Get to Know Hermosa Beach Community Garden
Imagine a beautiful open green space with lots of sky! Children laughing and playing in the background as an ocean breeze blows in your hair and between your fingers, the soil of wonderful earth. Welcome to Hermosa Beach Community Garden!
On my visit recently to Hermosa Beach Garden, this is what I experienced. It was fantastic!
I was greeted by the manager of the garden, Heather Oblon, who is a dedicated gardener, enthusiast and activist. She shared with us the beginnings of this garden which actually began several years ago but just officially re-opened in Hermosa Beach’s South Park. Just a few short blocks from the beach, it’s a box garden that is all organic. Sponsored by Athens and Kellog, they have received materials to help in their mission to create this little oasis and keep it organic. They have a shiny brand new fence and a lovely poster that stands to welcome visitors at the front gate. As they have just recently had the opening ceremony a few weeks ago with a ribbon-cutting, their boxes have yet to be growing plants. However when they made the official announcement that they were opening up to take names, there was a line going around the bend and they sold out within 20 minutes! So of course, now there’s a big long wait list as often happens with community gardens; they’re so popular and such a great asset to our city, our community and our planet. What I loved most about Hermosa Beach Community Garden was its focus on children and teaching them about how important it is to grow your own food and that all good food comes from the earth, not from a box in a store. I also found it so lovely to be set in a city park so you can walk alongside the garden to a nice lawn and have a picnic, while your kids play on the nearby swings in the playground. Plus they have their own bathrooms, which is a real asset for community gardeners!
All I know is I was really impressed and I’m looking forward to going back in one year’s time when all the boxes have had a chance to seed, grow and harvest. It will be all colorful and I’m sure gorgeous. And the other thing I’m really looking forward to is Heather’s original idea to do what she calls a living fence! And the idea is this- they’re going to plant all kinds of edible fruits and vegetables on the outside of the fence line so that those who pass by can come to the park, pick a piece of fruit off the vine and then go into the park. I just love that idea! Kudos to Hermosa Beach. Thanks for introducing us to your garden. Best of luck and to quote Heather, “go grow something”!
Article by Sharlene Sullivan
