The Great Escape: Gardening

Gardening can be a great hobby but also a great escape. It’s time to yourself, to feel the dirt between your fingers, to get creative in laying out your personal space. It's choosing what to plant, to work in silence—or maybe with some tunes to get you going—and to revel in something that’s just for you.

There’s no one telling you what to do. You’re the boss when you’re in your garden.

in Palo Alto is the perfect gardening haven, whether you are an expert who has been at it for years or have just decided it’s time to get started on this new “great escape.”

As far as supplies go, Common Ground has everything you could possibly want—seeds and plant-starts in hundreds of varieties; a broad selection of organic composts, fertilizers and mulches; tools; natural disease and pest control products; books, magazines, cards and gifts; and ways to get involved in the local gardening community, including volunteer opportunities at Common Ground.

The staff of friendly, expert gardeners also has hands-on classes and events nearly every weekend of the year in the famed Demonstration Garden. This Saturday, you can get the low-down on “Growing Great Tomatoes.” On April 9, the class “Food for the Future, Now” will teach you all about transforming your garden into a place of nourishment by growing food that will sustain both you and your soil. On April 16, in celebration of Earth Day, the staff at Common Ground will teach you about “Growing an Earth Day Garden” full of delicious, organic veggies.

These are just a smattering of the classes Common Ground offers.

So if gardening sounds like the “great escape” you’ve been searching for, head over to Common Ground at 559 College Ave. to get going on that escape, today!

You can also visit Common Ground online at commongroundinpaloalto.org or call 650-493-6072.