Athens Services at the Mar Vista Green Tent! - Sunday November 10th

QUICK TIPS TO REDUCING HOLIDAY WASTE

The holidays are here! According to the EPA, household waste increases by more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. Here is how to dispose of common improperly disposed holiday items. 

Decorations
Consider checking with your community reuse networks to find and/or donate slightly used decorations. Visit AthensServices.com/MaterialReuse for ideas. Place in the trash any non-paper or cardboard-based decorations, such as broken holiday ornaments. 

Gift Bags
Gift bags with little to no color or decorations are highly recyclable (e.g. kraft bags). Remove all contents (including tissue paper), handles and tags if made from a material other than paper, and place in trash any items with a glossy coating or decorated with foil, feathers, glitter, ribbon, or any non-paper content.

Tissue Paper, Bows, and Ribbons
These items cannot be recycled and should be thrown away in the trash container. Tissue paper cannot be placed in the recycling due to excess dye and paper fibers that are too short to be recycled.

String and Holiday Lights
String and holiday lights are considered electronic waste and are not allowed in any waste container. 

  • Residential Drop Off - Visit LACitySan.org/safecenters to find the nearest S.A.F.E. Collection Center.

  • Business Collection - Request a pick up, for a fee, by calling the LASAN Customer Care Center at (800) 773-2489.

Wrapping Paper
Regular and glossy wrapping paper is recyclable unless it has non-paper additives like metallic flakes, colored shapes, glitter and plastics. Foil, metallic and heavily laminated wrapping paper should also be thrown away instead of recycled. Please do not recycle foil, plastic coating, ribbon, bows, or glitter. 

And remember, compost all leftover food scraps in your green organics container.

The Master Gardeners - Nov 3rd 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

On Sunday, Nov. 3 from 9 am to 1 pm the UCCE/LA County Master Gardeners  will occupy the Green Tent with free plants and seeds to give away. And if you have any gardening questions, bring them with you! Take a look at the video with MG Julie Strnad.

This month they’ve planted up: 

Sugar Snap Peas, those chunky, crunchy snappy peas that you eat, pod and all. Delicious raw or cooked.

Arugula — adds a little spice to your salad, the Brits call this “rocket”!

Swiss Chard — a very nutritious green for salads or braising or sautes…you pick which!

Baby Spinach — on the video Julie coos about these little cuties!

Kale—still one of the heartiest winter greens and packed with good stuff for body and brain

Succulents — weather may be changing but these plants are perfect for our climate

Microgreens —  called “cut and come again” because you shave off some of the top bits, and they will just keep growing!

Cilantro — love it or shove it, it’s a bright sparkling herb that adds wonders to Thai food, Mexican food — and your food!

California poppies—this is the first time they’ve ever planted these from seed and they’re going to ask you to tell them how they’re growing once you get them home

Don’t forget to bring your leftover six-packs (not beer!) to recycle and plant next month’s seedlings in. 

Wondering what to do in the garden in November? Consult this helpful PDF

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GREY WATER - October 27th at the Mar Vista Green Tent

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Relaxing during a foraging expedition.

Come to the Mar Vista Green Tent this Sunday in the heart of the Mar Vista Farmers Market. Meet Art Lee…a Renaissance man for our times. Whether he is foraging for healing herbs or rerouting your washing machine to water your trees, his heart beats to the pulse of Mother Earth. And don’t forget to ask about his one-of-a-kind solar powered bicycle!

GET THAT GREY WATER IN THE GROUND!

Don't let the winter rains fool you.  We still need every drop of water back in the soil.  Redirecting grey water is an easy way to prevent waste.  

What is grey water? It's the "waste" water from your washing machine reused to water your fruit trees or perennial plants instead of being sent to the reclamation plant and then out to the ocean. With a grey water system, every time you do a load of laundry your plants get a good drink and you save money as well.

As everyone knows, California has experienced an extreme drought for many years and it will most likely continue. Water is probably the most important resource for every living species on our planet. 

Learn how to double the usage of your water!

Green Tent guest Art Lee holds workshops that cover all the information you need to install a grey water system at your house. He's bringing a mini greywater demo system so visitors can see how it works and will answer your questions. He'll also have a signup sheet for those interested in attending a future workshop.

