WELCOME
The Larkspur California Community Garden provides Larkspur residents space in 73 small garden plots, a tool shed, a compost area and a communal orchard. This Organic garden,
located in Piper Park was established in 1982.
If you eat fresh and inexpensive organically-grown vegetables, and have only a small deck with little room for planter boxes, or redwood trees shade your yard leaving no sun to plant homegrown tomatoes, peppers, string beans, broccoli, or flowers; and live in Larkspur, Calif., the community garden may be your solution.
We "grow" in learning about mulching and watering, other gardeners' techniques, sharing harvests, and building community in an ongoing year-round opportunity. We participate in community garden projects, which keeps our garden looking nice. We share good old garden know-how and receive recreation and therapeutic hands-in-the-soil benefits. Sign up today - the wait is worth it.
If you are interested in joining the garden community and if you live in Larkspur or Greenbrae, contact and sign up with the Larkspur Recreation Department.
See the Contact Us page for details.
The Larkspur California Community Garden provides Larkspur residents space in 73 small garden plots, a tool shed, a compost area and a communal orchard. This Organic garden,
located in Piper Park was established in 1982.
If you eat fresh and inexpensive organically-grown vegetables, and have only a small deck with little room for planter boxes, or redwood trees shade your yard leaving no sun to plant homegrown tomatoes, peppers, string beans, broccoli, or flowers; and live in Larkspur, Calif., the community garden may be your solution.
We "grow" in learning about mulching and watering, other gardeners' techniques, sharing harvests, and building community in an ongoing year-round opportunity. We participate in community garden projects, which keeps our garden looking nice. We share good old garden know-how and receive recreation and therapeutic hands-in-the-soil benefits. Sign up today - the wait is worth it.
If you are interested in joining the garden community and if you live in Larkspur or Greenbrae, contact and sign up with the Larkspur Recreation Department.
See the Contact Us page for details.
Hello Gardeners,
Our Garden Coordinators and I are thankful for all of you in our garden and for all your enthusiasm and efforts which bring us together as community.
Special thanks!
To all those who generously provide food for others through our Food Bank.
Thanks to those who help grow in our Food Bank Gardens and deliver to those in need.
Thanks to those who help in our Orchard, turn and water the Compost, deliver wood chips and weed along our fence lines.
Thanks to those who put their leftover greens and vegetables into our compost instead of their home garbage.
Thanks to those who plant, harvest and tend well their gardens and help each other with watering and weeding.
Thanks to those who did rabbit proof our fence line, and weed, prune and trim in our Maple Tree Garden and at our West fence.
Thanks to those who care for our Roses and Color Gardens.
Thanks to those who, before our deadline, remove tomato plants, clean their gardens and aisles and complete their Garden Work Time tasks.
Thanks to those who keep in contact with us about their joys and concerns and needs.
Thanks to those who came out to join us as community for our meeting and potluck.
Thanks to those who donate toward our garden needs and supplies when we pass the hat.
Thanks to the earth who gave the increase and for the opportunity to have such a beautiful garden.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Stephen
FYI.
Once again we want to inform and remind all of our gardeners about the special aspects of our organic Orchard. This is how we can maximize their benefits for all of us.
How to participate / When to harvest.
Our Orchard is for the enjoyment of all gardeners.
We appreciate the work of our interested team of loyal volunteers who care to learn how to grow fruit trees organically.
General rule of thumb:
Please take only a few, (1 or 2), (3 if quantity allows), pieces of fruit as you enjoy the harvest, (we share with 73 gardeners), - and please pick up any fallen fruit, pick and remove any mummified dry fruit or fruit with bird damage. This organic “strict sanitation” prevents diseases.- and help pull a weed as you pass through.
Thank you.
Q. When is the best time to harvest from our Orchard? A. When the fruit is ripe. Not before.
Please learn when each of our 23 trees ripens. Observe them and pick accordingly.
Dwarf Meyer Lemon - generally December- February, then some fruit all year.
Bearss Lime - ripen May through October, some fruit all year. For best taste,
pick when mostly green, before they turn yellow.
