Photograph of our East Oakland nursery staff enjoying the sun.

We can't believe the end of 2025 is almost here. This year has flown by! Like many of you, we are continually dismayed by the challenges we face as people dedicated to a more just, equitable, free, and sustainable world unshackled by carceral thinking and systems. But we are also heartened by the community we continue to build, and the support we receive locally here in the Bay and around the country from folks engaged in this work and building alternatives to oppressive and extractive systems. In our final newsletter of 2025 (!), we are going to share a few recent exciting updates and announcements, and kick off our End of Year Appeal. For many, December marks the beginning of the giving season, when those who are able support causes and organizations doing valuable work. There are so many worthy places to give your money and time, and it means so much that you continue to believe in and support Planting Justice's work however you are able. Keep an eye out each week this month for more in-depth updates from individual program areas and the exciting work we are doing to make our shared vision of food sovereignty and healing communities a reality!

Photograph of the interior of PJ's brand new Farm Store & Nursery looking hella good.

If you've been following along for the past 8 years (check out this great writeup in the Richmondside to learn more), you know there have been many ups and downs as we worked on building our new El Sobrante Farm Store & Nursery, but the day is finally here. We are opening in 2025!

Plants have been ordered from our East Oakland nursery (and from organic vendors for plants we don't propagate ourselves), tools, books, merch, and other amazing goods are stocked, the record player is spinning, and we can't wait for you to experience this space! The nursery will soft open on Friday, December 12th, with a grand opening celebration for the entire Good Table site on Saturday, December 20th.

Photograph of our ancestor altar at the Honoring Our Ancestors event.

The Education Team supported the Honoring our Ancestors event hosted by E14 Gallery. It was a great 2-day event with many other Oakland community orgs. We honored and created an altar for PJ staff who have passed away, but made huge impacts in the organization, our communities, and our hearts. Thank you E14 Gallery for letting us be a part of this wonderful event!

With the cold weather arriving right on time, we made delicious tea with fresh herbs from the garden at one of our school sites. Students enjoyed a cup of tea and pastries. The arrival of this cooler weather means it's the perfect time to plant, so when not enjoying tea, students have been planting annuals into the garden beds in preparation for Spring. Finally, we just wrapped up our Fall Internship, which was a wild success. Having the opportunity to spend multiple days engaging and collaborating with youth is so refreshing and meaningful. 

Pic 1: Lemon guava on a tree, waiting to be enjoyed. Pic 2:  Inside a lemon guava!

What’s Fruiting This Time of Year

The shorter and colder days signal the harvest time for many fruits, including quince, apples, pineapple guava, lemon guava (see photo), chilean guava, and persimmon, among other treats. We are at the tail end of this season, and now also making preparations to put much of the farm to "bed".

Thank you Cal ARCUS Fellows!

On a Saturday in late October, the 2025 cohort of ARCUS Fellows from UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design learned about both orchard care and the positive impacts urban agriculture has on local communities and the environment.

We hope they carry their experience on the PJ Mother Farm far into all their future city & urban planning, architecture, and landscape design projects! 

Volunteers Welcome!

Volunteers are welcome to join us on the land for rewarding work weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year. Important! Our 2nd Saturday volunteer days are on hold for the winter, and will resume in March. 

We've received many responses, but we still want to hear from you!

If you live in the East Bay Area, please fill out this Community Survey. This is an opportunity for residents to share their feedback with Planting Justice on their awareness and support of our work, and how we might better serve the community. This is also a chance to share what issues and services matter to you most. When you complete the survey, you will receive instructions on how to get a 30% one-time discount on any purchase!