Hami Garden

Hamilton School Garden – SORO Green Team

Chinese Elm

Terry, Paula, Larry

Saturday March 24, 2012

The Community Tree Planting was a huge success. More than 200 volunteers (mostly high school students) showed up this morning and worked under the expert supervision of the LA Conservation Corps (they also provided trucks, brooms and shovels) to plant 15 new trees along South Robertson Blvd between Cadillac and Cattaraugus.

The Bagel Factory, Coffee Bean and Starbucks donated food and coffee.
SORO Neighborhood Council devoted 25% of their annual budget to this project, the first phase of a larger revitalization of South Robertson.
See pictured above: Terrence Gomez, SORONC Treasurer, Paula Waxman and Lawrence Hess, SORO Green Team co-chairs, and a freshly planted Chinese Elm, below: LA Conservation Corps with volunteers planting a tree.

LA Conservation Corps and volunteers

March 6, 2012

You probably noticed the sorry state of the trees that were planted on Robertson Blvd years ago.  They are called Chitalpas and many did not survive. Now, thanks to the efforts of our SORONC Green Team (with Million Trees LA, Councilmen Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz) 13 new trees, Chinese Elms this time, will be planted in those empty wells.  The LA Conservancy Corps will plant and maintain the trees for 2 years, but we also need community volunteers to help.

Saturday March 24, from 8 am to noon.
Email the Green team or call Paula Waxman at 310-559 2552

Paoula, Larry, Andrey, Donna

February 9, 2012

The SORO Green Team organized a fruit pick on January 22 and collected 2500 pounds of ripe oranges, tangerines and lemons from neighbors gardens.  Co-chairs Paula Waxman and Lawrence Hess loaded this incredibly bountiful and colorful harvest into Larry’s truck, with the help of student volunteers from Hamilton high school, Andrey Bailey and Donna Feria, and they donated it to the SOVA and St. Augustine Church food banks.
Produce from the Hami School Garden, which is not not eaten by students or volunteers, is also donated.  From January 2011 to January 2012, the garden workers have taken over 600 pounds of produce to local food banks.
Please volunteer to work in the Hami Garden.
Email us for more info: hamigarden@gmail.com

brussels sprouts

Sunday – January 15, 2012

The Hamilton School garden is blooming with bountiful green leafy vegetables spreading their wide leaves in the winter sun:  baby broccoli, purple brussels sprouts, black and green kale, as well as the green leaves of the buried carrots.  All along the beds you can see the black pipes of the drip irrigation system surrounded by the brownish mulch chips.
Paula Waxman, Larry Hess, George Pessin and community volunteers were toiling away today, happy to be outdoors engaged in some meaningful physical activity.
Please join us next Sunday from 10am to 12 pm.
Enter from open side gate on Canfield north of Cattaraugus.
Students are invited to come work in the garden also on Tuesdays at 3pm.
For more info send email to hamigarden@gmail.com

kale

garden=happy

December 23, 2011

Now that school is out for winter break, the Hami garden will be open on different days and hours.

Sunday 12/25 Christmas: not open
Tuesday 12/27 not open
Wednesday 12/28 open from 1:30 to 3:00ish
Sunday 1/1 New Year: not open
Wednesday 1/4 open from 1:30 to 3:00 ish
Sunday 1/8 open from 10 to noon
Tuesday 1/10 open at 3:00 dismissal

Remember, the garden is like a baby, it needs constant care.

So work off some of that holiday stress and eggnog by coming in to give it some TLC.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

bucket of tomatoes

Monday September 12, 2011

Now that the school year has started, students will be working in the garden with George on Tuesdays (NOT Wednesdays) after classes, from 3 to 4.30.

The bountiful summer crop of fruits and vegetables has been harvested, we picked the last of the tomatoes on Sunday, September 11, and the empty beds are ready for fall planting.

Please come by to participate in this joyful ritual, bury some seedlings in the earth.
Community volunteer hours are still Sundays from 10 am to 12 pm

student with trombone squash

Wednesday August 10, 2011
Students from the “Steeping Forward” summer program have been enjoying working in the Hami Garden.
They carried 90 bags of soil and spread it around the vegetables. They harvested the corn and roasted it, they opened up a watermelon and they ate it on the spot, messy but delicious.
You may want to join them on Wednesdays, between 1 and 3 pm or volunteer on Sundays, 10 am to 12 pm, learn more about gardening, do something good for the earth and for yourself.

Enter through the Canfield gate, email us for more info.

artichokes

Sunday July 3, 2011

Hot summer days are finally here!
Come and look at the Hami garden’s giant cornstalks and burgeoning watermelons.
The most stunning sight is purple flowering artichokes.
Summer hours for students are now on Wednesdays, 1 to 3 pm, to coincide with the 10-week Summer Teen program for incoming Freshmen, Stepping Forward.

