Green Grounds brings edible gardens to South LA



Team members & recipients (Hyder, Neon Tommy)

Green Grounds team and gardeners | Tahsin Hyder

Katie Guevara and David Guevara Rosillo loved the idea of growing their own food but never had the budget or knowhow. Now, having spent hours a day knuckle-deep in soil, those times of uncertainty are long behind them.

“This is the last strawberry plant going in, and we’re all really exhausted, and we just can’t wait to eat it, and eat everything else we planted,” said Guevara.

South Los Angeles is known for its lack of  fresh, organic produce. Upmarket grocers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s don’t have South L.A. locations, and while the number of farmers markets has increased near Downtown Los Angeles, South L.A. still has just a few.

Locals also struggle for access to fresh food for other reasons, said Florence Nishida, founder of LA Green Grounds. Her organization aims to bring people together around the common cause of healthy eating through edible gardening.

“Our mission is… to produce a garden and build something that’s beautiful but also yields bounty that is healthy, fresh and pesticide-free,” said Nishida. [Read more…]