Fall Bounty in Community Garden
Oct 29, 2024 08:18AM ● By Susan Maxwell Skinner, photos by Susan Maxwell Skinner
Carmichael Park District staffer Erin Moreno (right) joins volunteers Dan Vierria (left), scarecrow Jack, Jamie Patterson and Pat Holbus in garden allotments on Sutter Avenue.
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - There’s a whole lot of raking going on in Carmichael’s Community Garden.
Now in its 21st season at Sutter-Jensen Park, the garden is a green-thumbers’ triumph.
Rented plots have yielded a fall cornucopia and as the 2024 season ends, zinnia bloom beside roses and late-yielding food crops. By the end of November, gardeners will have uprooted plants and prepped their plots for winter.
The garden took root in 2003, when planners suggested using Carmichael Park District acreage on Sutter Avenue. Pioneer volunteers cleared weeds and installed irrigation. In the first year, half of 60 available lots were leased and gardeners began harvesting produce. There are now dozens on a waiting list for 20-by-20-foot spaces. A $70 annual fee includes water use.

Butterflies, bees and birds are natural pollinators in the community garden.
“We’ve had our problems – weeds, deer invasion – but we’ve achieved a lot,” said garden co-founder Anne Berner. “I’m especially pleased with our diversity. We have master gardeners and novices; immigrant families and people who’ve lived here forever. The Eastern Europeans are terrific gardeners. They use every bit of soil and produce amazing amounts of food.”
“We have grandparents working with grandchildren at weekends. Our first gardener was an octogenarian who had more energy than any of us,” Berner continued. “He grew tomatoes, melons, okra, everything. We’ve had boys working here for their Eagle Scout awards; they’ve built us gates and shade structures. Carmichael Water District taught us about drought-tolerant plants and efficient watering. The result looks lovely. We’ve had artists planting easels and painting pictures of our garden. And it’s always popular with photographers.”
Completed in 2015, a 400-yard path between the Sutter Avenue allotments and Jensen Botanical Garden (Fair Oaks Boulevard) allows a picturesque stroll. The two reserves annually host a “Dinner at the Park” fundraiser for Carmichael Parks Foundation. This year’s event raised more than $60,000. A cut of gala proceeds will benefit both gardens.

A garden bouquet includes late-flowering zinnia.
Organic growing methods are encouraged in the allotments. Beyond feeding themselves, the agrarians donate produce to Carmichael Presbyterian Church food closet.
“Our community garden is a peaceful place where people can work independently on their plots while still feeling connected to a community,” reported Carmichael Park District manager Alaina Loftus. “The gardeners have really made this a special place.”
Cash or equipment donations to the nonprofit garden are welcomed. For information, email [email protected].