In the center of the Stamford Avalon Community Garden, rows of dark green herbs, giant lettuces, prickly cacti and crisp cabbages are arranged in neat rows. These colorful vegetables stand out against their asphalt surroundings. On either side, cars revved to capacity and whizzed by. Overhead, city power lines towered high into the cloudy sky, their massive pylons standing just a few feet away. Maria Pedrosa smiled as she looked out over her plot, full of fresh produce that is rarely available in her Watts neighborhood.
The nearest grocery store to Pedroza is a 7-Eleven, and the surrounding markets, she says, are “not great.” “It's fresh here,” she says, pointing to her garden plot.
Surrounded by homes, busy streets and power lines, the 180-plot garden spans 11 blocks of what the USDA classifies as a food desert in Watts. Projects like Pedroza's represent a larger movement to use community gardening initiatives to combat food insecurity caused by food deserts. According to USDA data, one in four residents in Los Angeles County live in a food desert. The USDA defines a food desert as an area where at least half of the neighborhood residents do not have a grocery store within a half mile and a significant portion of the community does not have access to a car. As a result, many residents must rely on gas stations and mini-marts for food.
These gardening solutions aren't the same for all Los Angeles residents. Pedroza's garden is located within a larger community garden run by the Los Angeles Community Garden Council (LACG), while LA Green Grounds is transforming the front yards of homes in South Los Angeles into edible gardens. The organization hosts “Dig Ins,” where volunteers help dig up garden plots and plant fruit trees, vegetables, lettuce, herbs, and beans in the freshly tilled soil.
“I said, 'I want to start an organization that teaches people how to grow food,'” said Florence Nishida, master gardener and founder of L.A. Green Grounds. “I want people to grow food in their own gardens, and then they invite their community members, their friends and relatives to be their first students, and then eventually we'll have a garden.”
Fourteen years later, Nishida and a team of volunteers have planted more than 40 edible plants in South L.A. The LACG has seen similar success, gaining 235 members in Watts and expanding the program to three other locations around the city since Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa began leasing land to the group in 2006.
“In a community where organic produce isn't widely available, this is a safe haven for gardeners with healthy food sources,” said Jessie de la Cruz, a community partner with LACG who helps oversee the organization of the Stamford Avalon Community Garden.
Community members like Pedroza can apply for plots for an average of $35 a month. The fee goes towards navigating the problems presented by the LA government bureaucracy. De la Cruz says her water bill from the Department of Water and Power has increased by 300% since 2016 due to classification rate changes. Plus, under current law, LACG members can't sell their crops, unlike farmers and gardeners with privately owned plots.
De la Cruz's dream garden would have an organized system for gardeners to sell their surplus produce.”[It would act like a] “We'll be able to create sales channels to local supermarkets and restaurants and optimize our yields in a way that's efficient for the garden owners and the public,” de la Cruz says, “so it'll have the appearance of a vibrant produce market.”
These community-based experiences have allowed Nishida to expand LA Green Ground. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, with the smell of humus in the air, Lorenita Holloway's parents' dirt yard in Compton was transformed into a vegetable patch during April's “Dig In.” Thirteen community volunteers in closed-toed shoes pulled weeds, added new soil and humus, created flower beds, and planted all kinds of fruits and vegetables, all while listening to Nishida share gardening tips.
“[The volunteers] “We learned about soil: what to do with it, how to improve it, how to level the ground, how to add the necessary amendments, how to plant, how to fertilize, and so on. It was a hands-on experience,” Nishida said. “Nothing beats doing it yourself.”
Nishida explained the science behind how to choose the best fertilizer for your garden, how much water to give when planting, and which vegetables grow best in Los Angeles' dry climate. The volunteers listened intently to Nishida's advice, hats on, refillable water bottles in hand, and sunscreen constantly reapplied. As soon as Nishida stopped talking, the volunteers immediately got to work following her advice, joking about the math behind gardening as soft rock played in the background.
Holloway saw the garden as an opportunity to foster community with people interested in gardening and organic produce. “I tell people who come to help me garden that they can come and get the fruits of their labor,” Holloway says. “Hopefully once a month or once a quarter, when I have extra stuff to sell, I can just put a little cart outside. Why not?”
For Holloway, a local science teacher who is working to expand her school district's agriculture program, her new garden is an opportunity to help her students understand the importance of fresh, organic produce, even if it's not always available in their community.
“When the Robert F. Kennedy students come, they get all kinds of hands-on learning,” Holloway said. “They don't know where strawberries come from. They think they just come from the store…[My students can] We understand how we are connected to nature and how we should protect it.”
Both gardeners reiterated that these gardens don't just offer healthy eating options, but also emphasize a personal connection to food. Before the dig-in, Nishida consults with all garden recipients about their favorite fruits and vegetables, then tries to introduce her own favorites: kohlrabi and purple mustard. Nishida then put her planting expertise to use, slowly walking around the perimeter of the fresh soil for nearly an hour, studying the garden's shade and sun distribution and determining the best locations for Holloway's favorite crops.
Pedroza started gardening more than 20 years ago so his father could grow the vegetables and herbs he grew in Mexico. When his father stopped gardening, Pedroza took it upon himself to tend to the garden. After learning some basic gardening skills from a few friends around the garden, Pedroza was able to grow the same yerba molas and querites as his father. Now, despite the asphalt road just outside, Pedroza is able to teach those same skills to his grandchildren.
“This is a legacy for my family to my children,” Pedroza said. “My grandson runs everywhere. I'm happy he's here.”
