Free Summer Garden Party

Summer is in full swing which means it's the perfect opportunity to get outside and visit the Noe Valley Library's new garden. Bonus: If you go this Saturday from 2-3pm, you can enjoy a cool drink while listening to a guitarist from the SF Conservatory of Music. The event is free and open to everyone.

What: Garden Party
When: Saturday, July 13 – 2-3pm
Where: San Francisco Public Library, Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Branch at 451 Jersey St.

[Photo compliments of Sally Brunn] 

NVV March 2013: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until the middle of the month.

March 2013

Front Page: A 3-page profile of the wacky and colorful Sheila Ash, owner of Noe's Nest (a B&B at 1257 Guerrero); Bliss Bar plans to rebuild - but it may take awhile; Word Week starts on March 16; the community garden behind Sally Brunn Library is full of shoots, plants and leaves.

Letters: The Noe Valley Democratic Club asks dems of all stripes to join the dialogue; a supporter of the Noe Valley Town Square urges Noe Valleyans not to sound so entitled by claiming we're under-served as a community; another neighbor urges Scott Weiner not to force seismic upgrades for homeowners and renters - and Scott Wiener replies.

Farewell: "The highest ranking woman in the history of Judo" and Noe Valley dojo owner Keiko Fukuda died last month.  

Cost of Living in Noe: A 1904 Victorian on 22nd St. at Sanchez that sold for $2.89 million in 14 days was one of only 5 single-family homes to close in January. No condos sold (a first in many years).

Store Trek: Caskhouse (caskhousesf.com), Spark Creativity (sparkcreativitysf.com).

Rumors: Scott Weiner celebrates the team championing the Noe Valley Town Square (pledges are nearing $500,000); @CookieTimeTruck is no longer in the Ministry parking lot; Ed Lee pays a visit to the parklet in front of Just for Fun to congratulate our community benefit district; Mark Zuckerberg owns a home close by and has been spotted on 24th St (and at the Saturday Farmer's Market); Elisa's Health Spa is for sale; the 6th annual Easter egg hunt has been cancelled; Umpqua Bank has nearly $10k in grants available; Opes Advisers is expanding into the former Children's Playhouse; and winners of the Tech Search Party announced.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week In Noe Valley: Bike Thefts Down, Urban Gardening Up, Occupy Noe Doubles Down

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• All those bicycles thefts from garages? "Drastically" decline since arrest of teenager [SFGate]
• Urban farming in SF just got a lot easier - forget the wait list for existing community gardens [Grist]
• An end to that (apparently wild) rumor that West Portal could be the next Noe Valley [Curbed]
• Noe Valley Town Square now on Facebook [Facebook]
• Occupy Noe Valley doubles down to save mortgages that should have been paid off 10 years ago or more [The Snitch; also: SFGate]
  

[Photo: Pedestrian hit at 24th Castro, @shaketini, also: NVSF]

Construction and Community Garden at NV Branch Library

We received an email from Michelle Jeffers, the PR officer for the SF Public Library that DPW is going to be doing some construction work on the rear retaining wall behind Noe Valley Branch Library.

A flyer is being distributed to neighbors [PDF] - this bit caught our eye:

"This project will improve the safety of the Library’s rear retaining wall. Once construction is completed, the community garden project at the Noe Valley Branch Library will resume."

According to Michelle, there was some clean up work behind the library about two or three years ago with local neighbors and a Boy Scout troop. Then because of the retaining wall work, it was put on hold. The idea is that a community garden project can get back on track once the retaining wall is repaired.

Stay tuned for more details on the community garden.