Save the Pollinators with Xerces Society - October 13th at the Green Tent

Did you know that one out of every four species of bumble bee is at risk of extinction? Or that Monarch butterflies in California have declined by over 90% since the 1980s?

The good news is that you can help bring back the pollinators! Visit the Green Tent on October 13, 2024, 9am–2pm, to learn simple steps you can take to conserve pollinators and their habitats.

Meet a volunteer ambassador for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The Xerces Society is a science-based international nonprofit that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.

Swing by to see insect specimens, pick up a free brochure, plant list, or bookmark, and learn how to:

  • Create habitat for our gentle native bees in your garden 🐝

  • Select the best plants for native pollinators 🍃

  • Tell the difference between a fly, a wasp, and a bee 🪰

  • Help the monarch butterfly with native milkweed 🦋

For kids, there will be butterfly hand stamps and face masks to color. Nature loves ages 8–11 can take home an invertebrate-themed activity booklet in English or Spanish.

 
 
 
 

The Master Gardeners - Oct 6th 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

Here’s MG Julie Strnad with what’s coming to the Mar Vista Market this Sunday!

Join the LA County Master Gardeners on Sunday, October 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in The Green Tent. They’ll be there as usual with free plants (they’ve grown for you!) and free seed packets.

This time they’re giving away:

Green beans — the last of the season before moving on to peas! Which like the colder weather, which we hope is coming soon! 

Baby chard and baby kale, together in a single mini-pot.

Cilantro — love it or hate it, but it’s a wonderfully bright herb that brings Thai, Mexican and many other cultures’ culinary flavors vividly to life. You can keep the seeds to replant or grind them for your own personal coriander spice! 

Succulents will always be a favorite in SoCal yards and containers, and they’re bringing a variety of them.

Microgreens are delicious, tiny and OH so prolific. Cut them like a haircut and watch them keep growing more, perfect on sandwiches or in salads.

Arugula, that spicy little green that the Brits call “rocket.” If you let them flower and eat the flowers, you’ll find a spicy, nutty flavored treat. Or let them go to seed and you can grow more of your own next year.

And lastly but not leastly, Swiss Chard, which tastes milder than spinach and is easier to grow. A very nutritional leafy green.

LOW COST 4-week gardening workshops are taking place across LA County now!

Don’t forget to bring those plastic six-packs to the Green Tent so the MGs can recycle them and grow more plants for you next month.

Mar Vista Arbor Group - Sept 29th 9 a.m. to 1:30 pm

Mar Vista Arbor Group Presents: First Annual "Green" Book Giveaway

All topics related to a flourishing Earth will be represented:
Horticulture
Compost
Memoirs
Organic Gardening
Farm to Table

 

The Mar Vista Arbor Group advocates and cares for trees in our community.
We work to increase the urban tree canopy in Los Angeles.

Why We Love Trees?

  • Trees are beautiful.

  • Trees shade and cool our streets.

  • Trees slow climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide.

  • Trees calm traffic.

  • Trees provide food and habitat for birds.

  • Trees benefit human health, lowering stress and boosting lifespan.

What do we do?

  • We plant and maintain public trees.

  • We educate our community about our trees at public events like the Farmers Market Green Tent and block parties.

  • We organize informational tours to tree-centric locations like the Griffith Park Tree Nursery and the Tree People facility in the Coldwater Canyon Park.

  • We provide information and links to resources, events and activities through our website.

The Master Gardeners - Sept 1st 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

Master Gardener Julie Strnad shows you what’s coming to the Mar Vista Farmers Market.

Start your new month right! The LA County Master Gardeners will be at the Green Tent on the first Sunday, which is September 1, from 9 am to 1 pm. Pick up a free plant and some free seeds to help get a head start on your autumn veggie garden. 

They’ll have spreckles leaf lettuce along with red/green mixed leaf lettuce. All are “cut and come again” — as you harvest the tops, more grow!

There are also the fall favorites, baby chard and baby kale.

Arugula because you’ll still be making salad.

Microgreens, also are cut and come again; though small, they pack a mighty nutritional punch!

And it’s time to bring out the brassicas:  Brussels Sprouts (baby cabbages!) and Cauliflower.

As ever, there’ll be succulents for the drought-minded.

And last but not least: Why not grow your own green beans for that Thanksgiving casserole?

They’re bringing pole beans, already started for you; you bring the trellis.

Don’t forget to recycle your six packs so next month, they’ll be able to grow more plants for you.

Food Forward - August 25th at the Mar Vista Green Tent

Food Forward® fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people experiencing food insecurity, and inspiring others to do the same. Food Forward was founded in 2009 and this year marks the organization’s 15th anniversary. That’s 15 years of Building Generational Health, growing to become the largest independent produce reclamation and urban gleaning organization in the nation devoted exclusively to bringing healthy fresh produce to communities experiencing food and nutrition insecurity.

Food Forward® has three award-winning food recovery programs, two of which are volunteer-powered! 100% of the produce we recover is donated directly to our partner hunger relief organizations, free of charge. All produce donors receive a receipt for their in-kind donations.

Backyard Harvest: Volunteers harvest surplus fruit from trees that would otherwise go to waste. We harvest trees across Los Angeles, Ventura, and small sections of Santa Barbara counties. Sign up to volunteer!

Farmers Market Recovery: Volunteers "glean"—meaning Food Forward collects surplus fruit and vegetables—from 16 farmers markets across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Market vendors can choose to donate any produce at the peak of its freshness that may not make it to the next market they attend. Fun fact: Food Forward® has gleaned the Mar Vista Farmers Market since 2013. In 2023 alone, our volunteers recovered over 34,000 pounds of produce from this market that would have otherwise gone to waste! 

Sign up to volunteer! You can glean the Mar Vista Farmers Market with Food Forward® on Sundays from 1:30-3:30 p.m. or volunteer at another market.

Wholesale Recovery: The Wholesale Produce Recovery refrigerated warehouse located in Bell, California is the hub for tens of thousands of pounds of daily surplus produce donations from the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market in Los Angeles, its surrounding district, and from growers and shippers across the region and the country. Food Forward’s Wholesale Recovery Program provides a sustainable solution to avoid the loss of perfectly edible produce being thrown away, often due to not meeting cosmetic standards or changes in demand. Instead, this nutritious surplus is redirected to hundreds of hunger relief organizations across Southern California and the surrounding region, ranging from regional food banks to community-based service centers for people experiencing food insecurity.

A volunteer gleans the Mar Vista Farmers Market in October 2023
Photo credit: Eron Rauch

A volunteer harvests lemons
Photo credit: Jeffery Dawson

A vendor at the Mar Vista Farmers Market donates surplus produce to Food Forward in October 2023
Photo credit: Eron Rauch

In addition to volunteering, there are other ways to join our work: 

Athens Services at the Mar Vista Green Tent! - Sunday August 11th

Every year, US restaurants and food service businesses use nearly 1 trillion individual pieces of disposable foodware and packaging. These items are used for only a short time, and when made from plastic pose risks to human health and have a long-lasting impact on the environment.

“ONLY UPON REQUEST” IS THE LAW

As of January 2022, California Assembly Bill 1276 requires all retail food facilities* and food delivery platforms to provide single-use foodware accessories and condiments to consumers only upon request in an effort to reduce waste. Single-use foodware accessories include, but are not limited to, utensils (such as forks, knives, spoons, and sporks), chopsticks, condiment cups and packets, straws, stirrers, splash sticks, and cocktail sticks.

*Does not apply to correctional institutions; licensed health-care facilities; residential-care facilities; and public and private school cafeterias. 

LOS ANGELES LOCAL ORDINANCES

LA Sanitation and Environment’s Comprehensive Plastics Reduction Program aims to cut down on non-recyclable and single-use plastics in Los Angeles, shifting focus from waste disposal to waste prevention.

Single-Use Carryout Bag Ban

  • Prohibits single-use carryout bags and imposes a $0.10 fee per recyclable paper bag at retail establishments, which include, but are not limited to, grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, drug stores, pharmacies, apparel stores, farmer’s market vendors, food or beverage facilities, hardware stores, open air markets vendors, etc.

  • Acceptable alternatives include reusable bags, either for sale or at no charge, or recyclable paper single-use carryout bags charged at $0.10 per bag. Customers may also use their own bags.

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Ban

  • Prohibits all businesses, retail establishments, and food or beverage facilities from distributing, offering, providing, renting, or selling to any person any EPS product, commonly known as the trade name StyrofoamTM, any food or beverage in any EPS product, or any shipping or packing material that contains EPS.

