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Meet Patton Street Community Garden

No Hay Como el Olor a La Tierra (There’s nothing like the scent of soil)
– Margarita Fernandez, President of Patton Street Community Garden
 

On a warm Saturday afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit Patton Street Garden and interview the garden’s president, Margarita Fernandez. A life-long resident of Echo Park -- the neighborhood where the garden is located -- Margarita enthusiastically gave me a grand tour of this beautiful park and garden, a true gem in the heart of this community.

Opened in 2015, the Patton Street Community Garden counts on 10 raised beds, 9 for families and 1 communal bed, and has served the senior community at its mission’s core. Margarita loves that the garden team is always full of energy, positivity, and cariño, and she can always count on the gardeners for support. Meetings are on an “as needed” basis, which allows gardeners to dedicate their attention to having fun and enjoying their garden beds. Andamos correteados en la vida, y aqui hay tranquilidad (Life has us running around, and at the garden, we can find peace).

Although the garden is small, the space has many fruits and vegetables. Just in the communal areas, one can find papaya, passion fruit, avocado, and citrus trees. The fruits and the tranquility make this garden a truly serene space. Ending our tour, I asked Margarita if she had any advice for other community gardens. “Work with your team and look out for them. Nothing compares to having your team behind you.”

By Jose Gutierrez

Plan a visit to Patton St. Park and Garden! 329 Patton St. Los Angeles, CA 90026

This past Saturday, September 9th, Pepperdine students volunteered at nine of our partner community gardens on their annual Step Forward Day. We are extremely grateful and thankful for their service. Way to go!

Get started with plants and supplies for the fall gardening season with a gift certificate to Armstrong Garden Centers. GardenZeus is offering a sweepstakes promotion of two $25 gift certificates to Armstrong Garden Centers only to persons associated with the LA Community Garden Council. To enter go to www.gardenzeus.com/la-community-garden-council-promotion/ 
GardenZeus is an innovative, online resource that helps you learn and succeed as a California gardener. Enter your zip code and select growing information for a wide range of vegetables, as well as for an expanding selection of herbs and perennials, all customized just for you. All this is complemented by a series of blogs designed to help gardeners navigate Southern California’s unique climates and growing conditions. We hope you stop by our booth at the 11th Annual Gathering of Community Gardens and join the fun!

We are proud to announce that our Sprouts gardening and nutrition workshops have kicked off at Eagle Rock Elementary School! For the next 6 weeks, our instructors will teach and guide our young participants in the art of gardening and nutrition with hands on activities and fun projects. A big THANK YOU to the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation for this opportunity. For more information, contact Diana Campos at dcampos.lacgc@gmail.com.

Are you a beginner gardener?  If so, join us for this wonderful series of six classes!  Master Gardener Florence Nishida will discuss different topics each week, including how to start your own garden, make boxed beds, how to analyze and improve your soil, and more. This series begins Sunday, September 17th, 1:00pm to 4:00pm with classes at Good Earth Community Garden at 5546 Boden Street, Los Angeles, CA 90016. All gardeners must register and pay to participate. For more information, contact Florence Nishida at growtips@gmail.com.

The Los Angeles Green Festival Expo will take place at the Magic Box at The REEF September 23-24 for the 7^th annual Expo in LA. Find everything you need to live a healthier, more sustainable life, from the latest technology and all-natural products, to chemical-free household supplies and more! 
For more information visit their website or contact lisa@greenfestivals.org.

Join Pasadena Community Garden as they host UCLA students for a Volunteer Day on Saturday, October 7th from 9am to noon.
Pasadena Communtiy Garden is located, 721 South Pasadena Avenue, Pasadena CA 91105. 
Contact Cathy Morrison for more information, cjmorrison22@gmail.com.

The Los Angeles Community Garden Council invites you to the 11th Annual Gathering of Community Gardens. An educational event for community gardeners from all over LA County featuring a keynote address, workshops for adults in English and Spanish, networking, informational booths, and healthy food. Saturday, October 21st, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Centro Maravilla Service Center, 4716 East Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90022. 
For more information, contact Diana Campos at dcampos.lacgc@gmail.com or (323) 902-7167. 
RSVP here! 

The Growing Club / Sarvodaya Farms and Seedstock are offering a 3-day Regenerative Urban Farming Intensive workshop on October 20, 21, 22 (Fri-Sun).

The workshop is aimed at urban farming professionals who are working towards starting a commercial urban farm as a private for-profit or non-profit business. The goal of the workshop will be to provide a base of relevant knowledge, basic skills, and local resources to start and operate a regenerative soil-based small-scale or urban farm. Workshop will include both hands-on and lecture portions on the Sarvodaya Farms property where attendees will be able to see, experience, and participate in a working regenerative urban farm.
For more information visit their site here!

Farm Day is a day when over 20 participating Ventura County farms open their doors, enabling the public to learn about agriculture firsthand. Attendees pick the locations they want to visit and drive themselves to the farms. Each farm has fun-filled activities for the entire family to enjoy. Admission is FREE! for more information visit their website here, or contact info@venturacountyfarmday.com 

Al Renner, co-founder of LACGC, will be holding a special session at our 11th Annual Gathering of Community Gardens to meet people who are interested in joining his monthly Saturday morning classes at the site of the new East Hollywood Community Garden.  The classes teach the basics of gardening, from soil preparation to planting, to best watering practices,to composting, and to the glory of harvesting.

Do you have a pressing question about your garden that your fellow gardeners just can't seem to answer?  Reply to this email to Ask Al, Master Gardener and one of the founders of LACGC.

Al hosts "office hours" at the LACGC office in Boyle Heights every Wednesday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and gardeners from LACGC partner gardens are welcome to come by to ask questions then.