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,
This year our Orchard Care Day is May 7th, 2022.
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! January 27,2022
Welcome to our 40th year of organic gardening in our Larkspur Community Garden.
Upon visiting our garden, you have probably noticed all the garden upgrades and improvements.
-The front gardens have already been winter pruned, weeded and mulched with nice wood chips.
-Two Orchard trees have been removed, (Elberta Peach and Stella Cherry), and replaced with another peach tree, (which we grew from seed), and a “Beautiful” Red Plumb tree.
In addition, one half of the Orchard has been mulched with nice wood chips. All the trees have been pruned and the peaches have had their first of three dormant sprayings.
-The Compost was also turned into the next bin.
-Two broken hose posts were replaced at gardens #71 and #79.
-Some gardeners took advantage of our offer and mulched their gardens with the free leaves and available wood chips. (There still are wood chips to choose from).
The Rose Committee will be winter pruning and offering professional guidance from a rose specialist on correct pruning methods. If you want, for a small fee, he will prune your roses with you.
Contact Jill Hutchinson for further details. FYI. There are no Rose Committee openings at this time).
Our Garden Website also gives great rose advice. https://larkspurgarden.weebly.com/trees--color-gardens--roses.html
Please make a point to say hello to our ten new gardeners growing with us and share some garden camaraderie.
We have been able to get ahead of many Spring clean-up maintenance tasks with your continued efforts throughout the year.
Yet, the question remains….What about our Garden Workday?
Please mark your calendars! Our Garden Workday start-up officially begins March 26th.
We have all been hoping that this year would bring us back to a more normal, in person, garden meeting / workday.
(As always, all gardeners are expected to participate per Garden Rule # 4).
2-In lieu of a Workday, we are again setting aside a clearly defined Garden Work Time (GWT) in which all garden projects will be completed.
Our GWT will begin today and end Friday, March 25th.
This allows extra time for each gardener to help and be a part of our community and yet maintain safety protocols.
How it works:
Just as at our Garden Workday meetings during normal times, each gardener volunteers for a task. This year is similar yet slightly different:
Each gardener is invited to choose an area of participation.
Each gardener is responsible for contacting an Area Coordinator to be assigned a specific task. (see below)
Each gardener is also responsible for reporting to the Area Coordinator once the task is completed.
The Area Coordinator will assist by communicating, to each volunteer, the specific task to be done.
This can be done by email, text, telephone or in person. Which ever is most effective in each case. Please call or email again if you don’t receive a reply.
Please ask any questions so there will be no misunderstandings.
During these weeks of Garden Work Time, (GWT), all gardeners are also required to complete these FOUR tasks within their own gardens:
1- Weed both your garden and aisles and keep all plants inside your borders - (and, if desired, take this opportunity to do that postponed garden overhaul - to renew your garden design and feed your soil).
2- Check for faucet leaks and any damage to wooden hose posts and wooden borders and report needed repairs to your Garden Coordinator. Repairs done by Public Works. (Gardeners replace the broken garden hoses).
3- Re-connect all watering systems. (as applicable). Check and repair any leaks.
4-Choose a garden task area and contact the Area Coordinator -- Report completion of task to Area Coordinator (see above).
Color Gardeners -please include your Color Garden as an additional responsibility.
Thank you to everyone for making our garden look so beautiful and for helping us build our Community.
See you in the garden,
Stephen Conner, Coordinator, Larkspur Community Garden
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.
