Growing Together, a new nursery south of town, will benefit developmentally disabled adults
A historic local nursery site finds a new purpose
You know that big nursery property a few doors down from The Antique Society on Old Gravenstein Highway south of town? Several years ago, it housedCalifornia Carnivore. It’s now home to Growing Together, a new nursery founded by the nonprofit Oaks of Hebron, an organization out of Rohnert Park that provides services for people with developmental disabilities.
California Carnivores’ expansive old greenhouses have been spruced up, and the place looks great. All the profits from the nursery go to support the new Growing Together Farm, which will provide productive work and socialization for the organization’s clients. The farm, in turn, will grow plants for the nursery, as well as food to be sold, by donation, to the community from a farm stand, according to Angela Nielsen, the nursery manager of Growing Together.
Oaks of Hebron’s executive director Eric Martin says the new nursery is an extension of a program they began years before.
“Oaks of Hebron has been around for 46 years,” he said. “We started running group homes when a lot of people were leaving the state developmental centers, and we provided a variety of programs over the years. And 20 years ago, we started a farm.”
Martin said they started the farm at the suggestion of one of their case workers, Jim Cotter.
“He was working with developmentally disabled adults who had been involved in the criminal justice system, and he was having a hard time developing rapport with them because they were just really closed off,” Martin said. “Eventually, he took them to his community garden, and all of the sudden, he found connection. When they started digging in the soil, planting plants, harvesting, their guard came down, and they were able to really effectively communicate and work together—and a lot of progress was made.”
Martin said that Cotter created the vision for a Monday through Friday daytime activity program where clients help grow produce.
“Twenty years ago, we started a small farm on Hessel Road. The short story is we outgrew that, and I’ve been looking for a new space for a couple of years now,” Martin said.
A year and a half ago, someone on the Oaks of Hebron board was driving by and saw that the old California Carnivores site was for sale. In January 2025, the nonprofit bought the property, which has operated as a nursery since 1963. It was just what Martin, an avid plant lover, was looking for.
“It’s got a big greenhouse, it’s got plenty of growing area, it’s got a good parking lot, and it’s got a building for a gift shop,” he said. “It’s three acres, and it’s got the plumbing, the electricity, the septic. And so I thought, ‘Let’s make it into a nursery again.’”
Martin said the property is now hosting two different Oaks of Hebron programs: the farm and the nursery.
“It’s hosting our daytime activity program—we’re recreating our farm that we had on Hessel Road. That’s a lot of work, but it’s coming together. And then we started the retail plant nursery. We’re open now, but the grand opening celebration is April 10 and 11.”
Growing Together features veggie starts, annuals, perennials, shrubs, fruit trees, roses, succulents, and house plants, like supplies like shears and gardening gloves.
“In our gift shop, we host local art, which is a nice feature,” Martin said. You can find the ceramics of Nichibei Potters there, for example, as well as Haitian hammered metal wall art. In a hat tip to the site’s old owner, they also carry Trumpet Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia) from California Carnivores.
Oaks of Hebron no longer runs care homes—they now provide individual support services and day programs for people with developmental disabilities, family services, as well as travel opportunities for their clients.
The organization is still run according to the religious principles that guided its founding. As you might have guessed from its name, Oaks of Hebron was founded on biblical principles. Founders Steve and Carol Kranz were moved by the stories in Genesis 13:16 and 18:1–5, where God sends three angels to Abraham as he dwells by the great oaks of Mamre in Hebron. According to the group’s website, “Abraham, not knowing who they were, responded with hospitality and care. In that same spirit, Oaks of Hebron seeks to serve individuals with developmental disabilities by caring for the whole person—through both word and deed.”
You’re invited to celebrate the grand opening of Growing Together Nursery with a two-day event on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, from 10 am to 5 pm, featuring tours, raffles, prizes, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Address: 2833 Old Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol.