LONG BEACH - It still looks more like a construction site than a garden, but gradually little flourishes of green are sprouting from the hardscrabble and the Wrigley Village Community Garden is taking shape.
For years, Vin Siv looked down from her second-floor kitchen window onto the empty plot of land at 2044 Pacific Ave.
"She always wanted to see something in this field," said Vernon Lmuth, translating for his mother who speaks Khmer. "It was always deserted."
Now, Vin will be able to look down on a plot of her own. On Sept. 3, Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews donated one of the available plots in the garden to Vin and her family.
Through translation, Vin said she hoped to plant lemongrass, mint and cherry tomatoes and maybe some other Cambodian herbs and spices.
Near the Vin family plot, was another tended by Deborah Kearn that was already abloom. In it were planted tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant, basil, chard, mint and bell and Serrano peppers among others.
It was decorated with a sun-shaped sculpture and a couple of ceramic peppers.
At the front of the garden, which will eventually consist of 25 plots, of which 18 are already reserved, is a plot reserved by Sammy Portillo, a resident of the Village and member of the Wrigley Association.
Portillo said he rented the plot for a group of neighborhood kids who live across the street.
The 10 youths played and hung out in an alleyway near
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Portillo's house because of the lack of green and open space in the neighborhood.
Portillo offered them a plot and says, "they're there every day. They're really enthusiastic and it gives them something to do other than play in the alley."
The plot, which is framed by wooden shelves taken from the old Acres of Books store and still has labels for Modern Art and Impressionism, has been nicknamed Hispanic Roots by the kids.
As of the weekend, the plot featured four pepper plants in the corners and the kids had just added lettuce, tomatoes, artichokes, broccoli and squash. They were also at work building structures for vined vegetables to climb.
The garden was brought to fruition by students in the Neighborhood Leadership Program, with help from various residents and community groups.
Sandra Johnson and Leatopo Fesili, from the NLP group that spearheaded the operation, stood by and watched Andrews having pictures taken with Vin and her son.
Both say they plan to start work on a plot soon.
"I have one of those idiot's guides to home gardening," Fesili said with a laugh.
The NLP team started with a $1,000 grant and estimated it leveraged about $100,000 in donated goods and services.
Adriana Martinez, the manager of the garden, hopes the Village garden, which is being overseen by Long Beach Organic, is just a beginning.
"We will never have enough gardens," Martinez said.
Joe Corso, of Long Beach Organic, says he's excited to have Wrigley added to the roster of six community garden's his group helps manage.
He sees a, um, blossoming attitudinal shift among urban residents.
"There's suddenly this need for garden space," Corso said.
He notes that just a couple of years ago, LB Organic couldn't find enough families to take plots. But the Wrigley Village garden is nearly sold out and another LB Organic garden, called the "Wild Oats" garden, has a waiting list of 80.
"I think there's a rising awareness of what's in our food," Corso said.
He attributes it to the struggling economy, a "pride of authorship" in growing one's own food, and just a general "greening" among the populace.
Martinez says passers-by still stop and look in quizzically at the still mostly barren patch of land, with its large pile of concrete in the northeast corner. But she says that will all change and predicts within a couple months it will be a blooming green beauty.
And Vin will be able to gaze down and see how her garden grows.
Although plots are expected to sell out, as of the weekend seven remained available. Plots rent for $20 per season, of which there are two in a year, and require membership with Long Beach Organic, which is $20 per year.
Information is available by sending an e-mail to wrigleyvillagegarden@gmail.com.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291.
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