Mott Apple. - early August.
Dwarf Navel Orange - December thru February.
Pound Sweet Apple. - September.
Seckel Pear - September.
Comice Pear. - mid October to mid November, (they turn slightly yellow), then ripen at home 5-7 days.
Nectarine. - mid July.
Mandarin Orange. - on tree a few months before ripening from November to March
2 - Liberty Apples - late August
6 - Peach Trees. - late July to mid August - depending on variety.
Sugar Prune Plum - late August.
3 - Colonnade Spire Apple trees -(along back fence) - mid August.
Plucot (Plum/Apricot) - mostly August to September.
Fuyu Persimmon - September
2 - Pineapple Quava - (outside West fence) - The edible flowers bloom in May, followed in late summer or fall by sweet, fragrant fruit that drops to the ground when ripe.
Orchard questions: Contact Coordinator Katherine Jones.
See you in the garden,
Stephen
Greeting Gardeners, September 13, 2022
Please mark your calendars! Our Fall Garden Work Time (GWT) clean-up officially begins September 17th and ends October 22, 2022.
During these weeks all gardeners are required to complete these FOUR tasks within their own gardens:
1- Weed both garden and aisles and bring back into the garden all plants growing over borders
- and (if desired), plant a September/Fall garden.
- also all Color gardens need to be included in this preparation.
2- Check for any faucet leaks and any damage to hose posts and wooden borders.
If any, let me know. Public Works wants to make the needed repairs.
3- Disconnect all drip and watering systems from October through March.
This is to avoid freezing problems during the Winter. Any remaining plants can now be hand watered.
4- Harvest and remove all remaining tomato plants. 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
garden rule #4 a. "In order to prevent any widespread tomato disease within our Community Garden, and for the good of the entire garden, It is necessary and required of all gardeners to harvest and remove all tomato plants from their gardens prior to the Fall Workday gathering.”)
Tomatoes ripen at night when warm. The nights turn colder after October. Plants left in the garden are forgotten and will attract over-wintering diseases, insects, and rats to your garden.
There are always green tomatoes left on the vine in the fall. Don’t panic. Your tomato plants aren’t meant to last forever, so be thankful for the crop you've gotten. Some tomatoes will ripen at home. Green fried tomatoes are delicious.
Please place all tomato debris in the green cans, Not the compost.
We have requested a garden only dumpster (October 14th-24th), strictly for green plant material. All non green trash, tomato cages, plastic, etc…), may be left next to the locked outside parking lot dumpster.
Many gardeners have been hoping that this year would bring us back to a more normal, in person, garden meeting / Workday / Potluck. We really want to return to our in- person gatherings. We want to renew those good times and ties we have had with each other.
New gardeners have never experienced the joy of meeting other gardeners in a Workday/ shared Potluck setting as we used to have every year since 1982.
These last three years have made it difficult to experience community in this way.
This Fall, however, we are offering an alternative- “a two choice” approach as we re-establish the spirit of our community gathering.
Please choose option #1 or option #2 depending upon your level of comfort for this year. (As always, all gardeners are expected to participate per Garden Rule # 4).
OPTION #1 We will gather on October 22, 2022 - garden rule #4. (Sign in at the bleachers near the front gate.)
9:AM -Please be punctual. Our meeting is important. This is our opportunity to meet, greet, share and work side by side as we build community.
Workday Agenda: (times are approximate).
9-10 A.M. General Meeting -Sign in--Bring your joys and concerns and garden gloves.
10-11:30 A.M. Community Garden Projects. However, we may have so few tasks that we go straight to Potluck. (To be decided.)
11:30 A.M. Potluck - Stay with us for a while. We plan to share this time and terrific food and fun with you.
Bring your favorite dish to share: appetizers, salads, BBQ items, drinks, paper cups, napkins.
We look forward to seeing you. Meet other gardeners and enjoy community. 👫👬👭
Option #2 Choose a garden Alternative Task before October 1st. and complete it before October 21st.
Each task will generally need your minimum time commitment of about 1 1/2 hours. Your participation is community in action.
