Stanford Garden Report for Thursday, January 30, 2020.

Winter cover crop in Plot B2 @StanfordGardenOakRoad.

One of the things you may not realize about the Stanford University campus is that is has several working organic community gardens organized by the BeWell@Stanford sustainable food and healthy living program.

The Oak Road garden is by far the largest, and it is open by online application to Stanford students, staff, and faculty for a modest annual fee to help maintain a shared greenhouse and toolshed and to purchase mulch, soil, and seeds and such.

Winter cover crop with a mesh screen to deter critters from munching on them, like the resident jackrabbit and gophers.

My wife and I have maintained in-ground plot B2 here for four years now. We grow all sorts of delicious, organically grown things for our family meals in the sempervirens117 cottage.

Dried hot habanero and red chili peppers @StanfordGardenOakRoad.

While you have to work, study, or be affiliated with Stanford to farm an in-ground or raised bed of your own, if the front gate is unlocked, ask a community garden member for permission to enter and look around. Just don’t take any vegetables or herbs or fruits with you. They belong to the gardeners who have worked hard to bring them to life.

Garden gnomes are popular here.

Picture taking, however, is very much encouraged, and there are some nice wooden picnic tables and metal garden chairs inside as well, plus a huge grassy soccer field right next door for playing with the kids.

Dried sunflower head growing in a raised bed plot.

Stop by the Oak Road garden one day. You will enjoy the visit!

Winter cover crop growing in a community garden raised bed.

Say hi to the gophers and jackrabbits for me, should you encounter any of them.

Flowering plant in an in-ground bed.

Some gardeners even grow cacti and small trees or berry bushes in their plots.

Just be sure to tell that darned gopher to stay away from my tomato and peppers plants this year!

There is also a community herb garden for general member use.

Spanish rojo garlic growing in Plot B2.

I am planting lots of garlic and using mesh anti-gopher cages on all my most valuable garden plants.

Fava beans growing in a raised bed in winter.

Just in case the gophers gets hungry …

Red and green chard growing in an in- ground plot near to the greenhouse and toolshed.