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Meet Karla Gonzalez  

Karla Gonzalez has been interested in growing her own food since her youth in Chiapas, Mexico. She enjoyed watching her legumes and maize grow there. All that changed when she came to the US; space was an issue where she lived so she made use of any space that was available, including filling her balcony with plants. The desire to grow never left her. After she and her husband decided to have children, they were able to move into a home where she grew an abundance of food. She mostly enjoyed her papaya tree. 

One day, as she was at Belvedere Park with her children, she met an organizer who was looking for families interested in taking plots at the new community garden that was being built, thanks to First5LA funds. She was beyond excited! She was involved from day one. She is now Treasurer of the garden and feels honored to hold this position. Karla recognizes that East Los Angeles is a food desert that is in need of green spaces where people can grow their own food and therefore lead healthier lifestyles. Karla believes that it's vital to teach children how to grow food and she says, "It's important to pass on these traditions".

Karla will be our keynote speaker at the 11th Annual Gathering of Community Gardens.

By Diana Campos 

Join us for the 11th Annual Gathering of Community Gardens and visit the Belvedere Park Community Garden one block away at 337 N. Mednik Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90022!

The doors open at 9am tomorrow!  We'll have an opening ceremony with a Baile Folklorico group and keynote speaker. You can choose three of the 12 gardening-themed workshops listed here to attend, visit our exhibit hall, and meet more than 150 community gardeners from all over LA County over lunch, catered by La Yaquesita. There will be a children's table of activities available during the workshops. All workshops are available in English and Spanish. Visit the Belvedere Park Community Garden one block away at the end of the day for t-shirt and seedling giveaways!

This event is generously sponsored by the Vernon CommUNITY Fund, Momentum Solutions, and Pretty Green.  We request a $15 suggested donation per adult to support community gardens. 

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! 

On October 7th, UCLA students volunteered at three of our partner community gardens on their annual day of service. We are extremely grateful and thankful for their service. Way to go!

Our gardening and nutrition workshops at Eagle Rock Elementary School, sponsored by Sprouts, have come to an end. Our little gardeners learned how to read food labels, how to harvest plants from their garden, how to make healthy snacks at home, and so much more.
A big THANK YOU to the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation for this opportunity and to our instructors, PhiVan and Rose, for making this such a memorable experience for the children!

Yvonne will photographically walk us through many gardens where repurposed items are used in every tasks, from entrance walkways, through gardening activities, to art in the garden. Tuesday, October 24th, 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Riviera Garden Club at Zamperini Field Airport, 3301 Airport Drive, Torrance, CA 90505.
For more information, contact Laure Vaillant at  laurie.vaillant@verizon.net .

On October 28th, volunteers from across the country will unite for Make A Difference Day, one of the largest annual days of service nationwide.
Good Earth Community Garden has been open for more than 40 years. Over time, it has lost its layout and become overgrown. Make a Difference day allows us to reach far and wide for volunteers to make this garden beautiful again! Please wear comfy clothes that can get dirty, wear closed-toed shoes, wear sunscreen, and bring plenty of water. Volunteer with us by signing up here!
The garden is located at 5598 Boden St, Los Angeles, CA 90016. 

Visit two community gardens with photographer Corey Burns and learn how to take pictures that will help you advocate for more green space in LA . The event includes a healthy lunch in the garden with other budding photographers and garden enthusiasts.
For more information, click here.

Maurice Levin, proprietor of Jurassic Garden Nursery in Chatsworth, will present a cycad-filled program on the care and maintenance of cycads, including the challenges of propagating and growing these endangered species successfully in southern California. The class is an opportunity to learn from an expert about the species which are best suited to this area and how to grow them. Maurice will bring live specimens, both popular and rare, to encourage you to grow these living fossils in your garden. 
At Cal State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St Northridge, CA 91330.  For more information or to register, email botanicgarden@csun.edu 

The Southern California Horticultural Society monthly meeting will feature Jeff Moore speaking about “Aloes and Agaves in Cultivation”.  
Admission is free for members, children, and students with ID, and $5 for non-members. Meetings also include expert discussion of plants brought in to the Plant Forum table, and often plant raffles. At 5333 Zoo Drive,
Los Angeles, CA 90027.
For more information, click here or contact socalhort@gmail.com

Look for Al Renner, co-founder of LACGC, in the exhibit hall at the 11th Annual Gathering of Community Gardens tomorrow.  He'll be signing people up to join his free 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.