It's been over 2 years since I started going to the Sepulveda Garden Center. I had just relocated…read moreto Ventura County from the OC. My new place didn't have space for all my potted plants, so I was desperately trying to find a place that I could store them at. I noticed this community garden while driving past the 405 freeway near the Hayvenhurst exit. Its right near the Tapias Brothers Farm.
I took a look around the place. The garden center is divided into two sections by Magnolia. The one on the north end beside the freeway is the original and much larger of the two.
I thought my odds of saving my plants had increased. I met Pat, the Manager of the place. Really nice lady and a fountain of information on plants that are grown in the area. Unfortunately, there was a long waiting list. I was like number 100 or so on the waiting list. I still put in my name out of desperation.
It wasn't until a year later that Pat called me telling me my name had come up on the list. By then, I was forced to give away most of plants - it was heartbreaking. At that time, I was relocating to North Hollywood, so the Garden Center was going to be a lot closer to where I lived. I really missed my plants and wanted to start gardening again, so I said why not. The cost was $25 per plot per year. The cost to rototil was $5, which was an option I chose to save me time preparing the soil.
Pat will start you at one plot 1st. But if you show you are a responsible steward, she will offer you up to 2 more plots. I got lucky and all my 3 plots are adjoining.
It's really a great bargain, because you can use as much water as you want and they offer free use of garden tools and mulch. To be considered a responsible gardener and neighbor, you must weed regularly and take care of your plants. Warning: this is a lot harder than it sounds, especially in the hot summer months when the weeds grow like crazy.
You must be in decent shape to keep of with the rigors of up keeping a garden. If you leave your garden plot untended, you'll eventually receive a warning letter from Pat. I actually wish she were more draconian with the rules, because some neighbors just ignore there plots, resulting in beds full of weeds that spread seeds (and baby weeds) to neighboring plots.
You can grow a wide variety of vegetables, dwarf fruit trees and flowering plants. Tomatoes, artichokes, cantaloupes, eggplant, peppers, pumpkin, beans, cucumbers, strawberries, etc. do very well. I plant some vegetables, but my main focus is flowering plants.
While it's not a true park, families will have get togethers here. They will tend to their plots first, and then have a picnic at the shaded tables and seats at the center of the garden.
Besides the large waiting list, the downside to having a plot is that once in awhile, there are thieves who will steal your fruits or veggies or even little statues and such that you use to decorate your plot with. So don't put any item you value too much in your plot, and regularly check up on it. The thieves are less likely to disturb the plots that are well maintained. Some gardeners put up tall fences, but it ends up making the place look like a prison. And many of these gardeners end up putting more effort into their fences and gates, than they do their actual garden. Nothing is sadder than looking at a plot that is fenced in and filled with weeds.
The other downside is the garden center closes by 3 PM. They open at 7 AM, so best time is to come early. If you like to party on weekend nights, the garden center's operating hours might not be a good fit for you.
I've recently moved to West LA, but still make the trek up to Encino most Saturday mornings to tend to my plots. Even though the 405 freeway is right beside the garden center, I often feel like I have been transported to someplace more rural. It's a nice reminder that Los Angeles was once an agricultural city. This is my antidote to the hustle and bustle of city life.
