Huntington Beach Community Garden Rises from Former Parking Lot

If you’ve passed by the Santa Ana River at the east end of Atlanta Avenue recently, you may have noticed something different. While the power lines still buzz overhead, what used to be a gravel parking lot is now the Huntington Beach Community Garden. The nonprofit has created a gorgeous community garden replete with herbs, veggies and more in the most unlikely of places.

The garden has been around for about three years now, and it’s taken nearly all of that time to transform it into what you see today. It’s a place where children can learn about gardening and food, not to mention a huge asset for local nonprofits who rely on the food it produces. There are all kinds of different vegetables grown in the garden, including common kitchen staples like tomatoes to more exotic produce like Chinese veggies.

And did you see the 16.5-pound beet this summer at the OC Fair? If so, you can probably guess where it came from: the Huntington Beach Community Garden! The garden currently produces more than 1,000 pounds of food each year, and many young Huntington Beach residents are being taught how to garden and grow their own food.

Carlina Thomas, the garden’s vice president, said: “We have some great family plots. Some families just get it; they’re teaching their kids about the value of food.”

Huntington Beach home owners are encouraged to get involved and volunteer their time at the community garden. There is currently a waiting list to get a plot inside the garden, but here are some other ways you can involve yourself with this exceptional community project!

• Harvest Brigade Committee: Delivers produce from the garden to local nonprofits.
• Garden Events Committee: Plans events for the garden.
• Scouting Committee: Provides outreach to get Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops involved in the garden.
• Volunteer Committee: Coordinates and grows the volunteer base for the garden.
• Website and Social Media Committee:Maintains the garden’s social media and Internet presence.

For more information about the Huntington Beach real estate market, please contact me. I’m a local real estate agent and I’d love to help you find the Huntington Beach home of your dreams!