It was a parking lot in front of a beautiful train station in West Oakland for almost a century. Then the concrete was torn up and Oakland youth planted flowers in the ground to create Boxcar Flower Farm.
During the pandemic, Jane Hammond and Linh Becker took over the project of running the farm and managed the steep learning curve. Fortunately, plants want to grow, and now the farm is flourishing with a wide variety of flowers. Years of attention to the soil have resulted in a wonderful growing environment.
West Oakland is a vibrant community, changing rapidly with the Oakland Ballers renovation of Raimondi Park across the street, a market food hall down the block, and a bustling regular farmers market. The station was placed on the National Historic Registry in 2025, ensuring that it cannot be torn down. Boxcar Flower Farm has been working hand in hand with the local community to preserve the station.
Recent additions include beehives, a huge worm bin, butterfly and pollinator plants, and a farm cat. Please use the contact us form to schedule a garden club talk, workshop, or to visit our garden of peace and sanity. Boxcar Flower Farm is at the corner of 16th and Wood Streets.
Flowers, not concrete, in front of the historic 16th Street Station in Oakland
Linh and Jane are the owners and farmers at Boxcar Flower Farm
