Garden is pretty, the Board is sh*t…read more I moved out of Long Beach midseason and forgot to tell them, because I have a life, but when I was honest and asked them if I could stay, they still kicked me out, despite me spending hundreds of dollars on new plants and mulch that I just laid out. I had to remove them after my appeal to stay through the season (a mere 5 months) was denied. Long story short, they kicked me out for moving out of city lines, despite living in Long Beach for 10 years prior and paying taxes to the city for a decade. None of that mattered enough to let me finish out the season. I'm pretty sure not everyone who gardens there even lives in Long Beach and just uses their friends addresses to get a plot, but they apparently don't care to look into that too much. Part of me feels like me being kicked out was driven by ageism/racist views as I have only seen old white people in surrounding plots and at work parties (i.e. gulag camps that start at 7am hardly a "party"). The people I met at the garden have been sweet enough, but I have also seen a lot of them go away because they were also kicked out for unfair rules like weed violations (seriously, it's a garden, there's going to be weeds). Also the board hasn't changed in 8+ years, so that should tell you something about their tyrannical rule. At least change it up and have people step down for other people in the board to take charge every year, but no. Overall, the entire board has the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair. Here is an article about them that I wish I read before I started gardening here: https://www.presstelegram.com/2013/08/21/long-beach-community-garden-beset-by-weeds-of-conflict-2/

Tucked away behind the Nature Center, the SPCA, and the sprawl of El Dorado Park is the Long Beach…read moreCommunity Gardens, home to ~300 plots of garden space. The city leases the individual plots out for a nominal yearly fee (100 + about 30 for incidentals last I checked) to any resident of Long Beach who can waitlist until acceptance and then maintain the plot according to the garden's somewhat exacting standards. Several amenities supplement the invidual plots: a pile of woodchips donated from local landscaping services, a pile of horse manure from the park's Equestrian Center, wheelbarrows, and a Food Bank table that gardeners can put their excess produce on. The Food Bank donations are taken daily to various nonprofit orgs that benefit the less fortunate in our city, and are a great way to keep from wasting food when your garden gives you a little more than you bargained for. Garden inspections are every month and infractions given for a variety of offenses, and if you get too many, they kick you out. For this reason, it's a good idea to go in on it with a friend or family member, or to make friends among other gardeners, because some things require more than one pair of hands to get done, and it's more fun with company anyway. It is a LOT of work to keep up with it - the plots are 20x30, and gardeners are expected to not let them lie idle. Plots must be kept populated with seasonal edibles as well as free of weeds and other problems that can spread to other garden plots. The gardens are what I call "mostly organic" - there's a little weed killer that gets used on the common pathways, but none is used in the garden beds where the food is growing. There are several things you can't grow on your plots here. No fruit trees, no berries with thorns (ie raspberries, blackberries), no mint, no potatoes, no succulents, the list goes on. But even with those restrictions, and the strict upkeep requirements, it's still a tremendous value if you have the time and the people power to put in the hard work to grow your own nearly-organic produce.

You'd be surprised the things you will find moving at 8mph on a bicycle that you would probably…read moremiss at 30 mph driving in a car. Today I rode my bike to El Camino College and tried a few back streets that I had never been on. Along the way, in Lawndale I came across this community garden. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Rows of corn, squash and other vegetables in a tiny little neighborhood lot that all the neighbors share. I wish I had one of these where I live. After riding home I hopped on the internet and found out that the Dan McKenzie Community Garden is run by The Los Angeles Community Garden Council. This organization apparently helps communities that are interested to have a community garden in their neighborhood. Here's a few words from their website: "Approximately 70 community gardens are growing in Los Angles County, serving 3,900 families. Community gardens are vibrant, cooperative organizations that build neighborhood self-reliance, and reduce poverty, mitigate global warming and benefit the LA River and Ballona Creek watersheds. Los Angeles devotes little taxpayer money to community gardens yet they return abundant neighborhood benefit. Community Gardens and Real Estate Community gardens are a special type of park: they are open to all who apply, but they are self-maintained and self-policed by the membership. Unlike most parks, community gardens occupy three categories of land: private land with short-term leases, public land with short-term leases, and garden-owned land. Several vacant, developable lots in public or private ownership are currently leased for community gardens. Experience has shown that the maintenance costs of vacant lots borne by both public land owners, like the Department of Pubic Works, and private land owners, is high, and to lease their land for a community garden until it is needed for development has benefits for everyone." Needless to say, I think this is awesome. Los Angles needs more community gardens. Check it out for yourself... http://lagardencouncil.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Please come check out our garden, there is so many plots that can be utilized by great people! I…read morewould love to tighten the community so help out !

