeners. For Spanish speakers like Maria Haro, this allows them to be fully involved, asking questions to help them master gardening concepts.

“I always wanted to have a community where you see a lot of green,” said Haro, who is part of the Ashland Cherryland grocery project.

The group shared and discussed ideas for eventually opening a cooperative grocery store in the neighborhood, where locals could provide fruits, vegetables, and other comestibles.

They talked about how to spread the word about the store, what kinds of items they would grow and sell, and how to educate youth about the benefits of fresh, local produce. 

The group also discussed possible garden locations in high-density residential areas where public transportation would be available.

An already aquired plot at the intersection of Mission and Mattox in Cherryland seems to be ideal, according to Dana Harvey, executive director of Mandela MarketPlace, a co-op grocery store in Oakland, who is helping to plan an outlet in the neighborhood.

After an hour of discussion, the class moved outdoors, where the group transported compost to plant beds and learned how to prune fruit trees. They worked in two of the nearby ACGAN gardens on Laurel Avenue. One belongs to Beck, the ACGAN chair. The other is in an apartment area where a murder occurred. The group is trying to take a “negative” area and turn it into a positive.

One of the apartment tenants, Gloria Reyes, attended the orientation. She has been tending the garden since she  moved in six months ago. So far, she has harvested a cornucopia of produce: carrots, cilantro, lettuce, chard, radishes, cabbage, fava beans, broccoli, kale and peas.

“Everything was so fresh!” Reyes said.

The classes are free and available twice a week. On Wednesdays, attendees meet at the Eden House Apartments Community Room, 1601 165th Ave., San Leandro and on Saturdays at the Hayward Adult School, 22100 Princeton St., Hayward. 

Sessions consist of eight three-hour classes, five in a classroom setting and three "hands-on" in the gardens.

“I’m just thrilled and excited about the momentum building for the gardens,” Beck said.

For more information, e-mail Beck at soozebeck@gmail.com.