Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! During Shelter in Place are having to limit the number and types of volunteers we can host, but check out our Volunteer Page to learn more or sign up.

The Farm Park is a combination educational site and functioning farm. The nutrient dense produce we grow is given to participants in our Garden Programs to help support food equity and access. We do not currently sell our produce or plant starts to the general public.

Absolutely! While the food growing areas of City Slicker Farms are closed to the public due to Covid-19 and staff capacity, The West Oakland Farm Park area at 2847 Peralta St. is
open to everyone. Our current hours are 2:00pm to 5:00 pm Tuesday – Thursday and we are open the First Saturday of the Month. We ask that guests continue to wear masks while visiting our space. In alignment with CDC guidelines the playground and picnic tables are open, while the water fountains and bathrooms are temporarily closed. There’s no need to call ahead to visit the
Farm Park — just stop by!

We are currently accepting applications for a waitlist for our Backyard, Partner and Community Garden applications.

Thank you for asking! We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and rely on the generosity of donors, volunteers, community partners and businesses to fulfill our mission.

Below are a few of the ways that you can support food equity and community-building with City Slicker Farms:

Donate! Whether from an individual, business, or foundation, we are incredibly grateful for anything you are able to give.

Share resources! From garden supplies like starts and mulch, to cooking supplies like a reusable plates and cups, to bigger wish-list items like a chipper-shredder, we welcome any new or new–to-us items you can share.

Individual or small group volunteers! We need hands to help out at the Farm Park throughout the year, as well as people who can help with responding to emails, taking photos or helping us grow our social media engagement.

If you’re interested in other ways you can donate time, please email us info@cityslickerfarms.org.

Private group volunteer days! Do you and your staff want to learn more about farming, food security and equity, AND bond as a team in a beautiful outdoor Oasis in West Oakland?

Yes! We did but now our home base is the West Oakland Farm Park. City Slicker Farms started off by transforming many underused city lots in Oakland that would otherwise have become magnets for illegal dumping and contaminated runoff.

In 2016, after deep community involvement in planning and design, CSF launched the West Oakland Farm Park. The project turned a vacant brownfield site, with soil heavily contaminated by lead and other pollutants – into a thriving community park and farm, creating a permanent home base for our programs. It includes community garden plots, an outdoor classroom, a nutrition demo zone, an orchard, in-ground farm beds, a playground with edible plantings, a chicken coop, apiary, and sustainable features such as a rainwater catchment tank, pollinator plantings, trees, and drip irrigation.

Like when we started in 2011, we still partner with community members on how to use ecologically sound cultivation methods, entice pollinators, create balanced ecosystems, use naturally occurring fertilizers, and conserve water. But now we work primarily with program participants on site at the Farm Park, in their backyard, porch or community gardens.

The produce we grow at the Farm Park is given to our program participants and partners. If you are interested in participating please fill out an interest form on the BYG page.

To purchase affordable produce and support West Oakland businesses, we recommend Mandela Grocery Co-op or Community Foods Market. They both offer fresh local produce with discount pricing for eligible community members.