Food Garden

The Community Farm

The Community Farm is located on the northwest side of Sacramento and Oregon Streets, somewhat hidden behind the storefronts on Sacramento Street. It is dedicated to food production. In contrast to our Nursery and Produce Stand, this food is not for sale. The harvest is shared between the volunteer growers and the low-income senior residents in the adjacent apartments. While we are actively encouraging people in the immediate neighborhood to come work on the farm, anyone is welome to volunteer, gain skills and share in the harvest.

Community Farm Winter Hours

Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday

10am until dusk and whenever the gates are open

The Community Farm provides direct access to land and the skills necessary to develop a self-sufficient life in an urban environment. Given access to land, information, and tools, people can feed themselves and their communities or supplement their diets with the highest quality organic food with very little capital input. A typical annual yield from a well cared-for 400 square-foot mixed vegetable garden is 360 pounds (National Gardening Association). Backyard gardens were credited with the production of 41% of the nation's vegetables as a result of the US Government’s Victory Garden social marketing campaign during World War II. Now, as then, empty lots can become a resource, enabling people to overcome hunger and malnutrition and to focus on the rest of their lives.

In 2006, the community volunteers planted and harvested approximately one ton of produce. We also tested planted approximately 20 new varieties of food plants to determine their productivity in our area. The addition of chickens to the farm has been wildly popular with neighborhood moms and kids as well as older community members- many of whom make a visit to the farm a part of their daily routine- increasing the value of the farm as a community gathering space. The chickens are also providing a steady flow of eggs (which are also given away), and have become major recyclers of green waste and soil builders.

The Community Farm The Community Farm is located on the northwest side of Sacramento and Oregon Streets, somewhat hidden behind the storefronts on Sacramento Street. It is dedicated to food production. In contrast to our Nursery and Produce Stand, this food is not for sale. The harvest is shared between the volunteer growers and the low-income senior residents in the adjacent apartments. While we are actively encouraging people in the immediate neighborhood to come work on the farm, anyone is welome to volunteer, gain skills and share in the harvest. Community Farm Winter Hours Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday 10am until dusk and whenever the gates are open The Community Farm provides direct access to land and the skills necessary to develop a self-sufficient life in an urban environment. Given access to land, information, and tools, people can feed themselves and their communities or supplement their diets with the highest quality organic food with very little capital input. A typical annual yield from a well cared-for 400 square-foot mixed vegetable garden is 360 pounds (National Gardening Association). Backyard gardens were credited with the production of 41% of the nation's vegetables as a result of the US Government’s Victory Garden social marketing campaign during World War II. Now, as then, empty lots can become a resource, enabling people to overcome hunger and malnutrition and to focus on the rest of their lives. In 2006, the community volunteers planted and harvested approximately one ton of produce. We also tested planted approximately 20 new varieties of food plants to determine their productivity in our area. The addition of chickens to the farm has been wildly popular with neighborhood moms and kids as well as older community members- many of whom make a visit to the farm a part of their daily routine- increasing the value of the farm as a community gathering space. The chickens are also providing a steady flow of eggs (which are also given away), and have become major recyclers of green waste and soil builders.
	The first harvest from the garden: a medley of heirloom snap beans with names like Dragon's Tongue, Jade, Yellow Nugget, and Royal Burgundy.
Volunteers from Rebuilding Together work on building raised beds for food production. Although lab tests determined the existing soil is probably safe to grow in, we decided to import soil just to be sure. Also, since the site is a former railway, the existing "soil" is mostly hard-packed gravel. We are using woodchips to contain the garden beds because they are free and will eventually become soil too.
	Volunteers from Rebuilding Together during their second visit. Here the beds are finished and they are planting seeds in containers. The 60 cubic yards of soil we imported so far was purchased through a workathon by the Berkeley Leadership Team. It fills only about one-third of the useable space, so there is more fundraising to do, in order to buy more soil, before the garden can reach its full potential.
One of the most recent photos of the food garden as seen from the far end. "Red Velvet" sunflowers and newly made bean trellises rise before a long stretch of foodscape.
	A close-up of the food garden, featuring cabbages and amaranth.