This nursery is so fun to visit and browse as there's always a great assortment of plants. They have a ton of different varieties of flowers, fruit trees and vegetables. I like that they have cats roaming around the garden and the doves they have in the back. They even have places you can sit and take in the peaceful space of the gardens. The value is well worth the price and the lady who runs the place has great knowledge about her plants and is always giving us good advice on how to care for them. read more

Nice, quaint nursery. I got some compost for the garden! Nice selection of plants. Awesome :) read more

Ploughshares Nursery - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

I loved coming here to the PLOUGHSHARES nursery! It was kinda confusing to find it from the gps but we eventually found it.. parking can be challenging but we parked right in front but do not block the walk way! The lady who works there was very helpful and nice :) I believe her name is Linda ..it was fun experience to look around and pick out plants I had not seen anywhere else which was awesome! Definitely recommend this place and we will be coming back for more plants ... you pay at the back and they will Have a computer Incase you want to pay with card instead of cash :) read more

Ploughshares Nursery - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

Very cute quaint nursery. Found some happy little house plants and bantered with the owner. GPS sent us a weird way though. You get to it by the Main Street. read more

Adorable little place! Friend recommended and it was worth the time. Peaceful environment, great selection.

good quality plants at very reasonable prices. A good selection of CA native plants.

I loved coming here to the PLOUGHSHARES nursery! It was kinda confusing to find it from the gps but we eventually found it.. parking can be challenging but we parked right in front but do not block the walk way! The lady who works there was very helpful and nice :) I believe her name is Linda ..it was fun experience to look around and pick out plants I had not seen anywhere else which was awesome! Definitely recommend this place and we will be coming back for more plants ... you pay at the back and they will Have a computer Incase you want to pay with card instead of cash :) read more

See all

Ploughshares Nursery is tucked away near the Naval Base. I've been wanting to come here for a while now to get some plants for the house. We go pass by it quite often because the boys go basketball practice at the Alameda Point. Finally got a chance to go yesterday and picked up a few goodies. It's a very nice tranquil nursery very quiet, and you can just walk on your own wondering through the plants. Price is quite reasonable depending on what you want to pick up. I picked up a few unique succulents, hoping that it will thrive at home like it did at the nursery. If you have time stop by all profits goes to a nonprofit if you would like to support. read more

See all

Fabulous selection of plants and really helpful staff! Definitely will go again and again!

Ploughshares Nursery is the most beautiful corner of Alameda! I have become a regular customer because it's such a pleasure to visit and I know that my money is going towards an important cause in my community. If you are looking for drought-tolerant and native plants that aren't overpriced, this is the place for you. Even if you don't need anything in particular, I recommend going just to stroll, meet the rescue birds and friendly cats, take a seat under the yellow angels trumpet-flowers, and observe the butterflies! (Right next door is APC's farm, where you can also visit and meet some piglets if you're lucky.) Linda, Bonnie, and Jordan are wonderful -- they're warm, knowledgeable, and willing to spend time with you to figure out what you need. Thank you, Ploughshares, for doing what you do! read more

Had a great experience here! Came home with a peach tree, a cherry tree and an Asian pear tree! All so reasonably priced! A nursery that charges lower than all other EastBay nurseries AND donates 100% of their profits to housing the homeless. AMAZING!! Check them out! read more

Had two hours to kill in Alameda. Found this on Yelp and decided to take a chance. Quaint, has plants like Yerba Matte, Pandan, Coffee Arabica i.e. plants that won't find a home in big box nurseries. Lots of succulents. Covid: Require mask(duh!), limit the number of people who can be in at a time, enforce time limits if the line is too long. I came on a weekend an hour before closing so had to call at the front gate. Relaxed atmosphere. read more