This Week In Noe Valley

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Noe Valley Rec Center May newsletter is up - and solves the mystery of the bald Eucalyptus trees [NVRC]
• Garden Space in Noe  looking for a partner [Craigslist]
• Bay Guardian discovers (and raves about) Saru, Noe's first "destination" sushi bar [SFBG]
• SF Climates app gives you one more gloating tool with your friends in the Sunset [TechCrunch]
• If you own a house in Noe your relatives may have something to say about this piece [WSJ, Article]
• Some people make it too easy on the SFPD [SFE, and the official report here]

[Photo: SF Bay Guardian]

More Signs Of Spring: Baby Spiders

They're baaaack! Fall brings monsters, but monsters start small. They're Golden Orb Weavers, they've hatched and they love to cuddle. The toughest will survive until fall when they will capture small birds and large insects. Fortunately, they are solitary creatures. As cuddly as they appear above, check out what happens when disturbed. Together in peace, separate in war.

[NVSF: Fall in Noe Valley: Spiders!]

Noe Valley Garden Tour 2012: Tickets Sales Start Saturday

Nine gardens, six hours, one shuttle bus. Tickets will be available at the Farmers Market and at (unnamed) merchants for the 2012 Noe Valley Garden Tour starting this Saturday. Online tickets are available now. (That list of addresses? We're told it's inaccurate and shouldn't be published.)

Here's the tease:

The gardens range across Noe Valley, from 23rd Street to 30th, Hoffman to Dolores. Six are owner designed and maintained and three are professional gardens by Janet Moyer Landscaping, Michele Schaal and Shape of the Earth. Most are well established but one is brand new, showing you how to be realistic about where your new garden will start as well as what it can become.

As in past years, profits go to beautifying Noe Valley. This year funds will be directed to improving the garden at Alvarado School and trimming the trees at Upper Douglass Dog Park. Past Garden Tour fundraising brought street trees and flower baskets to 24th St.

Pro tip: can't afford the $18 entry fee? Sign up to volunteer--a 2.5 hour shift gets you one free ticket.

Update (4/28): We were told that the list of addresses available on the Constant Contact order page was inaccurate and shouldn't be posted online. That list has now been updated, and since it's public we've put together this map to help you plan your tour.

What: Noe Valley Garden Tour
When: May 19, 10AM-4PM 
Where: Buy tickets for official map
Cost: $18, $14 for seniors over 65

[FONV: 2012 Garden Tour]
[Photo: Flora Grubb]

Found: Beehive

A reader alerted us to a box full of bees on top of a ladder that may or may not be protecting the neighboring tree from dogs:

Someone has placed a box of bees (yes bees) on the corner of 29th and Dolores. It seems to be acting as a makeshift hive, which I assume is its purpose. Is it some kind of beekeeper's experiment or test? Is this sponsored by some city organization? Are we now a sanctuary city for bees?

Is your apiary missing its queen bee? Could be living in a cardboard box on Dolores...

Plant*SF Wants to Green Your Sidewalk in Noe Valley

The parklet idea is spreading to a sidewalk near you. Jersey Street resident Tamar writes to tell us about a Plant*SF grant in Noe:

Plant*SF was awarded a Community Challenge Grant from the City to install demonstration sidewalk gardens in Noe Valley by May 31st. These gardens will transform concrete into beautiful landscapes that will highlight a variety of edging options and different planting choices.

The minimum requirements are that you have sidewalk in front of your property that can be removed to make way for a garden. Drought tolerant plants are usually selected for these gardens so that very little (if any) watering is required once plants are established, which makes maintenance very easy.

Costs? In some cases, the garden might be fully paid for with the grant, but in other cases, the grant would pay for half the costs, asking property owners to match with at least 50%. It usually costs about $1000 to put in a sidewalk garden (includes getting permit, removing concrete, bringing in dirt, plants, river rock mulch, edging treatments, and then doing the planting itself). Property owners will ultimately be responsible for the gardens.

Wondering how they look? Tamar also reports:

I worked with Plant*SF when I had a place on Harrison Street and I can't tell you what a HUGE difference those gardens made on our street. They are just lovely, and I'm certain that once these gardens start popping up, it will set a great example for other residents to follow. These sidewalk gardens serve an important function in collecting rainwater that might otherwise go into storm drains and overflow our system during heavy rains. By absorbing the water into the ground, these gardens help recharge our groundwater supply as well.

