After having an incredible Saturday last week at the SoCal roundup, I had another amazing Saturday. An organization named RockCorp which promotes volunteer work among teens came to our community garden with LA radio station KRoc and did a massive garden cleanup. It was a last minute decision that our garden would be the garden in LA that Rockcorp would help "renew". We were expecting 20 to 40 teens to show up, instead we got almost 100! I lost count at 92. The LA Times was there as well, along with our city cousel representative for the area who said that gardening was not important enough of a topic to put money aside for.
I was given an award by the city counsel woman Jan Perry for my committment to the garden and for all of the work that me, Mr. Jones and his wife have done to mantain the garden including donating most the produce grown to local families who are financially challenged. Don't you know as she handed me and the Jones' our certificate, I asked her about funding for the garden before I would look at the camera and take the publicity shot she wanted. She asked if we could take the picture first, and I told her no, we can take the picture after she committed to providing the funding that I found out was put in her budget to be provided to us in the amount of $500 per month! Hmmm, I wonder whose pocket it made its way into? She said I should email her and she would look into it, so I turned, smiled at the camera, and then turned back to her when I saw the reporter from the LA Times' boom man (sound recorder) put the microphone above our heads and told her that I had emailed her numerous times, and called even more. In short, I got her to committ to not only sending us our monthly allowance, but also, fresh soil, compost, redwood chips, and wood to make more boxes in the garden.
The volunteers were sweet, but you can imagine almost 100 13-20 years olds who have never gardened before in their lives pulling up all of your plant. Sorry I meant weeds. But they didn't know the difference, and a lot of them didn't think to ask first (like what teen does) so we lost a lot of plants. 3 large zuccnini's for which one young lady said, she thought it was a giant green tumbleweed! In all, we lost about 18 healthy producing plants, but we have a garden that is almost weed free (and tumbleweed free...lol)! The kids received a pizza lunch and concert tickets to some big rock concert along with a t-shirt, and some walked away with plants that I gave them to plant at home in their parents garden. Not only did they weed, they painted our shed and our front and back gates, cleaned up the street and the alley, took out all of the trash for us that they had collected, and pruned our fruit tree, well actually, one of the mom's that came with her daughter did the pruning, teens and shears, I don't think so. Oh, and one parent busted our main waterline by hoeing too deeply, so we had to completely replace that, but had plenty of help on hand to do so. Despite the mishaps, it was great. I had fun showing the kids new things, and some of them learned new thing, some were already gardening experts and we all had a great day.
Well enough chat, here are the before pics of the garden:
My First Real Garden Part 2
Wow! Way to take on City Council, kanita!
Way to Go Girl!! You tackled city hall great! Smart thinking! ~ Suzi :)
Whoever said "You can't fight city hall" didn't know you! Congratulations. Have you ever considered running for office? Sounds like LA needs you.
Debra
Thanks Suzi & Debra, I wish you could have seen that womans face when I told her I would smile for the picture after we got funding. She looked like she wanted to rip my eyes out of my head.
You go girl!
kanita what an awesome day to share with us. thanks for sharing.
Yes future councilwoman, or was that Mayor Kanita! That was so cool! Let us know what you do get from them!! I bet you are glad you decided to put all your gardening in that one place; I know they are glad you are there!
Best wishes for continued successes! ~ Suzi :)
Kanita, that's just a really nice day and a good story to share with us.
I've seen all the pics you've posted this summer and you've had a really good season. Keep up the good work (and don't let up on that councilwoman).
Flip
What I'm most impressed by is your attitude: the kids learned a lot more than they would have if their mistakes had been made into a big deal. So many times we think we need to entertain teenagers, but what they really want is that we *need* them; that their contribution is not only good and important but vital.
The garden looks fantastic.
Kanita,
Way to go!!!!!!
Sorry about the zuke and other tumbleweed like plants.... :-(
tmm
Kanita, you are my new hero. :)
That was just awesome the way you handled the city council woman.
Hi All!
Just a fall update about the garden. We are hanging in there, and although it took a couple of months, the funding from the council woman did finally start to come through.
We are looking into buying our own tiller because renting from Home Depot, I am sure we have already spent enough money to have our own. We decorated the garden for Halloween and the neighborhood kids and adults alike got a real kick out of it. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pumpkins growing as I had hoped, so that the front of the garden would be filled with real pumpkins growing on the vine, so maybe next year.
So far I have planted: cauliflower; broccoli, cabbage red and green, lots and lots of onions and garlic (probably too much), sugar snap peas, more pole beans, some tomatoes, oak leaf lettuce, brussel sprouts, bronze leaf lettuce, bibb lettuce, romaine, spinach, kale, more swiss chard. Am I missing out on anything that can be happily planted this time of year?
kanita
You're my HERO!
Way to go!! I love the halloween decorations, but even more I love the way you are getting the neighborhood involved and wringing cooperation out of the city council!
And there's no such thing as too much garlic.... ;-)
What a great idea to have pumpkins growing for next year! It sounds like you are really contributing to the neighborhood. Keep up the good work!
