There is a young man who needs our help.

Hello gardeners and friends-

This is totally off topic from gardening and the usual stuff I post about but its worth mentioning. Over the last month or so I have noticed a young black man parked outside our house. He just sits in his car in the evening and uses his little notebook computer. I have called the police a number of times asking him to move on but he always comes back. So either he knows someone who lives on the block or something. He must have his paperwork in order because he has not had his car towed or repossessed.

Last night I asked my husband to go out there and speak with him. Turns out his name is Alan and he is homeless. Young black male in his 20's. He did not get all the details as to why he is living in his car but it really made us sad.

When The Husband walked up to his car he was stealing the internet from a neighbor but he had job application sites open for Walmart. I'm not sure if we will see Alan again or if he has moved on for good but if there is anything you folks can suggest for him please let me know.

I know of Operation Hope at the UBOC on Atlantic but they might just let you use the computers for free. I'm not sure if they do job placement or training. If you know of any programs or job seeking strategy please let me know.

Thank you-
Sasha

LA Friends

I have mentioned Silverlake Farms before. Remember the gal who is struggling with the city to be able to sell flowers at the market? This week I went up to Beachwood Canyon and met her and her adorable helpers distribute their CSA boxes.

It was great, thank you Tara for everything you do. Hang in there and let us know how and when we are needed to help change your law.

xoxo

'Bixby Knolls Banter - May 2010'

Click on the link to read all about Bixby Knolls, First Fridays, Farmers Markets and local products. May 7th is this months First Friday. We will again be on the corner of Atlantic and Bixby with fresh produce, eggs and some beautiful plants from our greenhouse. Please stop by and pick up a little something to hold you over until Sunday. Shortnin Bread bakery will also be there selling our jams and jellies. Mothers Day is coming so stock up on the treats.

See you then-

'Bixby Knolls Banter - May 2010'

Macadamia Nut Tree

This Macadamia tree was blooming a few weeks ago at the VA Hospital. It was so fragrant and the bees were loving it! Flowers mean fruit, looking forward to some mac nuts soon.
Craig also thought it smelled nice.

Earth Week!

Big week planned for all the tree hugging do gooders out there. Wednesday Wrigley Garden along with Green Lab and the Sunday Farmers Market will be at the Civic Center from 11-1:00. We will be giving away seeds and seedlings along with fresh brewed worm tea.

If you have any questions about your garden there will be Master Gardeners there to answer all your gardening questions. Stop by and say hello!

Please come down and join us at the gardening showcase at the City Hall!

Food and Flowers Freedom Act- Support Silverlake

Silverlake is not that far from the LBC. Let's support local farming where ever their local may be.
Thank you- Sasha

Message from Tara:
A year since being shut down for selling organic homegrown flowers at local farmers' markets, and things are starting to change...
Thursday, March 25th, 2010

At 8:30am, thirty-some supporters of urban farming came to a public hearing at Van Nuys City Hall to say "YES!" to UFA's Food & Flowers Freedom Act.
And City Planning commissioners agreed.

Led by Bill Roschen, who called it "a happy day," commissioners voted across the board to allow fruit, flowers, nuts and seedlings to be grown at home for sale off-site - at local farmers' markets for example.

It was a big day for urban farming in LA, and a positive step forward for our local food and sustainability movements.

Angelenos: Thanks to City Council President Eric Garcetti and his team, we are on our way to being able to sell more than our garden-grown vegetables at market. For Silver Lake Farms, there is hope that we can return to market soon with organic, local flowers.

There are a few more official stages to go before the Food & Flower Freedom Act is a done deal. There will be a few more hearings, where public support will be just as critical.

If you support urban farming, CSAs, farmers' markets, and growing your own, then please come to the next hearing. shoot us an email hereand I'll keep you posted on the date.

Thank you so much to everyone who wrote letters of support, and attended the public hearing on March 25th. You rock!

Thank you for supporting Silver Lake Farms.

