But in Brisbane, as well as in the 10,000 or so other community gardens in the United States and Canada tracked by the American Community Garden Association, vegetables and herbs aren't the only things cultivated.

For a woman without a yard, Begoa Cirera is a surprisingly active gardener.

Even though she lives in an apartment in Livermore, Cirera still raises potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, radishes, carrots, rosemary, lemon verbena, strawberries, onions, garlic and flowers that attract beneficial insects in a 15-foot by 10-foot plot of land in the Livermore Community Garden.

But in Livermore, as well as in the 10,000 or so other community gardens in the United States and Canada tracked by the American Community Garden Association, vegetables and herbs aren't the only things cultivated.

Documentarian Rick Bacigalupi discovered a social microcosm -- conflict, friendship, passion -- in the Peralta Community Peace Garden in Berkeley, which he filmed for five years and turned into the documentary "A Lot in Common." It premieres at noon July 27 on Channel 9.

Bacigalupi, who grew up in Hillsborough and Menlo Park, has always been interested in documenting life. When he was in the sixth grade, he won an award from the San Mateo County Times for a series of articles written for the Crocker Middle School newspaper. "They were, I believe, about the weather," he says wryly.

"Growing up on the Peninsula, we always had a garden," he says. "And my mom and dad instilled in me a love of gardening and the wonder of life in the garden."

While on the hunt for a juicy topic for a documentary, Bacigalupi came across the Berkeley garden. Designed by Berkeley landscape architect Karl Linn, the space was intentionally created to be a community meeting place.

Bacigalupi found himself more moved by the community than the horticulture. He captured small dramas, like when one gardener doesn't keep her hungry pet rabbit penned up. And he doesn't shy away from large ones -- like a cancer diagnosis for another gardener.

"(The documentary) is about people coming together, putting their minds to something, overcoming tremendous odds and getting stuff done," Bacigalupi says. "It's about working out the problems you have with your neighbors and moving forward."

In San Carlos, there isn't a community garden where one can raise a set of crops on your own plot. However, outside the San Carlos Senior Center, a group of dedicated volunteers raise vegetables used in the center's senior lunch program.

The garden is tended by volunteers like 9-year-old Carly Reed, 17-year-old Adrian Jung and a number of volunteers who entered their golden years quite a while ago.

Alison Anson, a librarian in San Carlos, is the garden's informal coordinator.

"Right now we're growing a lot of tomatoes and basil and lettuce, and we're going to put in onions," she says.

Their efforts help out the lunch program, but they don't provide all the program's vegetables, Anson says. She recalls what the former chef at the senior center told her: "It's wonderful, but I serve 90 people and you give me seven beans!" Anson laughs.

Still, in the Bay Area where land is at a premium, finding empty spaces to create community gardens isn't easy, and established gardens find themselves sometimes threatened by development. In Livermore, the parks and recreation board recently decided not to raze the community garden in favor of sand volleyball courts and picnic tables slated to be built at the community center, now under construction.

The board proposed moving the garden to Robinson Park, a more out-of-the-way location with no access to public transportation lines.

Cirera worked to get the word out that the gardens were slated to be moved. "We got enough community support that the board of directors saw that this wasn't just an affair for gardeners," she says. "It was overwhelming support."

Cirera, 30, a student at San Jose State University studying nutrition, speaks passionately about the value of community gardens.

"It's about learning about the environment, learning about sustainability, learning about sharing, learning about where your carrots come from," she says.

In Brisbane, the community garden is in the process of moving because the city is required to develop the land, on Plumas Street, for affordable housing.

Although the move won't happen until next spring, gardener Cynthia Zink says the city council has been remarkably open to finding a new, suitable location, pledging $50,000 to the project.

"I would encourage people to let their city governments know that they value this kind of activity and they really need to have it," Zink says. "Cities need to plan for open space."

Filmmaker Bacigalupi says "A Lot in Common" illustrated to him the importance of deliberately creating a space in a neighborhood to foster community interaction and goodwill -- such as a garden.

"(A garden) makes it easy for people to be kind to each other, in a way that freeways do not," he says.

For more information about the Brisbane Community Garden visit www.brisbanegarden.com.

"A Lot in Common" airs at noon July 27 on Channel 9. Clips and interviews are available at the Web site: www.alotincommon.com Also on July 27, tour the art installed in the garden and hear a talk by designer Karl Linn. The free event is 2:00 ~ 5:00 p.m. on Peralta Street between Hopkins and Gilman streets in Berkeley. Call (510) 231-5912.

To volunteer at the San Carlos Senior Center Garden, call Jean Archbold at the Senior Center at (650) 802-4384 or e-mail Alison Anson at## anson@plsinfo.com.

The Livermore Community Garden is planning a victory party at 6:00 p.m. August 10 at the garden, on Loyola and East avenues in Livermore.

You can e-mail Elizabeth Jardina at## ejardina@angnewspapers.com or call (650) 348-4327.

The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
(510) 208-6447
(510) 208-6477 Fax##
lmclaughlin@angnewspapers.com Email