Spiral Gardens Community Food Security Project

this place makes me SMILE. 3 years ago, I heard their fresh rice, came straight from the growers. This is a popular item that kept selling out.
If you haven’t had fresh rice, you’re in for a surprise.
It’s extra fluffy, and fragrant

This place is da best!

i was in the neighborhood doing some volunteer work and came across spiral gardens. their community garden is amazing — they have ruby chard that has grown to be as tall as i am. i enjoyed checking out their chicken coop with several chickens and ducks. they also have a nursery across the street. i was surprised at how affordable their plants are. they were advertising a deal that was going on when i went where they had $ 5 loquat trees and I came across a blueberry tree that was for$ 15. i was bummed out that we had already got ten a blueberry tree for double that price…
this is a place to get your plants if you live closeby, they have really good deals! makes you wish every neighborhood had a spiral gardens.

I first discovered this place when I had to write an Urban Garden Assessment for Miguel Altieri’s class. My group and I volunteered here for a few months, and then after the project, I continued to volunteer. Why? Because this place is awesome! I love what they are trying to do, I believe in their practices, and I really enjoy learning about sustainable agriculture.
I like to think of myself as a pretty helpful person. I was a poor college student, so I could not donate or buy much to contribute. Therefore, I just went and volunteered a few hours every weekend to help renovate the green house, transplant, and organize the place!
I was sad to see the food stand go because I feel that was one of the core programs Spiral Gardens had to offer to the community. The other volunteers here were generally very nice people. Everyone was willing to help if possible, and the director, Daniel, is also a very nice person. He was never too busy to help a person, even when he actually was. His knowledge of plants and insects is outstanding, and I’ve never seen him baffled at any situation (and people come in with some weird questions that left this college boy here stumped… and I thought I was pretty smart). hahaha.
One of my favorite places. If I lived in the area, I would totally volunteer here every weekend. It’s nice to be able to grow your own food. I truly believe in urban agriculture, and now I just need to practice it!

So many varieties of edible garden material. I first met the owner at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market. He was soooo nice and patient with me and my family even though we arrived just as they were closing. Of course I had to go back for more.
The owner is so patient and kind. There are many varieties of edible veggies for you to choose from, and if you’re unsure of how to plant your new green friend, just ask!

This is the nursery that’s at the Albany Farmers’ Market. When I stopped by today they didn’t have any apricot trees, although they did have fig trees, a couple of types of apple, a comice pear, a couple of olives and several other fruit trees. All were $ 35 aside from one (maybe the olive) that was $ 40. Given the size of the trees and their healthy condition I consider that very reasonable. I was very tempted by raspberry bushes, yellow and red, that were $ 6 for 1 and $ 15 for 3, but couldn’t figure out where I’d put them so they’d get sufficient sun. I asked about the apricot trees and he said they had them, he just couldn’t bring all the trees they had. He said he’d bring some next week. If he doesn’t I’ll just drive down to the nursery when they’re open.
I hadn’t realized they were part of Community Food Security Project until I read the paper he gave me when I asked for the garden’s card. Then I read the other Unilocal reviews, almost all 5 stars and I got a sense of how they fit into the community. So they make an excellent social contribution while growing healthy plants. They have a produce stand and encourage people to grow their own produce. From the description of the nursery itself it sounds like my kind of place. Overgrown and full of life. I’m going to have to pay them a visit, I can tell.

I love getting plants at spiral gardens– I feel good supporting a place in my neighborhood that is trying to make healthy food more accessible. The plant prices are very reasonable, comparable to Orchard, but they have some varieties you won’t find in the box stores.

Just wanted to say that Spiral Gardens is one of the most beautiful spots we have in an otherwise blighted neighborhood. I love that they’re here and make fresh, healthy produce available. I wish their food stalls could be open more often, but since they’re entirely volunteer-​run, and part of their mission is to encourage *you* to grow your own food, I guess that’s not really a fair request.
Last summer, they offered a whole series of free workshops on gardening, sustainability, composting, etc. It was great to see the folks that came out and to get to meet the garden organizers. They’re an articulate, friendly, knowledgeable bunch.
I’ve purchased worms from them before. And given worm juice back to them when I was unable to make use of my overactive vermicomposter. I’m still learning from the ground up, as it were, and I feel much better having a community resource like Spiral Garden to walk me through my questions.