Remember :
Each gardener is responsible for contacting an Area Coordinator to be assigned a specific task. (see below). Please ask any questions so there will be no misunderstandings.
Each gardener is also responsible for reporting to the Area Coordinator once the task is completed so we know you have participated.
Each Area Coordinator has a limited number of available openings.
First come / first served. If your chosen area has no openings left, you will need to choose a different area.
The sooner everything gets done, the better. Please don’t wait until the last minute.There is usually more to do than we remember.
Garden Task areas
Orchard. - Winter pruning Orchard (Jan. 7, 2023), guidance available.
Compost. - wheelbarrow wood chips to fill up back bin, other things compost. Please apply.
West side fence. - some trimming of sage plants- ask directions.
Maple Tree Garden. - deadhead and prune as needed. Inquire within.
Food Bank gardens - weeding, clean up of Food Bank Garden- special instructions
Thank you for becoming actively involved in "growing with us" in our garden community. You are all invited to join with us for our shared Potluck if you can.
We miss you when you leave, and we want to remember you fondly for your care in keeping our garden looking so nice 😇 and for being an excellent part of our community even when you need to go and grow in other ways.
A reminder: Our garden rule #3 j.
"When leaving, all gardeners are expected to completely clean their plot of everything, all weeds, all plants, stepping stones, tomato cages, wood, debris, etc... You may either accomplish this yourself or pay someone to complete it before you leave. Do not leave anything in the tool shed. “
We try hard to start new gardeners with a clean garden palette for the gardener to plant without the unwelcome imposing remnants of the last garden.
Please don’t leave us having to re-clean gardens which were only partially cleaned or not cleaned at all.
We trust you will return the garden to us in the same way you received it, even better, with aisles and a garden in near pristine condition.
Please remember to notify Larkspur Recreation of your decision.
See you in the garden,
Stephen
In April 2020, Larkspur Recreation implemented some Covid guidelines to keep everyone safe and comfortable in the garden. Those guidelines are now lifted as we’re outdoors and have learned so much in the past couple years. We still encourage you to use your best judgement and treat others with respect.
Organic gardeners feed the soil and not the plant.
The soil serves as the reservoir for water and the vital nutrients that the plant requires for growth.
In an Organic garden the soil is the foundation of a healthy eco system.
The soil serves as the reservoir for water and the vital nutrients that the plant requires for growth.
In an Organic garden the soil is the foundation of a healthy eco system.
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"BARE- BONES-MINIMUM" OF GARDEN PARTICIPATION
The Larkspur Community garden is a community of gardeners who grow organically.
Good stewardship is a requirement for every single garden.
The following is a list of the bare-bone minimum of garden participation.
: should not reseed or spread
The Larkspur Community garden is a community of gardeners who grow organically.
Good stewardship is a requirement for every single garden.
The following is a list of the bare-bone minimum of garden participation.
- Every gardener has the responsibility of preparing their garden plot for Spring planting and again for Winter clean-up; and the weeding of their aisles prior to our March and October workday gathering.
- As a gardener you need to show that you are making some sort of an effort to be present at your garden and cultivate and care for your plants."Failure to care for your plot will result in termination of your lease."
- A garden plot: needs to be developed and used.
- Regular garden maintenance is necessary.
- Weeds need to be kept in check.
- Weeds : should not choke other plants
: should not reseed or spread
- Invasive plants require vigilant maintenance
- Unchecked plants are offensive, dangerous and a nuisance to everyone else.
- You need to be concerned about everyone else.
- You don't own your garden plot, you just lease it with the understanding that it will be gardened, used, weeded, pruned as necessary, watered and cared for, (hopefully with loving hearts, hands and enthusiasm). The appearance of your garden effects the community.
- It is not fair not to use it. We have a waiting list of hopeful gardeners who want your plot.
- We strive together to grow as community as we continue to enjoy our garden as much as we can. We all can creatively grow organically, therapeutically reduce stress and renew ourselves through recreation in the soil. We endeavor to do this more easily together than alone and share more abundantly as community than as individuals.