Tara

323-644-3700

www.silverlakefarms.com

Earth Day Tree Planting

Hello Fellow Tree-Huggers, Wrigley Gardeners and Do Gooders-

Wrigley is Going Green! and the Wrigley Garden in conjunction with Southern California Edison, the City of Long Beach, Office of Sustainability, Councilmember Tonia Reyes Uranga and the neighbors of Taper Street and Fashion Avenue are planting 40 trees on April 24, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. We will meet at 1315 Taper Street, Long Beach, CA 90810—Northwest corner of Taper Street and Fashion Avenue. (Taper street is a small street in West Long Beach: Willow Street west to Santa Fe Avenue north, right on 34th Street, left on Delta Avenue, right on Taper Street.)

In preparation of the tree planting, we will be pre-digging the holes Saturday April 17th at 10:00 a.m.

Please bring a shovel and gloves to each occasion.

Volunteer for one or both events!

Feel free to contact Wrigley is Going Green with any questions.

Hope to see you there.

Best,
Lisa Wibroe, Mauna Eichner and Lee Fukui
wrigleyisgoinggreen@hotmail.com

First Friday April 2nd

Wrigley Garden will be at First Fridays this Friday April 2nd! At the corner of Bixby and Atlantic we will have a mini farmers market. Wrigley Garden along with the Sunday Farmers Market, Shortnin Bread, Frutos Farms and Gourmet Conspiracy will have a mini Mock Market.

This is a fundraiser for the garden, we will have produce, veggie starts and all sorts of fun stuff for you. See you there.

If you would like to volunteer in our booth please let me know. The more the merrier!

Thanks,
Sasha

Tree Planting

Hello Fellow Tree-huggers and Wrigley Gardeners-

If you would like to volunteer for this the hours will count toward your volunteer hours. Please let us know if you will attend with us. The more the merrier. See details below. Thank you, Sasha

Wrigley is Going Green! and the Wrigley Garden in conjunction with Southern California Edison, the City of Long Beach, Office of Sustainability and the neighbors of Taper Street and Fashion Avenue are planting 40 trees on April 24, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. We will meet at 1315 Taper Street (Northwest corner of Taper Street and Fashion Avenue--see map attached or link at bottom of email).

In preparation of the tree planting, we will be pre-digging the holes Saturday April 17th at 10:00 a.m.

Please bring a shovel and gloves to both events.

Volunteer for one or both events!

Feel free to contact Wrigley is Going Green with any questions.

Hope to see you there.

Best,
Lisa Wibroe, Mauna Eichner and Lee Fukui
wrigleyisgoinggreen@hotmail.com

Great deal on starter plants

Its time to get planting. Hopefully everyone has been working on their soil and planning their spring and summer crops. If you are in the need of starter plants please visit our friends at the Veterans Hospital. They are an amazing resource for all your gardening questions. The director has been there for 31 years, he is retiring April 1st so get down there and ask your questions now while we still have him around.

They sell their starter plants for $5 a flat, ask for Jim or any of the wonderful people working there can help you out.

Its time to get planting!

Wrigley Heights Community Meeting

Dear Residents,
One of my highest priorities as your Council member is to continue to maintain a high level of transparency. I have sought to develop green space throughout the 7th District.
Please join us on March 27th as we discuss the creation of more green space in the Wrigley Heights. As your representative, I will keep you informed with updates on all concerns. Contact my office with any concern at 562-570-6139.
Best Regards,
Tonia Reyes Uranga
7th District Council Member


Wrigley Heights Community Meeting
Saturday, March 27th, - 9:30 am
3332 Magnolia Ave, Long Beach 90806

Please join your neighbors for a discussion on the development of a Dog Park and Community Garden.

For more details, please contact Ricardo Linarez at (562) 570-6139 or ricardo.linarez@longbeach.gov

The City of Long Beach, City Council
(562) 570-6139—Fax (562) 570-6954
www.longbeach.gov/district7

Our friend Paul is having a workday, see below...

