Fellowship Garden of Love Community Garden
Open Date
2016
Location
1813 E 118th Street, Willowbrook, CA 90059
Size
1.5 acres, 30 garden beds
Residents Served
15,952
Grow with Us at the Fellowship Garden of Love Community Garden! Join a unique urban oasis, as a member gardener, you will
Cultivate Community Land
Tend your own 3x5, or 4'x8' plot and access to communal planting areas and fruit trees.
Build Resilience
Participate in a cooperative model with access to a shared toolshed, communal tools, and the knowledge of fellow gardeners.
Steward Together
Uphold our shared values through an annual member contract and help guide the garden's future at our quarterly membership meetings.
Access Affordably
Enjoy secure growing space for just $5/month.
Special features
Elder Mulberry Tree! Can rent for special events.
Teresa and Roberto Rodriguez, Community Gardeners at Fellowship Garden of Love in Willowbrook, CA.
Teresa and Roberto Rodriguez still remember when the garden right next to their home in Willowbrook was a blighted vacant lot that attracted a great deal of illegal dumping. Even then they would find themselves whacking away the overgrown weeds trying to keep it as clean as possible. At that time the nearest park they could enjoy was over 2 miles away.
When the garden was built in 2016, now called Fellowship Garden of Love at Holmes, they finally had a space to grow fresh food. These days they treat their visits to the park as a way to “distraerse” or unwind, sometimes becoming so focused on their garden work that it’s nighttime before they know it. Since COVID, getting out of the house has become harder. The garden makes the time during quarantine more bearable. Teresa and Roberto are proud of their crops and believe in sharing the harvest, often handing out fruits and vegetables to curious people passing by.
The Fellowship Garden of Love at Holmes is the first communal garden Neighborhood Land Trust developed. Opened in partnership with the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Fellowship Baptist Church, LA County Library, LA County Public Health, and Barack Obama Elementary School, garden beds are not rented by individual gardeners. Instead, the neighbors work as a team to grow crops to share among themselves and the community. It's a unique and sometimes challenging model, but one that has thrived thanks to the continuous efforts of gardeners like Teresa and Roberto who give their time and energy to maintain the space.