  • Acceptable alternatives include cardboard, 100% fiber-based compostable foodware products, recyclable #1, #2, and #5 plastics, metal, glass, and reusable products. 

Foodware Accessories and Plastic Straws-on-Request Ordinance

  • The City of Los Angeles also has a local ordinance that requires all food and beverage facilities to provide disposable foodware accessories, such as utensils, napkins, and condiment packets to a dine-in or take-out customer ONLY if the customer requests them. 

Learn more about the ordinances at lacitysan.org/sourcereduction. 

CONSIDER REUSABLES FIRST

Reusables are always recommended in lieu of single use plastic. Some options to reduce plastic waste are packing a pair of to-go utensils for on-the-go meals, bringing reusable containers with you or keeping extras in the car, and getting a drink from your favorite coffee shop in your personal reusable cup. Small changes can make a big impact! 

Also consider using 100% plant-fiber based foodware* like wood, bamboo, or molded fiber, which are accepted in the organics container.

* Must be 100% fiber-based. NO materials with bio-plastic, wax, or petroleum-based plastic coating, liner, or laminate.

The Master Gardeners - August 4th 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

This Sunday, August 4, join the LA County Master Gardeners under the Green Tent, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  They’ll be giving out plants and seeds FREE to you. Summer’s a productive season!

MG Julie shares this video of what they’ve grown for the market; they’ll be supplementing these with some more, TBA.

Microgreens are super healthy, easy to grow, they’re called “cut and come again” because when you snip the tops they grow back.

Baby kale and baby chard — not just because they’re seedlings! These have smaller leaves and are also healthy for you.

Zinnias: Who doesn’t love these showy flowers?

And for the kids: baby pumpkins (called Jack-Be-Little) so small they’ll fit the palm of your hand. 95 days to harvest. 

Succulents, in various shapes and sizes

Pole Beans (green beans) You’ll need to support these with some kind of structure like a trellis

Don’t forget you can recycle your six packs with the MGs and they’ll use ‘em to grow more plants for next month’s Green Tent.

Save the Pollinators with Xerces Society - October 13 at the Green Tent

Did you know that one out of every four species of bumble bee is at risk of extinction? Or that Monarch butterflies in California have declined by over 90% since the 1980s?

The good news is that you can help bring back the pollinators! Visit the Green Tent on October 13, 2024, 9am–2pm, to learn simple steps you can take to conserve pollinators and their habitats.

Meet a volunteer ambassador for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The Xerces Society is a science-based international nonprofit that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.

Swing by to see insect specimens, pick up a free brochure, plant list, or bookmark, and learn how to:

  • Create habitat for our gentle native bees in your garden 🐝

  • Select the best plants for native pollinators 🍃

  • Tell the difference between a fly, a wasp, and a bee 🪰

  • Help the monarch butterfly with native milkweed 🦋

For kids, there will be butterfly hand stamps and face masks to color. Nature loves ages 8–11 can take home an invertebrate-themed activity booklet in English or Spanish.

 
 
 
 

The Master Gardeners - July 7th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

In this video, MG Julie Strnad shows you what the UC Master Gardeners of LA County will be giving away FREE on Sunday, July 7 at the Green Tent from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. while supplies last! You can also pick up two free packets of seeds. 

This month they’re bringing (and GREW for you!):

Container Zucchini— they’re smaller and easier to maintain .

Zucchini

Arugula to spice up your salad greens
Japanese cucumbers, long and lean!

Microgreens, aka cut and come again
Succulents, a perennial SoCal favorite
Basil for that summer tomato salad or pizza
Green beans because Green beans!
Dill
Lemon basil
Baby Spaghetti squash, great substitute for pasta

Baby Spaghetti squash

Don’t forget to bring your empty six packs so they can grow more for you next month. And for tips on what to do in July, check this out.

Help Fix the Plastic Bag Ban! - Sunday 6/30 at the Green Tent

On Sunday, June 30, CALPIRG will be at the Green Tent collecting signatures in support of two bills to fix the state plastic bag ban.

In 2014, we helped pass a law that tried to ban single-use plastic bags in grocery stores to help stop the flow of plastic into our environment. Plastic companies circumvented the law and made the thicker and heavier bags you may now see at checkout lines, claiming that they are "reusable" and "recyclable." The reality is, few people reuse the bags and recycling centers across the state don't accept them, leading to all-time high levels of plastic bag waste piling up in our landfills and polluting our oceans. The good news is that the California legislature is currently considering a new law that would fix the bag ban, and ban all plastic film bags from being provided at grocery stores in California. 