Wow, this is a wonderful nursery. With the drought, this place offers drought tolerant plants that are native to California. Who wouldn't want to come! Don't be turned off by the words native plants, because there is a lot of interesting, wonderfully smelling and looking plants for our weather. There's also fruit trees, plants and vegetables. You can pretty much get everything here. We came on a very hot day. There isn't any water fountains and I was dying of thirst. There's a good amount of shade offered by their lush section of bamboo. But other than that it's all sun! Be sure to bring a hat or a water bottle. There's a lot to see. They also have some set ups to look at for ideas and decor. It's really pleasant and I'm sure the employees have a lot of fun working here. It's great because there are a lot of bees, lady bugs and butterflies roaming around. We need more of this! Unfortunately because of the heat, we didn't buy anything that day but we will definitely come back to purchase. The workers are very friendly and knowledgable. A must place to go to get plants! read more

See all

1. Only 5-6 people at a time during Covid/social distancing. They watch the gate: wait to be let in. Park in the front, but do not block the sidewalk. 2. Asked for an idea, got personalized service with great recommendations. 3. Friendly folks. 4. Lots of variety, including some things I haven't seen at other nurseries in the area. Some really great and unusual plants! 5. Absolutely recommend and will be returning! (Extra recognition for the wonderful lady watching the gate who let in a real curmudgeon and was able to handle him without losing her cool: She did much better than I ever could have.) read more

And I was trying to find a nursery in Alameda on my way to my garden/Community garden . Found this location on yelp, I really like that it's community based and they help others out in the community. They didn't have a ton of plant stuff but it was enough for me. Little seedlings different types of soil. The folks rain in place were very friendly and knowledgeable. I've gone there a few times and plan to go back again. read more

I love this nursery, even if I don't plan to buy something- although I usually do. I love walking through the place to see their interesting plants, see the bird rescues and get happy with the casual organization they have. The unpaved ground makes for a more natural setting to view plants. I've gotten great advice for feeding plants to flower more, taken free classes on succulent arrangements and choosing fruit trees and invited friends to meet me there before heading to other events nearby. A (not so) hidden gem in Alameda! read more

I found this nursery by chance and I'm so glad I did! I found so many cute baby plants and a beautiful large pot for only $40. Linda was awesome and such a pleasure to meet. I'll definitely be beck. read more

Bought two succulents here today. They are both beautiful and were a great price. Linda was super helpful, explaining to us which plants would do best indoors and even helped us pot them afterwards. I would highly recommend buying plants here. Update: three months later and the plants are doing great. We haven't made it back yet but we definitely will. read more

The animals (chickens, rescue pigeons, cats) and little tucked away seating and displays make this a place feel like a garden adventure even beyond the fairly priced, healthy, well documented and incredible plants available for purchase. Strongly recommend for family trip. Easy bike access and close to the wineries and food trucks or even in and out. read more

Love this place! Make sure u say hi to big papa. Got some of my biggest air plants from here!!! Mostly outdoor plants, trees and shrubs. I came for indoor and succulents, didnt see much the time i went (i already have what they had FS hehehe) but like i said! My biggest air plants were from here! read more

Ploughshares Nursery - 3x of them were from the nursery! - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Alameda, California

Check out the mission statement on the Yelp page. Our staff member told us it was much more than that. The training they are giving local residents as a non-profit deserves our business. We are planning on returning. The nursery doesn't have the polished look of the big established chains but the staff makes up for his. Multiple sources rate them well. You might want to give them a visit and ask how they are helping the area. read more

Excellent place to buy plants and gardening supplies, everything is organic. The staff is helpful and the organization provides jobs for local people who need them. I buy all my stuff here. They have great seminars too -- Jeff is a master gardener and always helpful. read more

What a cute place! Today was my first visit. I was surprised by how big this nursery was and spent a long time browsing around. I settled on an agave plant and some perlite. Excellent customer service too. I can't wait to come back to buy more! read more

