Visit the Civic Center Edible Garden and learn how to easily grown your own food in garden containers!

The Office of Sustainability staff manages a demonstration garden outside of City Hall. The purpose of the Civic Center Edible Garden is to educate the residents of Long Beach about growing their own food. The garden demonstrates that a big yard is not necessary since all of our vegetables are grown in containers called EarthBoxes. We choose to grow organic in order to reduce our environmental impact. Currently, there are two staff members managing the garden. However, during the summer we train a various number of at-risk youth about the benefits of gardening and how to start/maintain their own urban gardens. The excess harvest is donated to Food Not Bombs, a local organization that prepares and distributes the food to the local homeless community. To view the Garden's Signs, click HERE.

       

What is Urban Gardening?   

Urban gardening involves the idea that citizens can grow food no matter where they live, whether it’s a high rise apartment, a tiny condo, or a house with no backyard. Some examples of urban gardening are:
  • Community gardens (located all across the city)
  • Container gardening (such as this garden)
  • Rooftop gardens (speak to your landlord)
  • Garden sharing (renting out space from a neighbor who has a yard)  
What are we growing?  

The Earthbox containers are specially designed to require less water, which is important while we continue to experience a drought.

The following is a list of plants that we are growing for the fall/winter:   
  • Strawberries  
  •  Lettuces
  • Mustard greens
  •  Peas
  • Cabbage
  •  Broccoli
  • Onions
  •  Celery
  • Carrots
  •  Beets
  • Radishes
  •  Tomatoes
  • Potatoes
  •  Herbs   
  • Chives
  •  Garlic
  • Rutabaga    
  •  Turnips
  • Cauliflower
  •  Swiss Chard

The following is a list of plants that we are growing for the spring/summer:   
  • String beans/
    green beans
  •  Cucumber
  • Pumpkin
  •  Squash
  • Melons
  •  Tomatoes
  • Eggplant
  •  Basil
  • Peppers
  •  Strawberries
This Sustainable Long Beach initiative is made possible through a joint partnership with the Office of Sustainability and the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network.   For more information on the Civic Center Edible Garden Project, call 570-5927 or email us at civiccenterediblegarden@gmail.com

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