I joined Common Ground, one of the community gardens in Anaheim about a month ago and have really…read moreenjoyed it so far! Since I live in an apartment, I don't have much room to plant my own vegetables and flowers at home so joining the garden made sense. Each member gets their own 8x4 foot plot. It's a great way to volunteer too because you can come anytime during the week. I can easily stop by in the evenings after work or on weekend mornings. There is so much open space just waiting to be developed. Everyone I have met there so far has been very helpful, sharing seeds and gardening tips. They are also excited about developing the garden further and open to new ideas from members. For instance, a couple weeks ago a friend and I helped plant a pumpkin patch for community use, meaning all the members can harvest pumpkins for Halloween this year. Plus a year long membership is only $40 and includes water for your plot and the use of community tools and spaces. (Which is great, if you are like me and don't own any tools) If you are at all interested in gardening or learning to garden I recommend checking this place out!

Finally, HB has its first community garden!…read more From their website :)... "The Huntington Beach Community Garden (HBCG) is a voluntary non-profit organization founded from a desire to create an organic, self-sufficient public garden for the citizens of Huntington Beach. This grassroots organization is made up gardening enthusiasts, business professionals, teacher, master gardeners and community organizers who share the common vision of promoting urban gardening and greening in Huntington Beach." One thing I do know for sure... A great group of people helping to establish and maintain a community garden!

While that information you state may be true, let me give you my opinion of this so-called…read more"community garden for the citizens of Huntington Beach." For the people who live next to it, it is a nuisance. We have all been sick because of the garden with many, many sinus infections and respiratory infections. We were deliberately uninformed about the whole garden project. The people on the board are the rudest people and have no regard for the homeowners. So while it might be nice for some, it has made our lives a living hell. They call it "a community garden," but it's really a private garden for the gardeners. We've tried to deal with the people on the board, the city council and the mayor, himself. They just don't care.

This is such a hidden gem. I know we are supossed to get our new green compost bins (if you haven't…read moregotten yours yet, they are coming), but it's still nice to contribute to a good cause. After all if you want to be sure your food waste/green waste is actually going to be utilized, visit long beach community compost. Just a warning... for first time visits, it can be a little weird to find. The parking is a night mare ! As silly as it sounds my car actually got stuck & I had to sort of dig the car tires out due to all of the loose wood chips. Just be careful if you don't have a four wheel drive. Or don't be stupid like me & park on the hill. Anyways the compost is a bit of a walk & sort of hidden - the signs could be better. If you have a lot of heavy scraps to drop off, there is a wagon available for use (saw this posted on their ig account). I also thought it was weird how my perfectly good yard trimmings were *almost* rejected. I made sure to check what is accepted & what's not before coming. On the website it states leaves & yard waste. My yard waste didn't contain any large branches. Their reason for almost rejecting my HEAVY bag was because they claimed that yard waste might have weeds & could pollute the compost. Ok ??? I take care of my lawn & don't have a lawn of weeds. Kind of insulting assuming I'm gonna donate chopped up weeds. Despite that annoying hiccup I still recommend this place. Just make sure you also bring cash to donate.

I keep hearing that California is going to force Californians to start composting and I'm in favor…read morefor that but I am yet to see any implementation of this or any infrastructure being dedicated to this, so in the mean time, I'll be dropping off my compost at Long Beach Community Compost. My roommate and I freeze our scraps and any time I'm off on a Friday or Sunday, I drop the scraps off. I really feel like I'm doing my small part in combating the climate crisis, so no need to thank me, not all heroes wear capes lol. In all seriousness I love how easy they make the process, the volunteers are so nice and helpful and willing to answer any questions you may have. If you live a pretty urban life in the same way I do and are in the greater Long Beach area, then definitely think about collecting your scraps and bringing them here during their operating hours.

Great place to meet others and work in the garden. Have learned a lot about gardening.read more

From the owner: We welcome all gardening skill levels to join us. This is a place where we come together and share…read moreour gardening experiences, but most importantly we want to get to know each other and grow together. Adult supervised kids may join. We have workshops and we are always looking for new volunteer to join. Prayer requests are welcomed!