Well-Rooted Idea Sprouts Welcome Offshoot

Gardeners staked their claims to plots of public land Wednesday at a newly expanded community garden at the Sepulveda Basin Garden Center.

More than 50 gardeners waited in line to sign up for the 380 10- by 20-foot plots, including eight raised beds for disabled gardeners, after a dedication ceremony at the site on Hayvenhurst Avenue at Magnolia Boulevard.

“I have been on a waiting list for nearly a year,” said Florence Browne, 78, of Studio City. “I have always wanted a vegetable garden, but never had the time or the space. I used to travel through Germany and see community gardens along the roadside. I always admired them and wished we had something like that here.”

For $25 a year and a $10 one-time start-up fee, Browne and other gardening enthusiasts can get down and dirty among the vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers they choose to plant at the site, which is operated by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

The plots must be maintained year-round and kept free of weeds. The city will supply garden hoses, hand tools, wheelbarrows and compost and will water the plants once a week.

The new garden is across the street from the original community garden the Recreation and Parks Department opened in December 1966. Over the years, demand increased for the 400 plots there and a long waiting list developed, officials said.

Earlier this year, recreation officials released $200,000 in Proposition K funds to allow the city to lease the new site from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the Sepulveda Basin, a federal flood control area.

Even before the 380 new plots were plowed, some 200 would-be growers had signed a waiting list.

“We expect all 380 spaces to fill up fast,” said James Ward, principal grounds maintenance supervisor for the Valley region. “The setting is peaceful and relaxing. It is a great place to make new friends and cultivate a successful garden.”

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who represents the area, agreed that the garden offers a quiet respite in a bustling urban area.

“I love that this is called a community garden where people can come together,” she said, adding that gardening also can benefit the mind, body and spirit.

“There is something about working with your hands, working in the sun and working outside,” she said. “It is a great therapy that adds value to your life.”