Good nursery or other place to find inexpensive plants/trees for sale (or free!) in the East Bay?

I was going to suggest Freecycle and then I see that you have mentioned it in your question. In our area, we list plants on Freecycle, especially in the fall and spring when folks are replacing or thinning out plants/trees.

Here we give the saplings that spring up to whoever wants them. Are there gardeners in your neighborhood? (Indoors, I am not sure about. Banana trees do well in sunny rooms but they have to be repotted and end up weighing 10 tons.)

Any Aggie schools in your area? They may have seedlings. (Or plant an avocado seed or a pineapple top. Google for hints.)

Good idea on the agricultural schools… I’m looking into it.

Didn’t see any relevant posts on Craigslist or Freecycle, but I’ll keep checking—and I’ve now posted on Freecycle.

Zina; Also, try prowling your neighborhood and talking to those folks with dirt under their fingernails (and perhaps back braces). Gardeners love gardens, talk gardens and share gardens. It is a wonderful and refreshing subcommunity.

Occ, who isn’t on here much anymore, has a small patch in a community garden in SF, I think. Ben would know.PM him.

There’s a little Nursery on Gilman and Curtis streets that I’ve used in the past. I don’t recall what it’s called, but look it up.