Ploughshares is an oasis, in a sea of concrete. Located on the north edge of the old naval base on Alameda, not far from the ferry terminal, it doesn't look like much from the outside - I cycled past it many times before having a need to go in. Once you're inside though, wow. It's adorable. You really feel like you're in a little grotto of native flora, and there's just so much damn heart to the place. There's a chicken coop, and even a dove sanctuary. You don't get those at Lowe's or Home Depot ;) We've bought various edible plants, soil and decorative stuff from them over the last few months, and the folk there have always been really helpful and knowledgeable. They go out of their way to help you load up your car, and make sure you're well taken care of. On top of that, it's a non-profit, helping homeless folk get back on their feet. Well worth paying a little extra for, but I've never really noticed it being any different in price to the big places. read more

Wow! Who needs to hire a gardener or landscaper when you have Ploughshares? They have a great selection of ornamental and edible plants at reasonable prices. But the real gem is the knowledgeable and friendly sales staff. They were a little busy when we went this last weekend. Despite the flurry of customers, the sales staff was attentive to help us select plants to fit our needs and show us a variety of options. We were looking for a fast growing bamboo that would do well in a container and plants for our curb cut. They showed us a plethora of options and explained all of the ways to care for the plants to get what we want. They answered all of our questions with great knowledge and expertise! read more

We just visited for the first time recently and LOVED it. This amazing place feels organic (haha, no, really), like one large garden. There were so many pollinators! We came just to start me off with strawberries and found an amazing selection of plants and trees available for purchase. Maybe in the future I can get my own blackberry and raspberry bushes. The prices were fair and the staff were knowledgeable about plants... which I really needed as a plant killer. This time will be different! :) read more

What a great place! Large selection, knowledgable staff to help out (though not often many around -- still better than Home Depot though!). Feel good about shopping here too as they help support Supportive Housing in Alameda. Good place to find the hard-to-find things you're looking for. read more

Hmmm. I thought I reviewed this place already, and would do an update, but I guess I didn't. I went here last year (2008) and was impressed with some of the plants they carried, and the amount of plants available for purchase. My visit recently left a lot to be desired. The location has fallen into disrepair, and staff was hanging out in the employees only section the whole time we were there. Many plants were looking like they needed a little love. also Oak town nursery used to share this space with ploughshares, but it looks like they are not there anymore? if they are, they really need to improve their visibility. read more

It's a really nice concept and really nice people but the plants look sad and there is a small selection. They offer native drought tolerant plants. If you go with the mindset of impulse plant shopping, then you will enjoy this place. If you are looking for anything specific, then you probably don't want to drive to the old naval base. read more

We've come here multiple times for supplies and plants. We've found some really amazing things here that we hadn't initially even considered, which were suggested to us by the fabulous staff. Most (but not all) of the workers here are volunteers, but the paid staff really REALLY know what they're talking about! The best part is though, the retail side of the business is not really the big deal here - it's the effect on the community - the opportunities offered to local residents. Even if the service WAS a little shaky (which it hasn't been, in my experience), I'd be willing to accept it for this reason alone. In direct response to the previous reviews complaining about "sad looking plants", it strikes me that you don't quite get how plants work. Today's "sad looking plant" is tomorrow's massive harvest, beautiful shrub or shining flower. Everything looks a little sad when it's not at its peak, and a lot of the plants at ploughshares are completely natural plants that go through life phases - the bio-engineered plants at commercial nurseries don't do that so much. The staff here is also unlikely to through out a troubled plant that can be revived, and rather more likely to give it away at a discount or throw it in on a large purchase to someone who will hopefully bring it back, than to throw it away, which would happen at, say, Orchard. They also know enough about them to be able to really tell when they'll be fine, or are really troubled. We've had 100% luck with our purchases from them, and I trust their judgement implicitly. read more

GoogleMaps brought me a roundabout way to get to a residential culdesack, where the tiny parking lot for Ploughshares is located, yet I am so happy I got to this small gem of a nursery. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff helped me select the right kind of plants and soil for my brand-new 4X4 raised bed. They even helped me carry and load the heavy soil in my car! I need to check out their weekend workshops because I hear from other gardener friends that they are fantastic! So happy to support a local, collaborative business like Ploughshares! read more

