By: Hanna Nakano
In a world that can feel unwelcoming to queer people at best—cruel, even—one group of gardeners in Davis are stewarding their community plot toward connectivity and friendship.
Behind the Domes on the UC Davis campus, tucked among student plots at the ASUCD Community Gardens, The Big Gay Garden stands out, wrapped in rainbow picket fencing. The fence is just for looks, though, because there is no gatekeeping about the good that goes on here.
Every Saturday morning from 9a—11a (or longer, if the company’s good), a handful of volunteers weed, plant, harvest, and spend time together. Some are students, others are community members, but all are drawn by the same spirit: a desire to grow food and friendship in a space that celebrates queerness and care.
Bailey Kallas has been volunteering at the Big Gay Garden for about a year.
“I love having a positive reason to gather—the world can be especially cruel to queer people, getting together as a group to care for one another is healing,” Kallas told The Dirt. “Even if every crop we plant is nibbled to death by invasive ground squirrels (our greatest nemesis)—I know we’re growing and strengthening our community.”
There are no dues or participation requirements, just the responsibility of being a good community member.
“I believe very strongly in the garden’s missions of teaching people how to grow their own food sustainably along with providing a safe, inclusive community space for queer people to come together and find joy and support,” community gardener Clay Jones told The Dirt. “When so much of the world feels uncertain and out of our control, it is incredibly grounding and rewarding to grow a seed or tiny transplant into a full grown plant, and then literally enjoy the fruits of your labor by eating food that you grew.”
On the second Saturday of each month, The Big Gay Garden hosts skill shares, casual social events where visitors might learn to make jam, mend a shirt, start seedlings, or play a round of board games under the trees. The activities change with the season, but the energy remains the same: playful, welcoming, and just a little bit fabulous.
In a way, The Big Gay Garden is part of a long lineage. Queer communities have turned to gardening and land projects for decades as a form of resistance and renewal—from the Radical Faeries’ communes of the 1970s to the AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. These spaces have offered not just sustenance, but sanctuary.
“We’re saying that we may not have much power in the world right now, but we can make our little garden beautiful and help each other eat,” Jones said.
Now, that tradition continues right here in Davis, where the soil is fertile and the community is ready to grow, linking food sovereignty, mutual aid, and safe outdoor spaces for queer and trans people.
For those looking to join in, The Big Gay Garden meets weekly on Saturday mornings and hosts its Second Saturday skill shares each month. All are welcome—bring gloves, curiosity, or just yourself. The garden will provide the rest.
Follow The Big Gay Garden on Instagram (instagram.com/thebiggaygarden) or request to join in the conversation on Discord (discord.gg/CNPqaYWW).