Thank you all for such a great response to THE FARM LB. We are so excited and thing are really starting to sprout. There were too many responses to reply to individually so below you will find the information on our up coming workshop.


What: Preparing the garden beds and how to making great compost.

Where: 6751 Atlantic Avenue
Long Beach, CA 90805

Paul’s cell # 562-416-2220
(I will be checking only a few times through the day)

Take Atlantic Past the 91 freeway and the first left there are some apartment buildings keep going all the way to the end. You will see as black gate and a tractor in the yard.

When: This Saturday March 13th from 8am till around 2pm.

How: Hands on experience so bring the things you will need to get dirty and protect yourself. (Any tools, shovels, turning forks and hard rakes would be great) We have many tools but we are not sure of the turn out.

This is guaranteed to be a great community experience as well as very informative. This will be the kind of experience where you will be able to go back to where you live and apply what you have learned.


I ask that you reply one way or another if you are coming so I will have some idea who and what to expect. Also if you are under 18 you will need to contact me before the workshop as to get permission from your parents. I am looking forward with much excitement to meeting each and everyone.

Paul Tryba
THE FARM LB



Check out this link!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/magazine/28food-t-000.html

Long Beach Grows

We made a new friend in Donna and her husband. Please visit her site and sign her petition.

Long Beach Grows

Tree Give Away this Sunday!

It's that time of year again!

Wrigley is Going Green will be giving away free fruit trees at 465 West 25th Street on January 10th at 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. or when all the trees are gone.

The trees available are: tangerine, orange (2 varieties), apple, peach, apricot, plum, and nectarine.

We have a limited amount of trees, once they're gone that's it. If you wish to reserve a tree, contact us via e-mail at wrigleyisgoinggreen@hotmail.com. Or just show up at 2 p.m.

Plant a fruit tree, and when you get a surplus of fruit you can participate in the Wrigley neighborhood Co-op Food Exchange. We post our exchanges on the Wrigley Garden website and also host monthly exchanges at the Wrigley Association meetings.

Hope to see you there.

Best,
Lisa Wibroe, Mauna Eichner and Lee Fukui

New Farmers Market in California Heights!

It's new! It's fun!
And if you help make it successful,
IT WILL GROW!
Long Beach Sunday Market 
IN
CALIFORNIA HEIGHTS
Certified Farmers Market
Sundays 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Longfellow Elementary School Playground
California Avenue at Bixby Road
Long Beach 90807
.
It's all about sustainability, environmental stewardship,
community building and civic engagement!
Plus, it's a wonderful way to teach our kids
while we raise precious funds for our local schools!
If you would like to be involved, would like to host or sponsor
a class or demonstration, please contact:

Market Manager - Kelli Johnson
Email - Info@LongBeachSundayMarket.com
Website - Http://LongBeachSundayMarket.com
562-528-6259

Made possible through a grant from
the Connected Corridor Project

CHNA
www.calheights.org

Planting onions, lots and lots of onions!

Long Beach Marathon

This is a great article from the Press Telegram featuring our nonprofit and one of our gardeners. Way to go guys and gals!
Keisser: Marathon a place for a family stroll
By Bob Keisser, Columnist
Posted: 10/12/2009

