Dig This
On most days, you can find Tex Laney planting, picking or pruning on a green plot of land tucked inconspicuously off Moulton Parkway in Laguna Hills.
Watching over his crop of nearly ripe tomatoes one overcast June morning, the retired railroad employee is just one of hundreds of residents who everyday toil in the soil at the Leisure World Garden Center.
“I get enjoyment out of it,” Laney, 75, said of his garden, which he drives to on his blue motor scooter. “It’s a sense of accomplishment.”
From early morning until dusk, hundreds of Leisure World residents can be seen seven days a week tending to their plots and relaxing for hours at a time. Walking through the maze of personalized patches, visitors see 10-foot-tall sunflowers, brilliant roses and orchids, exotic veggies and fruits in every shape, size and color.
Meticulously manicured and creatively cultivated, the garden spots are a testament to the loving care and attention the gardeners give to their plots.
“A lot of people spend a lot of time here,” retired school administrator John Childress, 83, said beside his plot, which included tomatoes, collard greens and a quail hen and 13 eggs. “It’s a little sanctuary.”
The garden center got its start in 1965 when a group of residents started to plant on unused land near the community’s main golf course. The garden soon became became so popular that the Leisure World Recreation Department in 1977 opened up a second, much larger parcel a few miles away, according to garden coordinator Michael Tucholski.
The two garden centers together total eight acres of land. The 1,000 plots are divided into 10-by-20-foot parcels which residents rent by the year.
They pay $19 for a vegetable or flower garden, $8 for fruit or citrus trees and $5 for use of the center’s shade house, which holds potted flowers and plants. Many residents rent several plots, combining them into mini-farms that hold a cornucopia of crops.
“You name it, they grow it,” Tucholski said.
The annual fees cover water, compost, horse manure and the use of tools such as wheelbarrows, rakes and shovels. The residents are responsible for pest control, planting and harvesting and watering their plots.
Many enterprising individuals have built colorful fences, irrigation systems, trellises and even greenhouses on their rented land.
Horticultural accomplishments are celebrated during annual garden center events.
In June’s blue-ribbon contest, gardens are recognized in several categories, including best use of space, variety, neatness and general appearance. A corn festival is held annually in August during harvest time. At the popular event, growers pick their own ears and then throw a corn boil party for all.
John Whitesell has tended to his vegetable garden for 10 years. A Pennsylvania native and retired toolmaker, Whitesell developed his green thumb because he “had to have something to do” when he moved to Leisure World.
For several hours a day, he works in multiple plots that are customized with a greenhouse, raised beds and a variety of vegetables, from corn and cauliflower to beets and peas. He also spends time just relaxing in his garden, sharing tips or catching up on news with his garden neighbors.
“It’s a good place to make friends and to share some of our bounty,” said Whitesell, 75. “It’s always satisfying to play in the dirt.”