SORO Neighborhood Council and Reynier Village Neighborhood Association made donations to support this excellent program, and you may do so as well, by contacting: beth@bethryan.com

Community volunteer hours are still Sundays 10 am to 12 pm.
Walk in through the Canfield gate, bring a hat and wear sunscreen, be ready to sweat while you work away, we could use your help for gardening chores.
Send us an email for more info hamigarden@gmail.com

flowers

Sunday April 3, 2011

Community and students volunteers showed up today, as they do every Sunday, to tend our beautiful garden, and they were rewarded with bouquets of colorful sweet pea flowers to take home.
In this springtime, tall flowers -red, yellow, blue and purple- cover up the fence.
Inside the vegetable garden, giant plants are full of mature artichokes.
Here’s a quiz for you, “Are artichokes fruits or vegetables, flowers or thistles?”

Look up the answer here

artichoke

Please visit the Hami Garden and discover its many wonders.
Sundays 10 am to 12 pm.  For more info, email hamigarden@gmail.com

watering the verbena

Sunday February 6, 2011

Community volunteers continue to take care of the blossoming Hami Garden: watering, planting, pruning, raking, mulching, composting, etc.
A purple verbena bush is gracing the California perennials bed.
The sweet peas are growing up tall like a forest.
The broccoli spread their large leaves to the sun.

Please come by and take a look, do some work, on Sundays 10 am to 12
Enter through the small gate on Canfield.

broccoli & sweet peas

sunflower and marigolds

December 5, 2010

The winter vegetables have been planted: peas, onions, brussel sprouts, broccoli, artichokes and lettuces.
The yellow marigolds are flourishing, a big sunflower sprouted all on its own, and the Hami Garden looks more gorgeous than ever.

Please stop by to enjoy it and help with some gardening chores.
We’re there on Sundays from 10 to 12.
The Canfield gate is open, look for the red and white flag.
For more info email: hamigarden@gmail.com

October 8, 2010

The Grand Opening of the Hamilton School Garden on October 7 was a success, city officials, community members, parents and teachers were justly proud of this accomplishment.
But the ones who really enjoyed the day’s activities were the students who came by and got their hands dirty, digging and mulching, harvesting the bountiful crops: basil, tomatoes, eggplant, lettuce, etc.
SORONC Board member and photographer Barry Levine documented the events through photographs and video
Garden Manager and videographer Samantha Lyon interviewed SORO Green Team co-chairs Paula Waxman and Larry Hess.
Master Gardener George Pessin was very excited that many Hamilton students signed up for Garden Club, that meets Tuesdays after school.
Community members are invited to work on the garden on Saturdays 10.30 to 12.30 pm.
We’re still looking for an Assistant Manager to work with students and teachers on weekdays.
Please contact us at hamigarden@gmail.com

pumpkin

September 27, 2010

The Hami Garden will have its “Grand Opening” on “Back to School” day, Thursday October 7.
Students and teachers are invited to visit, enjoy the summer bounty of vegetables and flowers, from 7 am to 4 pm, parents and members of the community from 4 to 7 pm.
It is a great accomplishment for our neighborhood to have been able to provide students with hands-on experience on how our food is grown, help them understand our connection with the earth and with the community.
We extend our thanks to the many volunteers who have worked hard to make this possible: Paula Waxman and Larry Hess of SORO Green team, Garden Manager Samantha Lyon, Master Gardener George Pessin, Weekend Manager Andrea Elam, Science teacher Karen Laramay and the students from the Hami Garden Club, Garden Manager Erin Amini, photographer Barry Levinson, Saran Kirshbaum, Steven Coker, etc

We are still looking for more weekday help and weekend volunteers.

Please visit the Hami Garden Facebook page
Contact us to volunteer: hamigarden@gmail.com

Samantha Lyon

Larry Hess

September 11, 2010

Volunteers have been working in the Hami garden to get it ready for the start of the school year on Monday September 13.
Larry built retaining walls of broken concrete to hold the soil around some of the beds.
We have a new Garden manager: Samantha Lyon and a weekend manager: Andrea Elam.
Stay tuned for news of the Grand Opening celebration, coming soon!

Sunday September 5, 2010

Paula Waxman shows how the scarlet runner beans will climb up the fence and, hopefully, cover it up completely for a greener look.