This place is truly magical! Such care and goodness in the air, and of course among the plants. Fantastic, knowledgeable, friendly service (thank you Jeff!) and between free delivery for purchases over $100 and a 15% cash discount because it was the day of the Alameda Flea, I felt like I got a wonderful deal while supporting a wonderful operation. read more

I'm a local, and visited Ploughshares for the first time March 2013. Every weekend I make my way to the two other nurseries in Alameda - time to mix it up and visit someplace new. What a little gem Ploughshares is. Make no mistake, it's no Orchard Nursery in Lafayette - it's physically and visually a bit chaotic and rough, but plant groups are clearly marked and pricing is easily visible. I found plant health to be a mix, some perfect and some stressed. But I got the vibe of something GOOD going on there - staff was helpful but not overbearing, the succulent collection was quite good and I left with a couple of things I didn't have in my collection. The location is off the beaten path but what that does is blanket the place in a peace and calm on a sunny day that makes it kind of fun to bounce around in. You can contemplate how badly (or not) you need that $4 succulent for 10 minutes without interruption. The freebie used terracotta pot offer is still in effect and made pretty homes for the new purchase. A great way to spend a little time on a warm afternoon. read more

10 stars, every time. Everyone is helpful and Jeff is especially the most patient and knowledgeable person around. I ask a lot of questions and I get answers that are not only complete and understandable for a beginner, the information is also tailored to the specific ways I am trying to design my garden space. (For instance, I ask about permaculture methods and get answers about those rather than fertilizer/pesticide-types of methods.) Great knowledge about Alameda microclimates, native plants, food plants, fruit trees, bees, and anything else I could want to know-- chickens, building methods, straw bale gardens, and etc. I love Ploughshares and am so grateful to have this incredible resource and its incredibly knowledgeable staff right in my own town. read more

I've shopped here twice, both great experiences and both times I didn't leave empty handed. We picked up soil and a very beautiful eggplant plant. I love the message this place makes and I live so close by it's just a gem! They even take VISA on an iPad!! read more

It's a little bit like walking through a forgotten garden - large plants grow seemingly wild amidst pots of plants available for purchase. My first and only visit was for a garden party they held, so my experience is not your average. There were lots of helpful teens roaming about, asking us repeatedly if we had any questions about anything as we poked and prodded through aisles and greenhouses full of plants in various stages of growth and health. It's not the prettiest and most polished of nurseries, but I like its grassroots feel, and I love that it's a positive impact on the community through APC. I'm sure I'll be back. read more

Gotta love this place. They have all the strange edibles that I can't find anywhere else, a great selection of native and drought-tolerant plants, they propagate many of their own plants, and have a great stray cat collection. Also very friendly and knowledgeable staff and a fun atmosphere with lots of demos everywhere. read more

This place is AWESOME. It has a huge array of good-for-your-California-yard plants, plus lots of little edible things. They also have fruit trees. And it's a place for the people who live on the old base (a supportive housing community for the formerly homeless) to get job-training and also just, you know, work. local, organic, sustainable, yay It's close to the ferry terminal so come over after work sometime. Worth the drive if you have a car. The tomato plant we bought there is flourishing! read more

It's not quite as well-organized as other nurseries but their knowledge, helpfulness, and mission more than makes up for it. Jeff even came out to our rental property today and gave us an informative, personalized consult for drought-resistant, native species to landscape with on a limited budget. He got down to look at our soil, drainage, exposure, and gave us lots of great looking recommendations. Nursery's don't usually come out to properties so it was really helpful for us who know very little and also don't have the budget to hire a full-on licensed landscaper just yet. Just wanted to let ya'll know if you're looking to redo your yard for the dry years, Ploughshares is definitely worth considering. read more

Ploughshares Nursery - We had no idea which drought-resistant plants to get, Jeff came out to take a look at our property. Great service! - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Alameda, California

Linda was extremely helpful, friendly, and sweet. I told her what level or maintenance, amount of sunlight, and price point I wanted, and she showed me a ton of plants that fit my criteria! This wast first experience at Ploughshares, and it won't be my last. I only hope Linda will be there again to assist me and keep me company again :) read more