Debra
Hi All!!!
Well, it seems that my first garden is coming to an end. I got a call from Mr. Jones this morning telling me that a man showed up to the garden from a realty agency and posted a "for sale" sign while he was there working. The owner of the lot passed away, and now his daughter has decided to try and sale it, even though her father loved the garden as well. He and Mr. Jones were old friends, and when the lease was up, there was no rush to sign a new one.
It was a joy while I had it.
kanita
Oh, what a shame!! I wonder if you and a bunch of the neighborhood folks who have come to enjoy the garden could approach City Council about acquiring the property for public use.... I know I might be dreaming pies in the sky, but it may at least be worth a phone call. Cities do sometimes acquire vacant lots to turn into public park or playground areas, and this has the advantage of not needing a lot of maintenance money to keep it going (and it's already significantly cleaned up & improved).
However it works out, you done good!!
Katina,
I'm down with critterologist! Approach the city about purchasing the property for the community garden. Promote the fact of its service to the community, little or no maintenance by the city, the teaching/training forum it is for youngsters and young gardeners, and its usefulness in channeling youth into productive activity!
I told DH about this, saying what a shame after all the hard work you had put in all summer and with the community clean-up day... he said, sure now they want to sell it, it's worth more and will sell better now that it looks nice! Aaargh.
I feel so sick that I couldn't even bring myself to go to the garden today. They made that sign sooo huge that it almost covers most of one of the gate views inside.
((((( Kanita )))))
Oh, kanita, I can't even believe it! That stinks SO BAD! Listen to critter and Gymgirl. The council saying "no" is the worst that could happen, and you and the neighborhood would be no worse off than you are now.
kanita, here is a link to the American Community Garden Association. You may be able to use some of the information at this site or get assistance from some of the contacts to help present your case to the city:
http://www.communitygarden.org/whatgood.php
Here is a link to their "10 tips to local advocacy (especially to get gardens preserved)"
http://www.communitygarden.org/LocalAdvocacy10-Tips.pdf
http://www.communitygarden.org/youth.php
Here is a write up on another group in Los Angeles that may be able to offer advice/assitance:
http://www.communitygarden.org/youth_highlight1.php
Also want to let you know that we now have a community garden forum on DG:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/groupgarden/all/
We are just getting the community garden up and running after many long threads on other forums. I'm trying to find all the other "loose" threads to link up to the new CG forum. You might post something there to see if others have suggestions.
Don't let them take your garden without a "fight". The daughter may need the money from the sale of the lot. The city may be willing to buy it, especially if some local churches and community groups etc can chip in with some resources or voices.
Thanks GardenMermaid
Hi Kanita -
Darned that Mr. Jones! I can't believe he has the nerve to rain on your parade like this. Seriously, I realize how much this must upset you and just want you to know that I sympathize with you and understand that you must be terribly upset. I know gardening has a way to bring us joy in our otherwise stressful and hectic lives and I know that this hurts you. I hope that you find somewhere else to garden that will allow you to still find the joy that you have found in this garden plot.
Your DG friend,
Merae
So sorry to hear about the garden property. Maybe you were born to lead a cause and just didn't know it until now? Whatever happens, though, what a blessing this little plot of ground has provided this year. You've done an awesome thing. Many blessings to you and your gardening buddies.
Thanks everyone. My hands are really tied right now. Mr. Jones does not want me to go to the city because he said he's afraid they will stop the funding it took so long to get. But without doing that, there's nothing that we can do. And since he started the garden, I don't want to go over his head or do something he doesn't want me to do.
Then you just go right out and find yourself a little abandoned plot of land for sale for the overdue back taxes, and get your community together to purchase it. The appeal to the City would be one less weed-filled property to maintain on its dime!
Contact the local agriculture schools about some sort of training partnership / lease agreement to help pay for it. Offer gardening clinics and charge a small fee. Hold weekend "markets" in the growing season and use the proceeds to help pay for the land. Bring the City in on another location to help fund with an agreement in place that it will belong to and remain for the community's use (like a park).
Just a few suggestions.
Thanks Gymgirl. Thats what I have been working on this past week. I refuse to give up gardening!
That's the spirit! Keep the garden growing. I hope you find a new garden location soon.
Thanks Garden Mermaid
Is it possible that you could purchase the garden where you have been all summer, as a community garden??? You could talk to the city about having it tax free and set up a fund drive with local businesses, people, etc to purchase it?? Good Luck!
Hi BriarRose: The problem is that the land is privately owned. Apparently, they are trying to sell off a lot of the community gardens in the LA area. The largest one which was several acres large was closed, the owner of the property decided to build on it and they wanted like 5 million dollars for the land. Everyone tried to pitch in and raise the money, but 5 million dollars is a lot. I check with the sales agent, and they want 1.5 million for ours.
The Manhattan Beach garden is being sold and shut down, if they can't save that garden in such a "ritzy" area, I know that we are doomed.
But, in the mean time, the lettuce looks really good.
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