The Hami Garden is looking for regular volunteers willing to work 2 hours every weekend, when the garden will be open for 2 hours each Saturday and one Sunday a month, from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.
We’re also looking for an Assistant manager who will commit to 4 hours a week, Monday through Friday between 8 am and 3 pm, school hours, as needed to fit into students and teachers’ schedules.
Please email Paula if you’re available: paulawaxman@soronc.org

Sunday August 21, 2010

Lots of tomatoes have been growing on several plants in the Hami garden, bordered by bright yellow marigolds.  Community volunteers who showed up today to prune and harvest walked home with some red juicy ones to eat.
We will be taking a little time off next week to prepare for the start of school year.
Many thanks to all the students and volunteers who worked on the garden during the summer break, and to Erin, the garden manager.
Please email Paula if you want to become part of our team of volunteer gardeners: paulawaxman@soronc.org

Erin shows squash

July 19, 2010

Now that summer school has started at Hamilton, volunteers are invited to work in the Hami Garden from 12 to 2 pm om Mondays and Wednesdays.
ALL STUDENTS can get extra credit applied to Science class next year AND community hours!
Eggshells were sprinkled around the base of the plants to help keep the snails and slugs away.
Compost was added to the tomato beds, more seeds were planted, humongous cauliflower and broccoli, some squash and lettuces were harvested. Tomato cages were built and they look AWESOME.
This week we will be removing cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts, planting canteloupe, watermelon, some more squash, some eggplant and peppers!  We will make some trellises for our melons and cucumbers.
This Sunday July 25, from 10 to 12, we will finish installing the new irrigation system and plant the last of the drought-tolerant plants.

Please come out and help!
For any questions send email to Erin: hamigarden@gmail.com

lettuces

June 23, 2010

As the school year ends this week at Hamilton High School, work on the Hami Garden continues.
Many varieties of vegetables and herbs have been planted: lettuces, tomatoes, squash, beans, artichokes, etc.
A fence was erected to protect the area, which will be covered with pretty vines in due time; meanwhile bright yellow marigolds highlight the vegetable beds.

This Saturday, June 26, from 10 to 12, we will be planting all of our native, drought tolerant plants.
Please come out and help us landscape.
Email Erin with any questions at hamigarden@gmail.com

Erin and Saran tend garden

May 3, 2010

We visited the garden this past Sunday and saw Hamilton students mixing nutrients into the compost and mulch to prepare the soil for planting, volunteers from SORO Green team digging up trenches for drip irrigation.

Please come out to help, Sundays 10 to 12.
Sign up for volunteer hours, get free donuts!

The garden is located in the North West corner of the track area, at Cattaraugus and Canfield.
Email Erin for latest schedule and questions hamigarden@gmail.com

March 27, 2010

A lot is happening at the Hami Garden.

We have cleared the area of debris, weeded, hand tilled, composted, bought a storage shed, installed compost bins, and have begun roto-tilling.
Hamilton Science teachers are bringing their classes to the garden.

We are in the garden every Saturday and Sunday from 10 to noon.
Come out to help, sign your name on our volunteer list, get free donuts!

Next big event: Wednesday March 31, 12.30 pm
RAL youth will dig trenches for a drip irrigation system.

Nika raking

March 14, 2010

Work on the Hami Garden is progressing.
More and more volunteers are showing up to help: students, teachers, neighbors…
Please stop by and take look, sign in, put in a couple of hours worth of work
Every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to noon.
Enter from gate on Cattaraugus SW corner Canfield.

On Saturday March 13, video interviews with the principal organizers of this community effort were taped by videographer Samantha Lyon.
Paula Waxman, SORO Green team co-chair, SORON Board
Lawrence Hess, SORO Green team co-chair, landscape designer
Erin Amini, Hami Garden manager, community gardener
Nika Allahverdi, Hamilton student, environmental club S.A.F.E.
Karen Laramay, Hamilton biology teacher

Photographer Barry Levine, SORONC Board member and Reynier Village resident, will continue to document the progress of the Hami Garden.

Nika & Samantha

March 2, 2010

Work has started on the “Hami Garden”, students broke ground during Winter break, compost bins were installed, weeds cleared, volunteers started tilling the soil.  The official completion is planned for June, but might be completed as early as May 1st.
Please consider volunteering next Sunday March 7 at 10 am, rain permitting.
For access info and to sign-up email PaulaWaxman@soronc.org

Erin Amini, Hami gardener

Hamilton students

Volunteers tilling

The “Hami Garden” is a project of SORO Green Team, co-chaired by Paula Waxman and Lawrence Hess.
They organized it with student Nika Allahverdi, co-founder of the S.A.F.E. Environmental Club at Hamilton High School, and science teacher Karen Laramay; they applied for a City Beautification Grant, that was awarded by the city and matched by the South Robertson Neighborhoods Council.
Erin Amini has volunteered to manage the garden.
Larry has designed the landscaping: it will include a permanent area of drought-tolerant Mediterranean and California native plants and two seasonal planting beds for the use of the Hamilton High student body and various departments.

Blog page editor: Elisa Leonelli-SORO Green Team, Reynier Village Board