The busy traffic, the noise, the unpredictable city, and the feeling of being just another face in a crowd can cause spirits to wither in downtown LA. Yet, there are a few places that allow us to grow, where we can become rooted while the city’s energy swells around us.
One such investment is located at 220 S Spring Street, right beside Joe’s parking garage; it’s easy to miss or mistake for a mangled mess of overgrowth, unless you stop to study the small sign posted above: “Spring Street Community Garden.” One may never discover this mini urban plot of rising herbs, fruits, and vegetables, teeming with life.
Planting the Seeds of Life
The Spring Street Community Garden didn’t spring up from a city plan. It started with one man and an idea: Marty Berg. Marty (as did most of downtown) saw a patch of dirt full of weeds, a neglected area where dirt spilled over sidewalk concrete. To him, it wasn’t just wasted land; it felt like a wound, and he wanted to heal it. Soon after, Marty told his wife, Stacie Chaiken, and their neighbor, Arye Lipman. They saw the same potential and sowed the idea so the seeds could grow.
Land, Seed, and Then Came… the Water
Photos by DT Weekly
In downtown LA every inch of land costs money, and every location has its history. Spring Street used to be the financial heart of the city, earning its nickname as the Wall Street of the West;perhaps the land holds a seed of hope for nature far into the future.
To ensure Marty’s team could nourish the land, the developers/owners of Joe’s Auto Parking offered the land and the gate for free. Then City Councilman José Huizar stepped up with funds for soil and tools, and the nonprofit Los Angeles Community Garden Council (LACGC) has given and continues to give the garden support since its grand opening on June 11, 2016.
Today, Spring Street Community Garden does more than provide food. It brings people together. Arye Lipman, one of the founders, said it best: “You know, people have been really engaged, really enjoying it. For me, the best part is to be working in the garden and have people from all walks of life poke their heads in and find out what we’re doing and want to join. It’s been a way to get to know my neighbors better.”
Reaping the Harvest
Photos by DT Weekly
But the real soul of the garden is not its beginning. It is the people who care for it today. Gardeners like Rain Boe Wave and residents from the new lofts work the soil side by side with folks from Skid Row to plant, tend, and harvest the fruits and veggies of their labor deemed for chosen individuals and non-profits. Under its morning shade from Joe’s Parking Garage, the usual walls of the city fade as everyone’s hands find themselves in the same earth.
DTLA Weekly spoke with Jin from LACGC, who stated, “We are indeed open and flourishing.” The plants are tended by 25 members and regular volunteers.”
The community garden is tended by members. Members pay an annual due and abide by the garden bylaws. Members are assigned a dedicated garden bed that they are responsible for planting and caring for, and harvesting from.
There’s a process for becoming a member. Folks do several volunteer sessions to qualify for a bed. This allows them to get to know the garden and other members, and also get a sense of how much work is involved before committing to becoming a member.
It also allows us to identify committed gardeners who are willing to participate and engage with the community. Their garden membership is currently full, but we do have a waiting list that people can be added to after they’ve completed their volunteer hours.
Photos by DT Weekly
The garden is not open to the public but we have been holding Open Garden hours on Sundays from 10-noon. We welcome community members to come and work with us during those hours, to help with gardening tasks or composting. We don’t generally share food grown in the garden with the public, or grow food for any organizations. One exception was during Covid lockdown, we made an arrangement with Hippie Kitchen to donate our harvests to them.
