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  • Organic community garden in Citrus Heights to host April plant sale

    Organic community garden in Citrus Heights to host April plant sale

    Sylvan Ranch Community Garden
    Sylvan Ranch Community Garden is located at the corner of Sylvan and Stock Ranch roads in Citrus Heights. // CH Sentinel

    Sentinel staff report–
    Looking to get your spring garden planted this year? The Sylvan Ranch Community Garden in Citrus Heights will host its 10th annual spring plant sale fundraiser on April 8-10 this year.

    The plant sale will be held at the garden’s location at Sylvan and Stock Ranch roads from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday-Sunday, unless the plants sell out sooner, according to organizer Debbie LeVon.

    Plants for sale will include tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, a variety of peppers, melons, and pumpkins. Herbs, flowers, and succulents will also be available for purchase.

    Levon said shoppers are encouraged to come to the sale early, noting that last year the plants had sold out in two days.

    The annual plant sale serves as the main fundraiser for the nonprofit garden, which was founded in 2009 with sponsorship from the city. The garden is required to be self-sufficient and relies on membership fees and fundraisers to help maintain and improve the location each year.

    Gardeners can grow and harvest their vegetables in an assigned 4 x 20-foot plot for a small annual membership fee. Other membership levels are available at a discounted cost and allow for harvesting from “common areas” and attending the garden’s educational seminars.

    Any plants remaining after the sale are typically grown in a special section of the garden to help provide donations of fresh fruits and vegetables to the Sunrise Christian Food Ministry, based in Citrus Heights at Advent Lutheran Church.

    Sylvan Ranch Community Garden is located at 7450 Stock Ranch Rd. Those interested in learning more about the garden can visit www.sylvanranchgarden.org.

  • Citrus Heights organic garden to host 2nd annual plant sale

    Greenhouse plant seedlings. Photo by Luke Otterstad
    Greenhouse plants, stock photo. Citrus Heights Sentinel

    Updated Mar. 28, 5:31 p.m. —
    The Sylvan Ranch Community Garden will be holding its 2015 plant sale next month, with organizers inviting the public to come see what’s been growing in their newly built greenhouse — and hopefully pick up a plant or two to help support the nearly two-acre garden project.

    Naming off a list of plants being grown this year, community garden Board Member Debbie LeVon said plants include four beans varieties, six kinds of cucumbers, several different eggplant types, four kinds of corn, a wide variety of herbs, several different melons, and nearly a dozen varieties of peppers — as well as squash, tomatoes and a variety of flowers.

    LeVon said the annual fundraiser is a good way to provide quality plant starts for gardeners in the community, commenting that prices will be $5 or less, depending on the size of plant. She also said any plants left over will be grown in a special section of the garden which helped provide a donation of over 250 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to a local food closet last year.

    [You may also like: 2015 contests, concerts & camping coming to Rusch Park]

    Located at the corner of Sylvan and Stock Ranch Road, the once-vacant lot has been transformed into a thriving organic garden – thanks to the efforts of “enthusiastic gardeners,” according to LeVon.

    The City-sponsored garden project began in 2009 and allows residents to grow and harvest in designated “common areas” for a membership fee of $25 per year. Members can also lease their own 4 feet by 20 feet plot for an additional $25, with preference given to Citrus Heights residents, according to the garden’s website.

    Required to be self-sufficient, LeVon said the community garden relies on membership fees and fundraisers to help maintain and improve the location each year. The group held its first plant sale last April, with organizers reporting fundraising goals were exceeded by “over $100.”

    [From 2014: Plant sale exceeds goal for community garden]

    All proceeds from this year’s plant sale will go to benefit the garden, according to LeVon.

    More information is available at http://sylvanranchgarden.org. (*Editor’s note: as of Mar. 20, the garden’s website appears to be down, pending renewal.)
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    If you go:

    Plant Sale (see flier: 2015 April Plant Sale )
    Sylvan Ranch Community Garden
    7450 Stock Ranch Rd., Citrus Heights
    Dates: April 11 – 12, 18 – 19
    Time: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Plant sale exceeds goal for community garden; clothing drive now underway

    A sign invites passers-by to participate in a clothing drive for the community garden.
    A sign invites passers-by to participate in a clothing drive for the community garden.

    Organizers said that a weekend organic plant sale exceeded fundraiser projections by over $100, although they hope to raise the attendance level for the event next year.

    “Our first annual plant sale was a success, and we were happy with the results,” said Debbie LeVon, a board member for the Sylvan Ranch Community Garden in Citrus Heights. “We are working on lessons learned on how to do better next year.”

    Although many residents haven’t heard of the community garden, they’ve likely seen some some flowers and gardening activity as they pass the corner of Sylvan and Stock Ranch Road.

    Once an empty lot, the 1.85-acre parcel has been transformed into a thriving organic garden, complete with decomposed granite walkways and raised beds for wheelchair access — distinguishing it as almost fully ADA compliant.

    Although the City provides the land, the garden is required to be self-sufficient, leading to fundraising efforts and membership fees for garden use.

    Harvesting and gardening is allowed in designated “common areas” for $25 per year, and members can also lease their own 4 feet by 20 feet plot for an additional $25.

    The garden has already begun its next fundraiser, working with California Clothing Recycler’s to host a clothing drive through May 3.

    Seeking drop-offs of used clothes, shoes, towels and more, LeVon said the clothing drive was organized to give the community a simple way to donate without any out-of-pocket expenses.

    More information about the garden and clothing drive can be found at http://sylvanranchgarden.org.