LA City Council Opens Up More Land To Urban Gardeners
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles City Council is making new grounds -- formerly off limits -- available to urban gardeners.
KCAL9's Greg Mills spoke to one urban gardener who has planted crops in an unlikely place -- alongside a parkway in South LA.
"Why am I going to water grass, when I could be watering food and feeding myself and feeding my neighbors?," said Ron Finley.
He started his garden about three years ago.
"I just wanted to eat healthy food," Finley says.
The garden is big and occupies land Finley doesn't own. He said he used to get hassled by the city.
But City Hall had a change of heart and listened to Finley and fellow parkway gardeners from South LA to Los Feliz. The City Council recently voted unanimously to allow parkway gardens.
"I cannot even tell you how overjoyed I am," said Finley.
Neighbors don't seem to mind either -- especially because he allows them to pick a banana or pomegranate.
"He allows people to come and pick them as long as they don't destroy the area," says neighbor Darnell Clay, "which to me is a pretty unselfish thing,"
Finley, a self-taught gardener, has been able to grow everything he wants -- except ginger. Finley said he's tried and tried with no luck.
Mills said there is something else surprising about Finley, owner of an apparent green thumb and grower of organic vegetables -- he's actually a big carnivore and a meat-loving man.
