Near Los Angeles: Community gardens - a sign that people care

**Don Boekelheide d*@yahoo.com**

The Acorn, Simi Valley, California
August 16, 2006

Oak Park gardeners find common ground 
By John Loesing 

Crowded developments and miniscule backyards are
driving homeowners up a wall. Community gardens are a
popular way for residents caught in the urban squeeze
to keep their gardening skills intact and their
neighborhood looking beautiful, and it's a trend
that's growing.

Community gardens are a sign that people care.

The flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables that fill
the community garden at the corner of Kanan Road and
Sunnycrest Drive in Oak Park are in full bloom now,
even as the summer shadows begin to grow long. Spring,
summer, fall or winter, the Oak Park Community
Gardeners gather here regularly to keep the 59 plots,
each measuring 10 feet by 20 feet, looking pruned and
pampered.

The garden began in 2005 from seeds of ins p i r a t i
o n planted by the Comm u n i t y Foundation, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of
Oak Park.

Plots rent at $60 a year along with a small deposit
and yearly donation.

Like a modern-day commune, the gardeners share water,
tools and the fruits of their labor. Fundraisers are
held and donations are plowed back into the community.

<PHOTO: Oak Park Community gardener Melanie Festa, far
left, receives a bunch of freshly harvested carrots
from garden founding member Pat Burnett. The gardeners
aren't the only ones busy at work. Above, a pair of
bees harvest pollen from a sunflower in bloom. The
garden still has several plots for lease. Call (818)
735-9957.>

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