Totally ragtag, totally overgrown… but totally awesome
This is a real down to earth neighborhood nursery. It’s less of a business and more of just some people doing what they love and selling a few plants on the side.
There are plants growing EVERYWHERE including sometimes the paths… and the pots containing other plants (sweet, free bonus plants!).
Prices are very reasonable although trees and some perennials are not as «reasonable» as I’d like them to be.
Their farm stand is also a great idea and very reasonably priced as well.
So, thanks for being awesome Spiral Gardens, keep it up

love love love this place. the prices are much better than all the other local gardening shops i’ve been to, and it was the cheapest soil i’ve found. just a great community vibe.
open tues, wed, sat «for sure» and sometimes on sunday if they feel like it. also have a produce stand every tuesday afternoon until 7pm.

Spiral Gardens is my new favorite place. They have a community garden that is part of a food security project (you can’t have your own plot, but they do take volunteers), a farm stand (not everyday I think), and a nursery. Everything is propagated on site and is meant to grow well in this climate. They have mostly fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs, and the staff are very knowledgeable about what you can grown in a pot, what you can’t, etc. I recently bought 3 herbs, 3 second hand pots, and the most enormous bag of potting soil I have ever seen for $ 15.
On the down side, its only open a few days a week. They have a website with their hours and more info about the project. Overall, I highly recommend supporting this place!

Great advice, friendly people and a central location. Dan, Lisa and the whole team have great prices, a good variety and are my local farming heroes. Spiral gardens is part of the food security project and emphasizes local food production and helping less fortunate folks learn how to grow food for themselves. What a great and timeless concept. Berkeley needs more great pioneers like them. Go support!

I like to support my neighbors whenever I can, so I stopped by this place one day on my way home from work and had a look. It’s a bit of a mess, plants everywhere. I loved it.
The prices are higher than most of the places I shop (Berkeley Hort., Yabusaki’s, EB Nursery, OSH), and sometimes I have to search for someone to take my money, but I do enjoy spending an hour just poking into all the nooks and crannies to see what’s growing there.

so, I was a bit overenthused, perhaps, in my first review. BUT, I still give 5 stars!
The plants suffered a bit (very warm weather this year) throughout the summer… and their prices are not the cheapest. But let’s be real, a few bucks on the same plant, from the same grower? When it’s for such a good place, such a good cause? I am still, so, so happy to go to this place…

Love it! I love Berkeley Bowl and the big farmer’s market at GrandLake, but Spiral is my #1 choice for affordable organic produce. Organic carrots should always be hawked for two bucks by the side of the road! What can I say– both BB and Grand Lake are cool, but packed with folks, and not always the cheapest. Spiral is much less about expensive lavender honey truffles and more about making organic greens, l eggs, butter and fresh strawberries affordable to the folks. Wandering through their nursery is lovely– kids play hide and seek and you want to do the same. Big ups to having such an active urban farm where youth can learn how to grow food and rebuild soil.

Fantastic!
So, this place is way more than a nursery or a produce stand.
It’s a revolution!
Otherwise known as a community food security program.
From the website, it’s mission is
” to create healthy sustainable communities by promoting a strong local food system and encouraging productive use of urban soil“
So, they have a ton of fruit trees, grape vines, strawberry plants, veggie starts, etc here. All I wanted and more!
All the plants are edible, medicinal, native, beneficial, in some way useful plants.
It’s not about «gardening for pretty.» Not that this isn’t pretty, it is just MUCH MORE!
This place is about gardening as a way to change our world for the better.
The prices were a bit higher than I’d normally do, but when I looked at what they do here, I’m in!
They do community education, provide produce to the next door senior housing complex, will pick excess fruits from others gardens to distribute to those in need.
All in all, this place rocks! Check this out!

Spiral Gardens is a labor of love and a great place to get plants and affordable produce cheap. Dan Miller, founder of Spiral Gardens, has been building community gardens since way before it was hip. He is incredibly knowledgeable about permaculture and organic gardening. His mission has everything to do with building community and nothing to do with building profits. The Tuesday evening produce stand is just one example — the produce is Farmers’ Market grade, only it is purchased at cost and sold by volunteers. If you live in South Berkeley, definitely check it out.

When I first moved here I was strongly encouraged to goin a CSA. One day while out walking with the boys I found this place and we love it! Lisa (I’m pretty sure) is nice and encouraging. She gave me alot of great tips for starting my garden. The prices are fair, and you can always get more help if you need it.
The produce stand on Tuesday was fun, we picked out our items and got to meet our neighbors.
From now on we will get our fruits and veggies (eggs & organic apple juice) from the stand. It’s less expensive than some of the local companies that deliver their produce or have you pick it up!