The final bill hearing is coming up quickly! Stop by the Green Tent this Sunday to help ban plastic bags once and for all by signing on in support of a strengthened plastic bag ban.

The Master Gardeners - June 2nd, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

On Sunday, June 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at THE GREEN TENT we welcome the Master Gardeners of LA County, who will be handing out FREE seedlings, FREE seeds and FREE gardening advice.

This month they’re bringing:

A selection of Succulents for your low-water garden

Zucchini squash that produces prolifically, and goes on or in everything from pizza to lasagna, to side dishes, to grills, roasts and sautées…even bread/cake!

Mint  — Keep it in a container or it’ll take over your garden!

Basil  —  delicious in anything with tomatoes including pizza and tomato sauce — or create an easy appetizer for your summer party:  Caprese on skewers!

Pole beans — the kind of green beans you need to support on a trellis or something similar

A selection of flowers including: 

Scabiosa

Gallardia

Calendula —  edible flower, often called "poor man's saffron"

Microgreens — cut 'em back and watch 'em grow more!

Eggplant — perfect for grilling at your summertime barbecue

Don’t forget to bring your “six packs” to be recycled for next month’s seedling giveaway.  And here are some garden tips for the month of June in LA County! 

The Master Gardeners - May 5th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

This Sunday, Cinco de Mayo, from 9 am to 1 pm, join the UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners at the Green Tent and get ready for summer harvests of the following free seedlings grown just for this market (don’t forget to pick up some free seeds, too!): 

Italian Basil — perfect for your Pizza Margherita when paired with tomatoes

Strawberries Just drizzle some balsamic vinegar over them 

Pole Beans You need to support these green beans with a trellis, a cage or string and sticks

Marigolds These will help ward off the nematodes from your tomatoes

Lettuce Salad!

Sunflowers Beauty!!

Cucumbers DIY Pickles! 

Zinnias  More beauty!

Succulents Drought tolerant 

Bring your leftover “six packs” to the MG booth so they can reuse them for next month’s planting.

Mar Vista Arbor Group - Sunday 5/28 at the Green Tent

Caring for street trees on Cabrillo April 2021

The city and county of los angeles may have free trees for you!

TREES

Visit Mar Vista Arbor Group for more information.

What Can Trees Do for Me

    - Save water

    - Combat the greenhouse effect

    - Clean the air

    - Provide oxygen

    - Cool the streets and the city

    - Conserve energy

    - Provide homes for local wildlife

One year of growth May 2022

Be WaterWise Rebate program

Learn about ways to get a ittle cash for your new trees: https://www.bewaterwise.com/tree-rebates.html

The Master Gardeners - April 7th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

This month the LA County Master Gardeners will occupy the Green Tent with their own version of “Tomatomania” on Sunday, April 7, from 9 am to 1 pm. 

There are dwarf tomatoes that grow well in the ground and excellently in containers. Many people claim that Sweet 100s are their favorite cherry tomatoes.

It doesn’t happen often but they are also bringing eggplant seedlings.

And--sweet red peppers!

Marigolds, both yellow and orange will help repel the root nematodes from the tomatoes!  

Succulents of course for the drought tolerant-minded (even though we’ve had quite the rainy season)!

If you’ve been to a plant nursery lately and you brought home those little “pony packs,” don’t discard them — recycle them with the MGs and they fill them up with veggies, flowers, herbs and more for future Green Tent appearances.

And if you’re wondering what to do in your garden in April, we have the answers for you! 

Athens Services at the Mar Vista Green Tent! - Sunday March 24th

BULKY ITEM COLLECTION

Bulky item collection refers to the pick up of oversized items that cannot be placed in a standard waste container due to size or weight. Athens provides bulky item collection for a fee to commercial businesses. Bulky items from multifamily residential customers are collected for free by the City of Los Angeles.

Schedule a bulky item collection by calling the LASAN Customer Care Center at (800) 773-2489 or visit MyLA311.LACity.org and click on “Create Service Request.”