Gavin McKiernan was running for three.
To be more accurate, he was running and his two kids, Mia and Finn, were enjoying the Long Beach Marathon from their seats in the double stroller he pushed all 26 miles and 385 feet on a cool Sunday morning.
Such are the intimate joys of what one could call The People's Marathon.
Those who came out Sunday to run the marathon, half-marathon, bike ride or kids race all had their own stories - some ran for personal achievement, some in memory of loved ones, some as part of a team and some just because it's fun and good for you.
Last year, the race staged by International City Racing and sponsored by International City Bank, set a record with 18,000 competitors. This year's field was estimated at 23,000, with all of the 18,000 bibs printed for the marathon and half-marathon gone before race day.
Gavin and Terry McKiernan are running veterans. This was Gavin's eighth marathon and his second in Long Beach. Wife Terry ran the half-marathon last year with the kids, and this year the kids strolled in their first-ever marathon with dad while mom did a half.
They were probably three of the most popular people running Sunday. Mia and Finn had all the comforts of home - juice boxes, their favorite stuffed animals, cookies and enough layers of clothes to keep them comfy while dad steered and finished in less than four hours.
"We run with them all the time," said McKiernan, who lives with
his family in the Wrigley section of Long Beach, "since they were about six weeks old."
It was partially out of family fun and partially for family sanity.
"Mia was not a good sleeper, so I'd take her for a run and then come home and Terry would take her for a run."
Mia is now 5, and Finn joined the race three years ago this coming December.
"They love it. They like the idea of a free fast ride," he said with a grin. "They especially like it when we run with the club. Some Saturdays they'll act like they might want to go back to sleep, then Mia will ask, `Will we run with people?' and they'll want to go."
The club McKiernan noted is A Running Experience Club (AREC), which has its own story.
The original club was an offshoot of a running store by the same name that opened in 1982, according to club president Todd Rose. The store eventually closed but the club endured.
"There were some lean times in the mid-`90s," said Rose, who launched his own neighborhood foundation fun runs of 5 and 10 kilometers in Wrigley this past June. "There were just a handful of people in the club when I joined 13 years ago.
"But I wanted to get it going again, and we had some money in the club account, so I did some local advertising and we slowly built back up to decent numbers."
More than decent. Two years ago, AREC had 190 dues-paying members. Last year, it jumped to 259. This year, it's at 364, and Rose estimated 120 members ran some part of Long Beach Sunday.
A lot of the members make Long Beach the focal point of their running.
"It's an Average Joe club," said Rose, a former cross country runner in college who finished the half-marathon Sunday in an hour and 42 minutes, "and available to anybody. We have some who run just one event a year, Long Beach, and we have some elite runners, and even some trail runners."
Karen Hester, who works in the city attorney's office and whose son Allen Woods is a former Dirtbag, used Long Beach last year to qualify for her first Boston Marathon, and she ran under four hours Sunday to qualify again.
"I'm going to Boston," she said. "It was tough, but when I got to Long Beach State I fed off the crowd, took off my (headphones) and just got into the good feelings.
"It's a great group of people and the club keeps growing. We had a big pasta party Friday and we push each other to reach our goals and just to enjoy the experience."
Teammate Nadine Echeverry was aiming at a sub-four-hour finish so she could qualify for Boston, but she hit the proverbial wall hard at 25 miles and didn't finish. "I felt bad for her, but she's determined. She'll make it next year."
Kathleen Phair lives in Seal Beach, joined AREC in February, and posted a personal best in her first run in Long Beach.
"I'm a new member and just getting to know everybody," she said. "There's a lot of positive motivation."
"The club is a huge help in just having people and friends to train with," McKiernan said. "This is a great course and the organizers do a great job putting the race on. It's not New York or Boston, but it's better than most. You actually have people on the course who cheer for you. It's not just friends and family."
Bob Seagren, the former Olympic pole vaulter who runs IRC, says there's no ceiling on how popular the race can become. The field was large enough this year to have staged starts, which proved popular for the runners and cyclists.
"If we ever are able to widen the bike trail, I think we could get 40,000 entries," he said.
I asked Gavin whether there's any chance Mia and Finn won't follow their parents into the running fraternity. "Mia ran in her first race this year, a one-mile fun run," he said.
So look for her in the 2019 Long Beach Marathon. She just won't be in a stroller.
bob.keisser@presstelegram.com

Too Much Fun

Rachael had way too much fun cracking the whip on Saturday. Thank you Leon, Craig and Canaan for all the help. It was a great day in the garden, lots got done.

Meet Edna

Photos by: Don Wright, plot owner