The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is pleased to announce that the 2009 San Francisco Garden Calendar will be available in mid-December. This free annual publication is produced by the SFPUC Water Pollution Prevention Program to promote less toxic gardening techniques that produce healthy gardens while limiting pollutants entering the sewer system and the surrounding ocean and Bay waters.

The 2009 calendar includes beautiful images from local community gardens, San Francisco parks and SFPUC watershed lands in the East Bay, on the Peninsula and in the Sierras. The San Francisco Garden Calendar is free to San Francisco residents and can be

• ordered via the internet OR
• picked up at your local San Francisco public library branch OR
• at these other locations

The 2009 Gardening Calendar will not be available until December 2008. If you request a calendar mailed to you, please keep in mind that they will not be mailed until December 2008. If you plan to pick-up a calendar at one of the designated pick-up locations, please keep in mind that the calendars will not be available at those locations until December 2008. Thank you for your cooperation.

In addition to offering beautiful photographs of local flowers and landscapes, the 2009 calendar educates City residents who tend a garden to protect Bay Area waters by practicing pest prevention and effective natural pest control. The calendar has a special pullout section of Garden Pest and Disease Tips to help users detect and prevent tiny pests such as aphids, whiteflies and spider mites. The calendar also includes  information on neighborhood drop-off locations for disposal of common household and automotive hazardous materials such as paint, light bulbs, batteries and oil.

Runoff from common garden chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers can enter the sewer system when they are washed off lawns and gardens into street drains by rain and over-watering. Many chemicals are removed during the wastewater treatment process, however during very heavy rains, pesticides can potentially bypass sewage treatment plants completely and get discharged into the Bay and Ocean, harming fish and wildlife. The risk is even greater for storm drains which outfall directly into local water bodies.

The Garden Calendar contains useful tips on preventing and detecting pests, using less-toxic pest control methods and plantings that are most likely to thrive in San Francisco’s unique microclimates and soil. The calendar also offers numerous resources that are specific to the San Francisco gardeners’ needs, including:
  

• A guide to native plants that are acclimated to local conditions and require less watering and fertilizer
• A “pocket-guide” of garden products that are less toxic to people, pets and the environment
• A listing of San Francisco garden retailers offering less-toxic garden and yard-care products
• Calendar listings of San Francisco garden and community events
• Gardening techniques and plants suitable for San Francisco’s three microclimate zones
• Monthly gardening tasks specific to San Francisco’s climate and seasons
• Listings of garden resources and clubs to help promote the craft of healthy gardening throughout the City

Here is the link to the calendar order form.