How far we have come

July 1st, 2009

Some photos today of the Community Garden …

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Mandatory water conservation

June 1st, 2009

From Councilman Rosendahl:

“Starting today, mandatory water conservation measures take effect that restrict landscape watering with automatic sprinklers to Mondays and Thursdays, before 9:00 am and after 4:00 pm.  Watering by hand with a flow-control nozzle is allowed on any day, before 9:00 am and after 4:00 pm. No watering whatsoever is allowed between 9:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m.”

To our garden caretakers:  Please note that this means that you must finish watering before 9am, or you must begin after 4pm, ANY DAY OF THE WEEK INCLUDING WEEKENDS.

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Garden Tour, May 2009

May 7th, 2009

On a recurring basis, the foundation that funds Westchester’s Airport Marina Counseling Center has held a garden tour.  Usually, gardens on this tour are ornamental, sometimes newly installed with big firepits and barbeques.  This year, they asked us if the Community Garden could be on their tour!

Last Sunday, May 3, was the tour date.  We had between 140 and 180 people come through the garden that day!

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Garden class: Water Wisdom in the Garden

May 1st, 2009

Title: Garden class: Water Wisdom in the Garden
Location: Community Garden at Holy Nativity, 6700 W. 83rd, Westchester (LA 90045)
Description: Learn tips and techniques to make the most of your water.
Start Time: 9:00
Date: 2009-06-20

Container Edibles workshop

May 1st, 2009

Title: Workshop: Edibles in Containers
Location: Community Garden at Holy Nativity, 6700 W. 83rd, Westchester (LA 90045)
Description: Yes, you can grow vegetables in containers! Bring a flowerpot (5 gallon or 18inch recommended) and take home a garden!
Start Time: 9:00
Date: 2009-06-06

Workshop: Make a Self-watering container

May 1st, 2009

Title: Workshop: Make a Self-watering container
Location: Community Garden at Holy Nativity, 6700 W. 83rd, Westchester (LA 90045)
Description: A hands-on workshop to make a self-watering container; on June 6 we’ll fill them! Bring two scavenged 5 gallon containers (often available as restaurant discards). We’ll supply tools, and minor additional materials ($5 materials charge; no charge to watch and listen).
Start Time: 9:00
Date: 2009-05-30

Compost happens!

April 24th, 2009

Earlier this month we held a hands-on compost workshop — back by popular demand.  Click here for Photo essay

Since we talk about soil building at nearly every session of our free Organic Vegetable Class Series, and since the pile Gene created in our October workshop had matured and its material been added to our garden, it was perfect time for another workshop.

Gene is our “compost master.”  Prior to Gene’s arrival we had been using the black plastic composters from the city.  We weren’t maintaining them properly — the material was always too dry, or unmixed, or had exposed food material that drew swarms of fruit flies.  The pile Gene created last autumn matured so quickly, during the coolest months of the year, and created such volume of compost, that it was absolutely amazing.

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Garden Layout, Summer 2009

April 18th, 2009

For two big reasons, we’re putting our garden layout online.

1) to make the plans available to all our Thursday volunteers, regardless of whether they have the “official” dog-eared folder of scratchy pencil marks on crumpled paper smudged with mud, and

2) to make our layouts available as a resource for vegetable gardeners all over.  We’ve seen many searches for “vegetable garden layouts,” so here you are!  Welcome to our garden.

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Our garden activities in the news!

March 26th, 2009
(photo by Scott Varley / Daily Breeze Staff Photographer)

(photo by Scott Varley / Daily Breeze Staff Photographer)

On Tuesday March 24, Peter and Harvest Westchester appeared on the front page of the Daily Breeze.  And on March 26 the story made the 6pm news on Channel 4.

Harvest Westchester is a very recent expansion of the Community Garden’s efforts.  Many people in our area have backyard fruit trees.  Often the trees yield far more than the owners can use.  Rather than the extra fruit rotting on the ground or attracting pests, Harvest Westchester was conceived to collect that extra fruit and share community bounty.  Read the rest of this entry »

Garden class and Work-Together day

March 13th, 2009

Title: Garden class and Work-Together day
Location: Community Garden at Holy Nativity, 6700 W. 83rd, Westchester (LA 90045)
Description: Garden class begins 9am. Topic: “Getting Started: How to begin your organic vegetable garden.” Work-together day begins 10:30am
Start Time: 9:00
Date: 2009-04-18

While you’re waiting for the class to begin, here are some Edible Landscaping resources for Los Angeles