If you're interested in learning more and submitting your property as a potential site for one of these sidewalk garden grants, email: Tamar Hurwitz.

Update: A PDF of the application is available here.

[Plant*SF]
[NVSF: Green Your Sidewalk]

NVV: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered at NVSF.

September 2009

Front page: Whole Foods opening; Blue Church on outer Church inches closer to demolition (and condos); Senior lunch program extended at NV Ministry; local artist maps her NV memories; librarian Carol Small retires.

Letters: A plea to allow parking in driveways as long as a potted plant is in the car; an open letter to the annoying woman who leans on her horn whenever drivers stop for pedestrians; an appeal to neighbors to shop at local stores once Whole Foods opens to avoid transforming Noe Valley "into a cookie-cutter, third-rate Union Street"; and a reminder that Valencia St stores are open for business during the Streetscape Improvement Project.

Op-Ed: Farewell to Noe Valley Pizza founder Tony Vozaites. Following the La Boulange buyout, Tony and his wife are going on an extended vacation back to their native Greece.

Obits: Remembering longtime Noe Valley resident Mary K. "Micki" Ryan and musician Bruce Sherman.

Cost of Living in Noe: 37 single-family homes sold in June and July – the 2nd highest tally in 10 years according to Zephyr Real Estate. Rent: Still expensive.

Short Takes: The Noe Valley Association is holding a survey to see what businesses residents want to see on 24th St. Take the survey online Sept 7-21 or email suggestions to Debra Niemann at debra@noevalleyassociation.org. (Ed--The survey was not online yet as of this posting but here's your chance to veto any future title companies, banks, nail salons, psychics or pawn shops.)

Store Trek: Bistro 24, Successories in the Button Box.

Traveling Voice: Spotted in Turkey, North Carolina and Edinburgh, Scotland.

Rumors: Camel's milk chocolate at Chocolate Covered; Circle Bank fills the Aveda spot; Green 11 comes to former Ritz space; Deep restaurant opens in place of Deep Sushi; Noeteca soft opening Sept. 9; Noe Tuttimelon finally gets froyo; Accent on Flowers at 24th and Castro is bought by Flowers of the Valley across the street and will soon carry gardening supplies like soil and tools; a plant nursery and garden store called Independent Nature will open behind When Modern Was on Church St on Sept. 21; Glow Day Spa and a psychic are now open on 24th Street; the old Streetlight building and the vacated Phoenix Books building are both for sale ($2.2 million for Streetlight, the other undisclosed).

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Rumored: A Gardening Store

"We just learned today that a new gardening store, with exotic plants as well as gardening classes and more will be opened soon on the patio behind When Modern Was." We'll believe it when we see it, but we're feeling optimistic. We were excited at the prospect of Urban Nest when it opened (promised: "garden accessories"), but they have nothing practical. It would be nice to pick up dirt, seedlings, and a pitchfork within walking distance. Look for it it out in the yard behind When Modern Was on Church St.

[NFR: Scoop: New Gardening Store Coming to Noe!]

Introducing: Noe Valley Exchange

From Felicia:

I am a Noe Valley resident with a great vege garden in the back yard. I'd like to find other local gardeners out there who'd be willing to exchange produce/fruits grown in their backyard. For example, I've got a lot of zucchini about to come in, and I'd really like peppers or lemons in exchange. I figure there has to be others in the neighborhood who would have what I'm looking for and would be willing to do a neighborhood garden exchange.

It's a great idea, and we've been contemplating how to do this since reading a New York Times article last month on the same topic. Today we set up a Google Group called Noe Valley Exchange for trading home-grown fruit, vegetables, and other backyard farmer products. No money to change hands, and you know where your food comes from.

Please check it out, sign up and let us know what you think. Also let us know if we should add categories for goods and services.

[NYT: Neighbor, Can You Spare a Plum?]
[Photo: Vegetable Exchange]