 | ||||||
| Ocean View Farms Community Garden, Photo by Kathy Vilim
~Gardening
not only puts food on the table, it also feeds my soul~
Usually I write about things to do in the backyard garden. However, with the high cost of housing in
SoCal, for many having a backyard garden is but a distant dream. After I sold
my house, I missed gardening so much and wondered where I could garden. Then I discovered Ocean View Farms, a
non-profit community garden in Mar Vista.
Community gardens are a wonderful resource. They feed the need to see things grow, to
nurture new life, to get in the earth and get soil under your fingernails. When I am at my garden plot, I feel the sun
warm my skin and the breezes pick up my hair.
All around me things are growing.
The place is alive with busy insects and butterflies and the splashes of
color that flowers add. Here I can make a difference. I can grow my own food. Tomatoes simply are not the same in the
store, after you’ve tasted hand-picked organic tomatoes. And, I can give back to pollinators by planting
nectar rich flowers and milkweed.
Are you interested in finding a
place to garden? LA.Curbed.com has provided a list of the 10 best community gardens in Los Angeles County (compiled by Will
Cooley)
Ocean View
Farms:
I was happy to see that the garden I belong to, OceanViewFarms, is on the 10 Best Community
Gardens list. A
non-profit community garden in Mar Vista (established in 1977), it earned
mention for having the “Most Impressive Compost.” I would have to agree that their compost set
up is extensive and impressive. The
“black gold” that results makes for a rich, organic garden compost that is
available for all members to use. In
return, the members all contribute their spent vegetable plants to the compost
pile.
For me this is a very important resource. Your vegetables will only be as good as the
soil that goes into growing them. In Southern
California it can be difficult to keep dry, sandy soil rich and fertile enough
for a good harvest all by yourself.
Having a garden community to work with is a benefit I certainly
appreciate.
Ocean View Farms is a large (500 plots) well-established
community garden providing many resources for its members, including: a tool
shed where tools are made available, a greenhouse for seed starting, and an
orchard with fruit for the enjoyment of all members.
Did I mention that this garden is organic? Everything is
grown organically. No pesticides whatsoever are used, and the bees say, “Thank
you.”
Santa Monica
Main Street Community Garden:
Located on Main Street between Hollister and Strand, this
community garden has (73) plots and is also on the 10 Best Community Gardens list mentioned as “Most Integrated Into
the Community.” Available exclusively to Santa Monica residents, this garden
has a long waiting list. If you’d like to apply, fill out their application
here: https://www.smgov.net/Departments/CCS/form.aspx?ekfrm=42024
When I visited this month, the Main Street Garden was holding
a breakfast with featured speaker Christy Wilhelmi of GardenNerd. She spoke on Practical Pest Control for Small Space
Gardens. It was a good chance to get to know the folks that garden there
and discuss what to be growing this spring. The garden was alive with blooming
flowers, planted to attract pollinators.
Recent rains have meant more butterflies, in particular Painted Ladies! It
has also been a big help to the winter vegetable crops, such as cauliflower,
broccoli, and lettuces.
Wattles
Farm:
Mentioned on the 10 Best Community Gardens list as “Most
Unlikely Oasis,” Wattles Farm has a very interesting history. Located in the heart of Hollywood,
this community garden was built on the grounds of a 40-acre estate named
“Jualita,” the winter home of businessman Gurdon Wattles. His mansion is
designated as City of Los Angeles Cultural Monument No. 579. The mansion with its
lush landscaped gardens was built in 1907.
In 1975,
an organic community garden was started on 4 of the acres It was one of the
first gardens begun through the initiative of Mayor Tom Bradley’s community
gardening program. Volunteers cleaned up the previous garden which had fallen
into neglect, clearing brush and putting in plumbing for the first plots. They
saved hundreds of original avocado and citrus trees in the orchard.
Today the
Wattles community garden has 300 members and 172 plots.
“Someone loves
this garden and has lent it to you.
Please respect this kindness and leave it as beautiful as you find it.”
The spirit of the
members is reflected in this sign posted at the entrance to the grounds. It is
this spirit of community that has saved the land from developers in this
highly-prized part of Hollywood.
The only problem with community gardens seems to be there are
not enough of them! According to the Los Angeles Community Garden Council
(LACGC), there are approximately 125 community gardens in Los Angeles County. You
can find one near you by visiting their website: http://lagardencouncil.org/find-a-garden/ To learn
the membership requirements of each, the application process, and the waiting
list contact the garden manager.
If you want to get your hands dirty right away, you should
consider volunteering at a local community garden hosted by Los Angeles
Community Garden Council. LACGC has a
list of gardens that are looking for volunteers. You don’t need experience to get started
learning to garden. Check them out here: http://lagardencouncil.org/get-involved/volunteer/
|
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Get in the Dirt
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Californians Go Crazy Over Super Blooms
 |
| California Poppies Eschscholzia californica, Photo by Kathy Vilim, Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve |
It's windy, and gusty winds are chilly. But we are patient, waiting with our small dog, for the winds to die down so we can photograph the blooms of California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) Waving orange in the sun, poppies stretch by the thousands up hills and ridges welcoming spring.
 |
| Dog Doodles enjoying Super Bloom, 2017 |
We are visiting the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve (15101 Lancaster Road, Lancaster), the only parkland dedicated to California's state flower (designated March 2, 1903). Each spring, flower lovers drive up to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve to see the California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) in bloom.
This year visitors are in for a treat. They can experience the Super Bloom, which was brought on by heavy rainfall this winter. For the next 3 weeks visitors can still view the Super Bloom. To best enjoy the poppies, time your visit for mid-day on a sunny day because the petals close up when it is overcast or during late afternoon.
 |
| Kathy Vilim Photographing California Poppies Eschscholzia californica, Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve |
What's blooming:
California poppies are not the only wildflowers blooming this year. There are also filaree (pink), fiddleneck (yellow), slender keel fruit, wild parsley and lacy phacelia (light purple). Soon goldfields and cream cups are expected, according to a recent Poppy Reserve/Mojave Desert Interpretive Assn. field report.
Another place to go to view wildflowers is the Saddleback Butte State Park, (17102 E. Ave. J in Lancaster) which is a bit higher up. Besides the wildflowers mentioned at Antelope Valley, they also have Joshua trees flowering now.
North of Mojave, visit Red Rock Canyon State Park, on California Highway 14. It has a few slopes heavy in poppies, coreopsis and desert sunflowers and patches of other flowers, according to an email Wednesday from a state park ranger.
Saddleback Butte State Park, also in Lancaster, is a little drier and higher in altitude than the reserve. Still, wildflowers such as fiddlenecks, coreopsis, Mojave suncups, woolly daisies and red maids are blooming, according to the park's Facebook page. You can also see Joshua trees flowering as well. The park is at 17102 E. Ave. J in Lancaster.
for contact info: Mojave.Sector@parks.ca.gov
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)