Volunteer: Berkeley Youth Alternative Gardens

Get your hands dirty in one of Berkeley Youth Alternatives' two large production gardens. Drop in anytime during volunteer hours. Tasks may include weeding, bed preparation, sowing, transplanting, composting and harvesting. Some background: The Bancroft Garden was started in 2003 through a collaboration with Berkeley Youth Alternatives, the surrounding community, UC Berkeley, and the City of Berkeley. The project transformed a vacant railway corridor into a burgeoning, productive, and welcoming space. This half acre of land is shared with neighborhood gardeners and the BYA Garden Program and leased from the City of Berkeley. Special features include beehives, a clay oven, and a rainwater catchment system. Our other garden, the Orchard Garden, is located behind our youth center (formerly a bread factory!) on Allston Way and contains 34 young fruit trees as well as annual row crops and native perennial plants. The gardens are tended by high school aged paid interns year-round. We practice ecologically-friendly management techniques. Call with questions.