Acceptable Bulky Items

(includes, but not limited to) 
Appliances (e.g. refrigerators and dryers), furniture, large broken toys, mattresses, rugs, tree trunks, and water heaters

NOT Acceptable Bulky Items

(includes, but not limited to)
Automobile parts, batteries, bulbs, construction & demolition waste (e.g. concrete, dirt, drywall, rock, and tile), hazardous waste, liquid waste, medical products, tires, and loose or scattered lumber & green waste

Food Forward - March 10th at the Mar Vista Green Tent

Food Forward® fights hunger and prevents food waste by rescuing fresh surplus produce, connecting this abundance with people experiencing food insecurity, and inspiring others to do the same. Food Forward was founded in 2009 and this year marks the organization’s 15th anniversary. That’s 15 years of Building Generational Health, growing to become the largest independent produce reclamation and urban gleaning organization in the nation devoted exclusively to bringing healthy fresh produce to communities experiencing food and nutrition insecurity.

Food Forward® has three award-winning food recovery programs, two of which are volunteer-powered! 100% of the produce we recover is donated directly to our partner hunger relief organizations, free of charge. All produce donors receive a receipt for their in-kind donations.

Backyard Harvest: Volunteers harvest surplus fruit from trees that would otherwise go to waste. We harvest trees across Los Angeles, Ventura, and small sections of Santa Barbara counties. Sign up to volunteer!

Farmers Market Recovery: Volunteers "glean"—meaning Food Forward collects surplus fruit and vegetables—from 16 farmers markets across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Market vendors can choose to donate any produce at the peak of its freshness that may not make it to the next market they attend. Fun fact: Food Forward® has gleaned the Mar Vista Farmers Market since 2013. In 2023 alone, our volunteers recovered over 34,000 pounds of produce from this market that would have otherwise gone to waste! 

Sign up to volunteer! You can glean the Mar Vista Farmers Market with Food Forward® on Sundays from 1:30-3:30 p.m. or volunteer at another market.

Wholesale Recovery: The Wholesale Produce Recovery refrigerated warehouse located in Bell, California is the hub for tens of thousands of pounds of daily surplus produce donations from the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market in Los Angeles, its surrounding district, and from growers and shippers across the region and the country. Food Forward’s Wholesale Recovery Program provides a sustainable solution to avoid the loss of perfectly edible produce being thrown away, often due to not meeting cosmetic standards or changes in demand. Instead, this nutritious surplus is redirected to hundreds of hunger relief organizations across Southern California and the surrounding region, ranging from regional food banks to community-based service centers for people experiencing food insecurity.

A volunteer gleans the Mar Vista Farmers Market in October 2023
Photo credit: Eron Rauch

A volunteer harvests lemons
Photo credit: Jeffery Dawson

A vendor at the Mar Vista Farmers Market donates surplus produce to Food Forward in October 2023
Photo credit: Eron Rauch

In addition to volunteering, there are other ways to join our work: 

The Master Gardeners - March 3rd, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

From Gilbert and Sullivan’s THE MIKADO

The flowers that bloom in the spring
Tra la
Breathe promise of merry sunshine —
As we merrily dance and we singTra la
We welcome the hope that they bring
Tra la
Of a summer of roses and wine
Of a summer of roses and wine
And that's what we mean when we say that a thing
Is welcome as flowers that bloom in the spring
Tra la la la la
Tra la la la la
The flowers that bloom in the spring

True to the lyrics, this month at the GREEN TENT (Sunday, March 3 from 9 am to 1 pm) the UC/CE LA County Master Gardeners  are bringing you a selection of blooms grow alongside your veggies! 

Enjoy some perky BACHELOR BUTTONS, also known as cornflowers — after blooming beautifully, they also dry beautifully for use in future flower arrangements! 

And CALENDULA! They’re in the marigold/daisy family, they have terrific healing properties for the skin and is said to also have anti-inflammatory benefits. 

Both pretty AND useful, Nasturtiums are also EDIBLE!! They both attract both beneficial insects that help your garden as well as the nastier ones, keeping them off your other garden plants! 

Of course they’re also bringing everyone’s favorites, SNAP PEAS, as well as SPINACH, SWISS CHARD and SUCCULENTS!

If you’re busy planting your Spring Garden, stop by for some tips, free plants and free seeds and don’t forget to drop off your empty six-packs for the MGs to recycle and grow more plants for you to give away next month.