Meet Lala
A lifelong love of growing things, and a family that grew right along with it.
Her name is Paula, but to her family she has always been Lala. It’s the name the grandkids gave her instead of grandma, and it stuck for good reason: she is exactly the kind of person who deserves a name that feels like a warm hug.
Long before this farm existed, Paula was saving seeds from anything she ate, pressing them into soil before anyone could stop her. She grew up in a household where her father tended a garden and her mother knew exactly what to do with everything it produced, turning the season’s best into memorable meals for the family.
That combination of growing it, cooking it, and sharing it became the blueprint for everything she has ever done.
When the family moved to a bigger house, the suburban yard slowly disappeared, replaced by raised planter beds, long outdoor dining tables, and before long an 80% edible garden. A small chicken coop appeared in the corner.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, between the lawn coming up and a very spirited family debate about whether anyone actually used the pool enough to justify keeping it, Paula joined the Master Gardeners of Alameda County.
She earned her certification through a UC research-based curriculum, studying everything from soil science and growing zones to integrated pest management and plant biology.
Paula volunteered at local community events, ran booths at county fairs, and helped re-establish a food garden at a continuation school in Pleasanton where students studying culinary arts could grow and cook their own food. She was, and still is, a pillar in every community she has been part of.
As far back as her children can remember, there was always a garden. Even in the family’s first home in Pleasanton, Paula had one.
Her kids grew up watching her pick bugs off tomato plants by hand and lay copper tape around the beds to keep slugs out.
Her daughters used to clip her chives, float them in a bowl of water, and present it to her as soup. She always acted like it was the finest thing she’d ever tasted.
The Farm on Canfield Road
In 2020, Paula and her husband found their piece of paradise in Sebastopol: a property on Canfield Road with one main house, open land, a semi-fenced garden area with some aged planter boxes, a small shed, and a well house. Her husband was nearing retirement and craved a different pace. Lala saw a blank canvas.
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary. Over 75 raised planter boxes were created. A Carolina custom chicken coop and two mini coops now house 60 chickens. A 40x40 workshop was built on the property to support all farm activities, repairs, and equipment, and to shelter a very precious old farm truck that’s been in the family for decades. A greenhouse went in. Her daughter, her son-in-law, and their children settled in alongside Paula and her husband. And the land just kept growing. In 2024, their eldest daughter moved back to California. Just in time to discuss living on the property with the whole family and is currently building a home on the property. It’s a whole family affair and everyone is excited to share the land and its bounty together.
Today the farm is home to a full citrus grove, orchards with 40+ fruit trees (including maple trees, yes, for maple syrup), herb containers, berry patches, and more vegetables than any one family could ever eat alone. Zucchinis the size of human thighs. Tomatoes the size of saucers. Patty pan squashes that fill a whole pan. Whatever the family has ever loved to eat, Paula planted it. And it grew.